July 31, 2014

Koki: Hello, this is Koki Suzuki of NHK WORLD RADIO welcoming you to this new program, “Japanese Sporting Showcase”, which is made available worldwide to showcase various sports in Japan.  Our first installment will focus on the sport of baseball.  There is much going on in the League of the Rising Sun that will be of interest to people outside of Japan.  Today, we will interview a bright young star of the Lupin Cliff Hangers organization.  We are broadcasting this morning from the studios at Toyama University.  We appreciate the courtesy of our host in allowing the broadcast of this show.

Please join me in welcoming Lupin Cliff Hangers starting pitcher Misao Kodo!  Good morning, Misao!  We thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to visit with us today.

Misao: Greetings Koki and whomever may be listening in the world.  It is my pleasure to be able to appear before such an important audience.  I feel honored.

Koki: Well Misao, I think you will understand that many people in baseball have been stunned at your performance so far this season.  You made your major league debut in 2012 with the Seoul Crushers.  You pitched 64.2 innings over 20 games, starting nine of them.  You only won two games, losing six.  You allowed a 5.43 ERA and 1.62 WHIP.  Not a particularly good debut season.  But you were drafted in the seventh round of the 2010 draft. so there was not a lot of expectations on you.

Now, after spending all of 2013 at Triple-A, you return to the majors.  And wow, what a return it has been!  You started great right out of the gates and you haven’t let up through the end of July.  There are many stats expressing your success this season, but let me point out just a few of them.  Your record is seven wins and only one loss.  You have the highest win percentage, 87.5%, of any LRS starting pitcher with more than one start.  Amongst qualified starting pitchers, you have the second-highest VORP at 33.3.  Your ERA is fourth at 2.31.  You are fifth in strikeouts with 101.  You have pitched 115 innings, fifth in the league.  Your WHIP, 1.05, is fifth in the league.  Your K/BB rate is sixth at 5.94.  And for all those sabermetricians out there, your FIP is seventh at 3.34, which indicates that your ERA is not just a fluke.

It is fitting to say that you have exceeded all expectations this season.  You have moved up in stature, becoming the team ace.  I have just one question for you!  What changed between two seasons ago and now?  I mean, what in the heck did you do in that time to see this kind of improvement?

Misao: Well, first of all, thanks for your kind words.  I’m not one to accept flattery very well.  I try to keep grounded.  I think that is the best approach for continued success.  I’d also like to point out that there is still a lot of the season remaining.  You never know if the batters will be able to learn something about me that gives them an edge.  I am relatively new to the league and the batters are not so familiar with me.  As my success continues, the batters will certainly study me more and do more research, so there is plenty opportunity for a downturn .

Koki: That’s true.  And it’s awful wise, at your age, to realize all that.  But back to my question: what helped you change?

Misao: Well, as far as what has changed for me, there really was nothing major… I mean, I have been pitching since little league.  My delivery and approach through college and in the minors has only gradually improved.  There was no major change in my fundamentals; rather, it is a daily battle to make slight adjustments, to tweak things just a bit.  After each game, I review the video and see what mistakes I may have made or what things I didn’t do as well as I like.  I try to work on those things between each start.  I do quite a bit of mental preparation.  Believe it or not, each night as I go to sleep, I imagine myself pitching and go through my routine in my mind.

I mainly worked out of the bullpen in my early years.  While I started some games in my time at Seoul, it was really with Shin Seiki’s Triple-A affiliate, Kyoto, that I started working primarily as a starter.  I have to give my gratitude to Shin Seiki for allowing me to train and work solely in that capacity.  But I didn’t feel that I established myself as a starter.  So when I was traded to Lupin, I was a bit apprehensive about how I would be used.  I think for most pitchers, the starter role is coveted.  But (team owner) Paul Walker and (General Manager) Jim Konopka sat me down in a private meeting as soon as I came aboard and let me know they considered me a starter.  Not only that; they let me know that I had a spot in the rotation.  The spring was to be a time for me to learn and improve rather than be a competition for a spot in the rotation.  I’ll tell you, that kind of backing did wonders for my confidence, and that confidence definitely hasn’t hurt my performance.

I have to give credit to the Lupin pitching staff, also.  (Triple-A) Yamauchi Plumbers pitching coach Kazuyoshi Shinoda helped me a great deal in the off-season.  Sadakuno Kouki is an outstanding major league pitching coach.  He has helped me a great deal. In spring training, he studied me very closely, making sure I wasn’t tipping pitches, working with me on how to approach batters, and continually tweaking my mechanics.  I have to say that every bit of advice he has given me, I’ve been able to put into practice in the form of improved results on the field.  Not only that, but he prepares a detailed game plan for each game, outlining the strengths and weaknesses of all the opposing batters and how best to approach them.  He’s usually spot-on about what I might expect.

