Fukuoka will get a different kind of derby on November 7, when MLBx brings its three-on-three co-ed home run competition to Mizuho PayPay Dome, the home park of the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.
| MLBx: Fukuoka | Details |
|---|---|
| Date | November 7 |
| Venue | Mizuho PayPay Dome Fukuoka |
| Format | 3-on-3 co-ed modified home run derby |
| Scoring | Home runs, target hits and defensive catches |
| Tickets | On sale Thursday |
The event arrives after MLBx stops in Mexico City, Seoul and London, with Mumbai next on the schedule before the tournament reaches Japan. It will be the first MLBx event held in the country, with more player announcements and event details still to come.
Star power in the Fukuoka field
Daisuke Matsuzaka headlines a group that ties the evening directly to Japan’s baseball history. Matsuzaka became a national name during the summer Koshien tournament as a teenager, then won a World Series ring with the Boston Red Sox in 2007. He also collected World Baseball Classic MVP honors in 2006 and 2009.
Former Major League outfielder Adam Jones is also set to play. Jones logged 14 MLB seasons and later spent a season with the Orix Buffaloes. His leaping catch to take away a home run in the World Baseball Classic remains one of the tournament’s signature defensive moments.
Jonny Gomes, a two-time World Series champion and former Rakuten Eagles player, returns to MLBx. Gomes was named Baseball America’s Winter League Player of the Year for 2004-05 while playing in Mexico.
Wladimir Balentien will bring perhaps the biggest power credential in the field. The Curaçao native owns Nippon Professional Baseball’s single-season home run record after hitting 60 in 2013, and he will be back in the competition looking to send more balls out of the park.
Kazuo Matsui, Akinori Iwamura and Dae Ho Lee round out the announced group of former big-league players. In the modified derby format, the clubs will not be judged on long balls alone; target work and catches in the field also add to the point total.
A baseball bridge across the Pacific
MLB is staging the Fukuoka tournament with the U.S. Embassy in Japan as part of the America 250 program. The occasion is intended to recognize more than 150 years of baseball connections between Japan and the United States.
Jeremiah Yolkut, MLB’s senior vice president of global operations and events, said the event captures the sport’s energy, culture and excitement, and called its Japanese debut an opportunity to strengthen MLB’s relationship with fans in the country. He said the gathering in Fukuoka will celebrate the longstanding baseball bond shared by Japan and the United States alongside the embassy, the Hawks and the former stars taking part.
U.S. Ambassador to Japan George E. Glass said baseball has linked the two nations since the game arrived in Japan more than a century and a half ago. He described the Fukuoka stop during America’s 250th anniversary year as a tribute to Japan’s contribution to the sport and a chance to celebrate a game that continues to draw fans on both sides of the Pacific.
