For an American Journeyman, a Long-Delayed Honor in Japan

For Neal and the rest of the league, it has been an agonizing wait of twists, turns, stops and starts. As the coronavirus hit the country, fans were prohibited from training camps in late February, but the league forged ahead in the hopes of being able to start the season on time, or with only a short delay.

An April 10 targeted start was moved to April 24. When that became unrealistic, the season was pushed to May, and eventually June. All the while, Neal and his wife were living in an apartment in the far western reaches of suburban Tokyo, a 30-minute drive from Seibu’s home park.

Neal said he quelled his restlessness by reading John Grisham novels and painting American western themes in acrylic. Eventually, Seibu’s stadium opened four days a week for voluntary workouts, and then a second spring training began May 18.

Exhibition games resumed June 2, with Neal getting two starts before Friday’s opener. Once again, he had to accept a new normal of health protocols.

“We get our temperature taken before we’re allowed to enter the ballpark every day,” he said. “We wear masks in the weight room, and there’s hand sanitizer everywhere. If you lick your fingers on the mound, they throw the ball out. Each night we get an email asking a bunch of questions. We’re not supposed to eat out, play golf or go anywhere except the field, the grocery store and home. It’s definitely different.”

Despite the heightened health concerns, two Yomiuri Giants players received positive results from a coronavirus test hours before an exhibition game against Neal’s Lions. It was abruptly canceled, and all players were sent home.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/19/sports/baseball/japan-nippon-league-zach-neal.html