I also need to give credit to the team behind me and the support they give on the offensive side.  I definitely could not have had the type of success I’ve had without a complete team effort.

Koki: I need to be honest with you.  There are those detractors in the media and amongst fans who are skeptical about your ability to maintain this level of performance.  They cite your lack of a third strong pitch.  You have only the fastball and curve in your repertoire that can be considered quality pitches.  Traditional wisdom is that a starting pitcher needs at least three pitches to call on during the course of a game.

Misao: I understand how some would consider that a weakness in my game.  I’ve been giving up more home runs than I’d like to, and I’d have to attribute some of that to my lack of a third pitch to keep batters guessing.  Because when they guess right, there’s not much the defense or I can do but watch.  I have tried developing other pitches without a lot of success in the past.  Though I’ve worked considerably on my changeup, I just haven’t mastered the pitch.  So what I need to do is keep the mindset that I’m able to dominate the batters with the two pitches that I do have.  It’s very important for me to go right after the hitters.  I need to get ahead in the count to have any success.  Getting that first strike is crucial.  After that, I can nibble at the corners, work inside and out.  I establish my fastball early in the game and work the curve in at the right times.  I’ve been pretty effective this season with what I do have, so I’m not too worried about it right now.  If a problem arises and I have trouble, well, we can address the issue at that time.  Because of my reliance on my two main pitches, I’m able to work the changeup in a few times during each game.  Because it’s unexpected, I’m able to have some success with it even though it’s not a great pitch.

Koki: So you were traded twice since coming out of college and now you have ended up with the Cliff Hangers.  What do you think about playing for Lupin so far?

Misao: Well, I’m really pleased.  I’m especially excited about the outlook for the future.  The team hasn’t had a lot of success beyond the first two years of the league’s existence, but the new management has worked hard to get the team moving in a positive direction.  I think the rough years are a thing of the past.  There are a lot of young players like Sadatake Sato and Tadao Harada breaking into the major league team along with me, and plenty more talented guys working their way up through the farm.  I think the Cliff Hangers are making a statement that they are no longer pushovers on the schedule.  Teams like Edo and Kuwana can’t come in here expecting to sweep us any more.  I think things are looking great for the Cliff Hangers going forward.  I’m really happy that I’ve been fortunate enough to land at the right place at the right time.

Koki: I know that you need to rush off to prepare for your matchup with the Naha Shisa this afternoon, but before you go, I always like to expose a little bit of the personal side of the athletes that I interview.  What can you tell us about yourself that listeners might be interested in hearing?  Do you have any hobbies or special interests that you are involved with?

Misao: Well, actually there is.  I am fortunate to have already established a career beyond my baseball years.

Koki: Is that so?  What might that be?

Misao: Well, in my time away from baseball, I have been working as an apprentice in the art of Japanese swordsmithing.  My family has been involved in creating katana for centuries.  I have access to very skilled artisans and craftsmen in my father and grandfather.  I have been learning about the process since as far back as I can remember.  After I graduated from high school, I began working in earnest as an apprentice.  It has been slow going so far because I have needed to refocus considerable time away from the art to my college schoolwork and my sport.  But when I retire from baseball, I’ll have a very useful craft to work at.

Koki: My, that is fascinating.  I didn’t realize that I had someone so rich in the roots of the Japanese heritage.  You must be very proud.

Misao: Well, I’m still learning, so I don’t really have anything to be proud of for myself.  But I am very proud of my father and grandfather.

Koki: Do you ever use any of the swords that you help craft?  I mean, those things were used by the samurai for military purposes back in the day.  Do you ever slice things up with them or anything?

Misao: Almost all of the katana we craft are sold to customers.  I’m not really allowed to use them.  I have, however, been studying kendo since I was six years old.

Koki: That’s one of the modern, safe martial arts with roots in the samurai tradition, isn’t it?  Wow, you really are a multifaceted fellow, aren’t you?  How good are you?  Do you compete?

Misao: I have achieved renshi roku-dan.  I compete when I have time away from baseball.  Actually, I am able to transfer some of the Zen aspect of the martial art to baseball.

Koki: How so?

Misao: Well, my breathing and ability to focus come in very handy when standing on the mound in front of a packed stadium in a pressure situation. (laughs)

Koki: Well, Misao, we can’t keep you any longer.  You’ve got an important game to pitch later today.  Thank you so much for joining us and sharing a bit about yourself.  You are quite a fascinating guy.

Misao: Thank you very much for having me on your show today.  It’s been a pleasure.

Koki: Folks, that concludes our first installment of the NHK “Japanese Sporting Showcase”.  Join us daily at the same time on your locale affiliate for additional sporting wisdom.  Signing out from the studios at Toyama University, this is Koki Suzuki saying, “Good Day!”