Hartford, CT (AP)- After returning home with their tails tucked in between
their legs and after having received a swift, yet severe tongue lashing from
their Manager, Kevin Kennedy, the Hartford Whalers responded by blanking the
Montreal Royals 3-0 in their home opener at Travellers Park today. The story
of the day was the glowing debut of rookie and native of Japan, Hideki Irabu.
The 30-year-old Irabu was near hitless, pitching 7 2/3 strong shutout innings
allowing only 4 hits and striking out 3. Irabu appeared to baffle Montreal
hitters all night long. The Royals countered with another superb effort by
Rheal Cormier who took the tough loss, despite pitching well. Hartford won its
first game of the season and its third straight home opener to move to 1-2 on
the young season while the Montreal Royals continued to struggle, falling to
0-3. Both teams remain stuck behind undefeated Edmonton and Deadwood.
Through his translator, Irabu simply said, "I'm glad we won. Let's hope I can
do it again next time." Japanamania has apparently swept New England with
Hartford's addition of Irabu and fellow Japanese rookie, Masato Yoshi. Both
Yoshi and Irabu's joining the team prompted team officials to hire two
interpreters, enroll all team members in a Japanese 1 class at the University
of Hartford and to now fly the Japanese flag at Travellers Park. Despite
entertaining offers for the two elder Asian rookies in the offseason, Hartford
has apparently decided to stand pat on helping them develop and, as GM Peter
Gammons puts it, "Go international." Surely enough, Whalers merchandise is now
being sold all over Southeast Asia and foreign recruitment is sure to benefit.
They couldn't have written a better beginning to the story of Irabu and Yoshi,
not even in a children's book. Leaving the field to 50,000 screaming fans,
some of them in Japanese, holding Japanese flags and banners, Irabu departed to
a hero's welcome in the top of the 8th inning. Even if neither Irabu nor Yoshi
turn into the next Greg Maddux or, dare we say, Hideo Nomo, for one fleeting
moment the entire Japanese nation was standing proud, on its feet, clapping in
unison for their compatriots and for the game of baseball. And, for that one
fleeting moment, as Yoshi put it, "Hideki was totally in command, like an
Emperor. ...It must've felt amazing."
