TOKYO, Japan -- Baseball player Mark Johnson '90 will start in the all-star game later this month. But not at Fenway Park. Instead, he'll be playing several thousand miles away.
After playing for three Major League Baseball teams in the United States, Johnson crossed the Pacific Ocean earlier this year to play for a professional team in Japan. The former Big Green star, Johnson has not only been playing well for the Osaka-based Hanshin Tigers, he is also quite popular among the passionate fans in Japan.
With his power hitting for the popular Hanshin team, the first baseman has secured a spot on the roster for the Central League in the all-star game. Johnson's Central League squad will take on the Pacific league in a three-game all-star series scheduled later this month.
The Japanese baseball league has been importing former MLB players in order to raise the level of the play. Each team is allowed to have up to four foreign players at the same time on the field. These import players are paid extra money, and in return are expected to provide a big 'help' for the teams they join.
But for Johnson, the road to the stardom was far from easy.
He hit a paltry .182 through mid-April and was removed from the Tigers' starting lineup and was far from being a 'help' to his team.
But after adjusting to Japanese pitchers, he started hitting better. By early May, he was one of the hottest hitters in the nation. Johnson hit home runs in six of the first seven games that month and boosted his average to .319 at one point.
Since then the Worcester, Mass. native has secured the 5th spot on the Hanshins batting order. Johnson is hitting .288 with team-leading 19 homeruns as of July 17th.
Prior to joining the Hanshin Tigers, in 1996, Johnson hit .274, 13 homeruns and 47 RBIs in 127 games for the Pittsburgh Pirates. But he managed only one hit in 14-at-bats in 10 games for the Anaheim Angels last year.
While at Dartmouth, Johnson also played quarterback for the football team. During his senior year, the star QB was scouted by the NFL, but opted to play baseball in the spring instead of trying out for a football team. Then, the Pirates drafted Johnson in the 20th round that year.
The Japanese baseball league consists of 12 teams divided into two leagues. The winner of each division will play in a Japanese version of World Series in October. Japan is home to several major league players, including Milwaukee's Hideo Nomo, the Yankees' Hideki Irabu and the Mets' Masato Yoshii.
