Baseball in Asia: Review of Joseph Reaves's History

Introduction to the Book and Author

This paper examines Joseph Reaves's Taking in a Game: A History of Baseball in Asia, published in 2002. The book studies the growth of baseball in Asian countries and how it merged into their cultural and social fabric.

Joseph Reaves writes with the fluency of a newspaper reporter, and this is no coincidence. Reaves has been involved with sports journalism for nearly three decades, working with publications of repute including United Press International, the Chicago Tribune, and Reader's Digest. He is a well-known reporter with sound credentials, having been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize four times for his coverage of subjects ranging from war to economics. He also taught journalism from 1999 to 2001 at a major university. Reaves has written more than one book on baseball and thus possesses in-depth knowledge of both the game and its history.

Baseball's Origins and Spread in Asia

Taking in a Game is a brilliant, thorough, and well-researched account of baseball history in Asia, adapted from the author's thesis at Hong Kong University. While the book presents a detailed discussion of the nature and evolution of the game in Asia, its academic tone keeps it from being fast-paced. At times, one gets the feeling of reading a university dissertation rather than an engaging account of sports history. That said, readers willing to look past the style will find the book highly engrossing, given the wealth of detail that Reaves weaves into his research.

The best thing about the book is that it introduces aspects of the game one could not easily imagine independently. Taking in a Game examines the history of baseball in the Asian region from both political and social perspectives, showing how a single sport can serve many different purposes. Baseball's history in Asia stretches back to 1863, when American expatriates in Shanghai introduced the sport to the region. Driven largely by homesickness and a longing for things associated with American life, they formed the first Asian baseball club. Since then, the region has both embraced and transformed the sport. While the essence of the game has not been spoiled, baseball has been adapted in Asia to suit eastern societies and cultures — the rules were modified somewhat, and the game acquired a distinctly local flavor even though all its ingredients are essentially imported.

The author's primary focus is Japan and baseball's evolution there, though he also engages in comparative discussion by examining the sport's progress in Korea, China, and Taiwan. Reaves explains what the game meant for different Asian nations and how they made it their own. Baseball carries several different names across Asia: in China it is known as bangui, in Korea it is called yagoo, and in Japanese it is besuboru.

Political and Military Uses of Baseball

For Japan, baseball was not simply a form of amusement or even a sport in the ordinary sense. It was a way of competing with the United States and of bridging the cultural gap between east and west. After the Second World War, Japan had become more accommodating toward the United States, yet the two nations remained deep rivals. Baseball opened new doors by offering Japan a window into American life. Many believed the sport could help bridge the centuries-old rift between the two countries, and, perhaps surprisingly, it did help bring the two nations closer in the postwar years.

In the 1970s, Mao Tse-Tung allegedly used baseball as a political strategy. Many believed that baseball was incorporated into a sports revolution program because it paved the way for the "diligent study of Marxism, Leninism, and Mao Tse-tung Thought." Reaves also maintains that Chinese authorities embraced the game because it was believed to improve soldiers' throwing accuracy — stronger arms developed through baseball practice would make soldiers more effective at throwing grenades.

In Japan, too, baseball promotion was grounded in military and political objectives. Where it was not explicitly political, the game was woven into Japanese culture alongside revered martial traditions. In the 1920s, coach Suishu Tobita was considered the greatest baseball coach in Japan and was spoken of as "the god of Japanese baseball." He was known for military-based strategies referred to as "death training," though he himself denied any military intent behind his methods, framing them in spiritual and cultural terms: "To hit like a shooting star, to catch a ball beyond one's capabilities, [is] not the result of technique, but the result of good deeds [and] strong spiritual power."

Reaves also recounts the story of spy Moe Berg, who used baseball as cover for an intelligence mission in Tokyo. During a barnstorming tour of Japan by a U.S. baseball team in 1934, Berg — a catcher — climbed to the rooftop of a hospital and filmed the Tokyo skyline. This footage later assisted the United States in planning its first aerial raid on the Japanese capital. The book is filled with such compelling stories, which provide a fresh perspective on a game long taken for granted in the United States.