As was the case with Nomomania, the media, especially the Japanese media, followed Dice-K everywhere he went. Dice-K didn’t disappoint in his first Major League appearance, giving up only one run in seven innings, while striking out 10 in a victory over the Kansas City Royals. Everywhere he pitched, a posse of reporters and fans follow.

“When the Red Sox came to town (Toronto), thousands of rabid fans rolled into the Rogers Centre with them—fans of Japan's David Beckham”. Blue Jays media relations man Jay Stenhouse said that the team made arrangements to accommodate more than 100 members of the Japanese media—many of whom followed the Japanese legend around all summer. He would finish the season with a record of 15-12, with 201 strikeouts ane an ERA of 4.40.

However, Daisuke, known for his big stage heroics, would be the winning pitcher in game seven of the ALCS, and winning game three of the World Series. Matsuzaka was the first Japanese pitcher in World Series history to start and win a World Series game.

Hiroki Kuroda could have joined the Major Leagues in 2006, after becoming a free agent. No posting fee would have to be set, and Kuroda would have his choice of teams. The Hiroshima Toyo Carp had a strict policy against free agency because it would lead to higher salaries, which the team would not be able to provide due to lack of financial structure. Going after re-signing Kuroda would require a substantial amount of money in order to compete with other Japanese League teams, the Seibu Lions and Hanshin Tigers, who had lost their key starters Daisuke Matsuzaka and Kei Igawa to the posting system.

However, Kuroda agreed to take only a small raise in his salary and signed a four-year deal to stay with the Carps, and hoped to lead them to a championship after a mediocre previous season. This new contract included a provision that Kuroda would be able to negotiate with major league teams as a free agent at any point during the four-year deal if he saw the Carp not going in the right direction.

Sure enough, his honorable move of staying with his current team backfired, as the Carps finished dead last in 2007, regardless of his 12-8 record with an ERA of 3.56. Kuroda decided enough was enough, and after seeing the success of Daisuke, made himself available to Major League teams.

The Texas Rangers, Seattle Mariners, Kansas City Royals, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Los Angeles Dodgers showed varying degrees of interest in signing Kuroda. The two obvious frontrunners had to be Seattle and Los Angeles, due to the fact that they are both warm weather locations, have large Japanese populations, and because they both have multiple Asian players on their 25 man rosters; Seattle having Japanese players Ichiro and Kenji Johjima, as well as Korean native Cha Seung Baek. The Dodgers carried the most Asian players on its roster of any major league team with five. They include Japanese pitcher Takashi Saito, Korean pitcher Chan Ho Park, and Taiwanese pitcher Hong-Chih Kuo, and infielder Chin-lung Hu.

In the end, he went for the warmer and more Asian influenced Dodgers, signing a three-year, $35.3 million contract.

It is still yet to be determined how Hiroki Kuroda will fare in the major leagues. He is off to an average start so far in this young season, going 1-2 with three no decisions and 20 strikeouts with an ERA of 3.82. However, the fanfare that Dice-K had in his inaugural MLB season has not translated over to Hiroki Kuroda.

Obviously, the history of Japanese players already with service in the Dodger’s organization is a crucial factor, along with the fact that Daisuke Matsuzaka is the first Japanese player for the Red Sox. Dice-K came over as a rock star, and aimed to keep it that way, while Kuroda is more of that crucial role player persona. Time will tell how these two great pitchers change the face of baseball, and how they affect it for future Japanese imports.

A name to remember for the future is Yu Darvish, a 21 year old, Iranian/Japanese pitcher. He has stepped right into the vacant shoes of Daisuke as Japan’s big star, and is projected to surpass Dice-K in skill level as well. Unlike Matsuzaka, Darvish has told the Japanese press that he has no intention of seeking a move to America anytime in the future. Only time will tell as to when he will make the jump.

"At one time, Japanese players went to the major leagues to see if they could play," Bobby Valentine said. "At one time, American players went to Japan to make money. But the shoe is on the other foot now. The Japanese know they can play there.” The next few year will be a great testament to the future of baseball, and of how global the game can get. Who knows, we might be watching a true WORLD Series sooner then you think.

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