By Horiki Hara, Kure Shimbun
Monday, November 25, 2013

The LRS off-season.  For some, a time of relaxation at home with the family; for others, trips to faraway corners of the Earth.  Still others are content to simply blow scads of money in the shortest amount of time possible.

However, not all LRS players are millionaires.  In fact, most aren’t even close.  A good number make the minimum salary – which, thanks to the powers that be, will get a nice hike to nearly $53,000 starting next year.

You might look at that figure and think, “Hey, that’s just about what I make.”  You might even make more.  And don’t forget, $53,000 is typically subject to a 20% income tax fee.  $53,000 is not the salary of a rich man in Japan, and depending on a player’s family and other expenditures, some players even take up a second job during the off-season.  Here’s a rundown of some of the second jobs that some members of your Kure Arsenal will be taking on this off-season.

Ryosei Goto, age 32
Day job: Platoon 3B vs. LHP
Off-season job: Clerk at Family Mart

Coming off what could be called his best season to date, Goto was a solid .300/.364/.500 vs. LHP in 2013.  He only started 20 games at 3B but didn’t make an error there or at SS, where he started three games.  Unfortunately for Goto, he isn’t arbitration eligible until 2016, when he will be 36.

“I’m just thankful to have a job in baseball,” says Goto.  “It’s not something a lot of people get to do.  My Uncle owns a Family Mart in Miyazaki, so usually what I do is take 3 or 4 days off after the season ends, read a book and sit in a bathtub to rest my bones, then do a noon to 9 p.m. shift at Family Mart.  I like to work out in the morning, so I’ll usually go for a jog around 6 a.m., lift some weights until about 8 a.m., then head into my Uncle’s store.

“It’s not the most glamorous lifestyle, but it works.  Most of the customers know who I am because my Uncle updates them all year.  He’s even got a photo of me next to the cash register.  We get a lot of the same customers, so once they say, ‘Hi,’ and ask how the season went, I’m just another guy for three months.  I do a lot of register work and some stocking, as well.  It’s a fairly busy store, so it’s no walk in the park.”

Josuke Kogawa, age 29
Day job: Long reliever and spot starter at home games
Off-season job: Ramen chef

No one can deny Kogawa’s popularity outweighs his usefulness.  As one of the elder statesmen of the franchise (Kogawa broke in with Makurosu in 2007), he’s done just enough to stick around, but not a whole lot more.  2013 marked the first season since 2010 that Kogawa didn’t spend time in AAA during the season.  He posted a 3.70 ERA through 80 innings of work, starting eight games and appearing in 33 others.  He’s got two more years under team control before becoming arbitration-eligible.

“I try to not think about the big payday down the road… I could get there, or the team might just not want to pay a million for a spot starter who’s not that good away from Kure,” he says.

“It’s hard work.  Repetitive.  You put the noodles in the boiling water, take them out, put the onion in… but then as you do it, you’ve got other customers ordering, so you have to get those going.  The customers can get a little demanding at times.  Lunchtime is busy and the nights can get a little crazy once the drinking starts.  It’s hard work, but it’s a job and I need the money.  What else can I say?  I’ve got a wife and a son, and another son from another marriage that didn’t work out.  I’m basically feeding five mouths on the league minimum.  It ain’t easy, people!  I know you see us out there running around on the baseball field and assume we’re all living the life… but there’s another side to this.  Hopefully people will remember that the next time I blow a lead.”

Ryunosuke Saito, age 31
Day job: Lefty setup guy; best used in low-leverage situations
Off-season job: Sushi chef

In 2010 Saito looked like a pitcher primed for a late 20s bloom with 79 strikeouts in 72 innings and just one HR surrendered.  However, he’s been in decline ever since.  In 2012, a sprained acromioclavicular joint seemed to further reduce his effectiveness, and the lefty even found himself in AAA for much of the season.  2013 was a little better, but not the stuff from which million-dollar contracts are made.  This spring, Saito will likely be fighting for a roster spot as the second lefty in Kure’s bullpen.  Hence, during the off-season, he can be found working at Shinzo’s Sushi, a popular boat sushi restaurant in Shinjuku.

“I was looking at becoming a sushi chef before the LRS started.  I played college ball, took a shot at a regional PEBA tryout in 2006 and didn’t make it.  So I was content to become a sushi chef.  I went through the training and all that.  Then in 2007, the LRS started up and I was lucky enough to win a job right off the bat,” he says.

“I like the repetitiveness of it.  I like making the rice, scooping it into my palm.  Cutting the fish carefully.  I don’t mind it too much.  It gets a little crazy standing in the middle of a ring with sushi going around and around me, but the job has its perks.  I’m always popping bits and pieces of salmon or tuna in my mouth, and on Fridays, we break out the sake by 3 p.m.  Sometimes, by the end of my shift, I can barely stand.  We get a little crazy in there.  Not too bad, but a little.”