LIFE & CULTURERANDY BASS
Born in Oklahoma in 1954, Bass has beena sports enthusiast since beginning to play
baseball at a young age. First drafted by theMinnesota Twins in 1972, he later playedfor other MLB clubs, including the Kansas
City Royals and the Texas Rangers, before
coming to Japan in 1983, where he joined
the Hanshin Tigers. With a powerfulswing and excellent bat control, his successat the plate helped lead the Tigers to theirfirst Japan Series championship in 1985.
After leaving the Tigers and returning tothe United States in 1988, Bass ran a farmin Oklahoma. In 2004, he began a 15-year
stint as a Democratic state senator.

Randy Bass reunites with former teammatesat an event commemorating the Tigers’ feats in the 1985 season.

Professional baseball enjoys
immense popularity in Japan, and
the American Randy Bass may
be the most famous foreign-bornplayer in the history of the sport
here. After playing for several
major-league teams in the UnitedStates for 11 years, he signed with
the Hanshin Tigers, by far one of
the most beloved teams in Japan.
In 1985, his third year in Japan,
Randy Bass belted 54 home runs,
helping to catapult his team to its
first league championship in 21years. He blasted home runs inthree straight games during theJapan Series, as the Tigers went onto claim their first championship

1980s

BASEBALLSTAR
BRIDGES JAPAN AND
THE UNITED STATESIn the 1980s, American professional baseball player
Randy Bass became a legend of the sport in Japan. Even today,long after retirement, he retains a close connection to the country.
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Top: Even though he has retired, Japanese baseball fans havenever forgotten what Randy Bass accomplished.
Right: After retiring, Bass kept himself busy as a member of
the Oklahoma Senate.

in franchise history. Today,
whenever a new foreign-bornplayer joins the team, fans wonder
whether he will be “the next Bass.”
He says, “It’s just a humbling
experience to be able to know
they put everything on me.”This slugger beloved by Tigers
fans, now 66, is still so enamoredwith Japan that he “could go
and live there right now.” Bass
was amazed by the Shinkansen,
which the team rode to away
games. Praising the high-speed
rail network that connects farflung cities in a matter of hours
while maintaining astounding
punctuality, Bass said, “It’s justso efficient, and it’s a wonderful
way to travel.” The place heloved the most on the road wasTokyo, where he would often get

together downtown
with foreign-bornplayers from otherball clubs. While
Tokyo is renowned as a city witha bustling nightlife, it is alsosurrounded by abundant nature.
Bass recalled, “It was beautiful
up in the mountainous partsof Tokyo. You just never forgetthat. So peaceful and so quiet.”
He said that on one day off, hewent to catch fish in a river inthe mountains, pitched a tentwith friends, and enjoyed an
unforgettable day of rest.
After retiring from baseball in
1988, Bass returned to his home
state of Oklahoma, where he ran
a farm and, beginning in 2004,
he served as a member of theOklahoma Senate for 15 years.

There are still plenty of natural
surroundings outside of Tokyo,
Bass’s favorite place toplay on the road.

JAPANUNITED STATES OF AMERICA

More than 130,000 Shinkansen trains travel between Tokyoand Osaka annually, running with an average delay of under
20 seconds.

Despite his busy schedule, he has
found time to visit Japan several
times a year for events such as anall-star game for retired ballplayers
from Japan’s professional league.
Wanting to give something backto all the people who helped him
during his time in Japan, Bass has
been actively engaged in exchanges
with the country, participating in
events such as those organized by
the America-Japan Society. He
says that Japanese children—noteven born when he was playing
baseball in the country—still
come to visit him in Oklahoma,
asking him for a handshake or
autograph because of what theyhave heard from their parents. “Itis really a cool thing that Japanesepeople come over and interact
with people in Oklahoma.” Bassbelieves that “baseball has thepower to unite people.”
He may have hung up his
spikes after making the dreams ofJapanese baseball fans come true,
but Randy Bass is still building
bridges between Japan andOklahoma.

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