Ahead of the MLB’s Tokyo Series between the Chicago Cubs and the Los Angeles Dodgers, Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki went to batting practice with a katana in a viral video shared by the team. Suzuki, a native of Arakawa, Tokyo, and a former NPB All-Star with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp, is among the Japanese players who will be returning home for the overseas preseason series ahead of the start of the Major League season.
Using a katana in place of a bat, Suzuki showed off the sheer sharpness and power of the sword traditionally used by samurai, effortlessly slicing balls in half as they were pitched to him. Unfortunately, one of the sliced balls ended up hitting his cameraman, prompting Suzuki to stop for a moment and ask if he was all right (“Daijobu?”).
As a precious cultural artifact, katana likewise have their own place in the culture of Japanese baseball. The great Sadaharu Oh, for instance, famously used a katana as part of batting practice drills during his legendary career with the Yomiuri Giants. The katana drill helped pay great dividends, as Oh remains the world record holder in home runs with 868 (more than 100 more than the MLB record held by Barry Bonds) during his career.
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Suzuki is just one of several Japanese players in this year’s Tokyo Series, a group which also includes Roki Sasaki, Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shota Imanaga. Prior to joining the Cubs in 2022, Suzuki was a first-round draft pick by the Toyo Carp in the Nippon League, where he was a five-time All-Star and a five-time Mitsui Golden Glove Award winner as well as a six-time Best Nine Award winner.
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