Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on March 2011

It’s rookie-hyping time again in Japan, at least in the world of baseball, where these things have assumed an inflated significance. The season starts on March 25, with all six teams in both leagues—Central and Pacific—in action. Japan’s media circus will be encamped at the Sapporo Dome to witness Yuki Saito (a.k.a. the “Handkerchief Prince”) sitting in the dugout. Saito assumed godlike status when he won the Koshien high school tournament in 2006, but he’ll need to work hard to match his rival in that tournament, Masahiro Tanaka (pictured), who opted to turn pro straight away and has found success with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles. The Eagles have given Tanaka a helping hand by bringing in Senichi Hoshino as coach, but they’ll all be trying to catch up with the Chiba Lotte Marines, who took everyone by surprise last season by snatching the Japan Series.