I often watch the games of Shohei Ohtani on TV. Major League games are often played early in the morning or before noon here, so when the time works, I watch them live. When that is hard, I record them and watch them later, taking my time. Since the postseason started, the attention on the games has been especially high. It has become my habit to sit in front of the screen with excitement for every game.
As Someone Who Played Baseball, the Spitting Scenes Bother Me
While watching MLB like this, there is one thing that has bothered me all along. It is the sight of players spitting on the field as if it is nothing.
I played baseball when I was a student. From that experience, I feel something like “sacredness” about the field as a place. Lining up and bowing is a culture unique to Japanese baseball. I think it has soaked into my body.
That is why, when players spit as a matter of course during MLB games, I cannot help feeling that something is wrong.
Star players who represent Japan, like Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Roki Sasaki, almost never show that kind of gesture during games. On the other hand, I sometimes see Seiya Suzuki do it. Maybe he is fitting in with American culture. I understand that he is adapting. But as someone who grew up in Japan, part of me feels it is “a little bit of a pity.”
Spitting in MLB Has a Cultural Background
In American baseball, spitting itself is not bad manners. There are several reasons for it and a long history behind it.
- A habit from gum and sunflower seeds. Players often chew them to relax or to focus.
- What remains of the chewing tobacco culture. In dry places, chewing kept the mouth wet, and spitting it out became normal.
- A switch to raise focus. Many players also do it to sort out their feelings.
It is not only baseball. In parks and on the street, too, seeing people spit is not so rare. There is not as strong a dislike of spitting in front of others as there is in Japan.
The Difference in How People See Baseball Shows Up in Field Care
In Japan, the players themselves take care of the field after a game. They line up, bow, and then leave. This is a culture of manners and thanks. In America, on the other hand, taking care of the field is fully the job of the staff, and there is no culture of bowing. The values are different from the start.
Yakyu and Baseball Look Alike but Are Not the Same
Yakyu, the Japanese word for baseball, is a culture that values manners. Spitting on the field is unthinkable. American baseball is a culture that respects freedom. Spitting is part of daily life, and nobody cares. It is the same sport, but the thinking behind it is something completely different.
Knowing the Difference Changes How You Watch
The time I spend cheering for Shohei Ohtani is the most fun of all. At the same time, there are moments when I come across a cultural difference and it makes me think. That is also part of the appeal of watching.
When I know the background, the feeling that something is wrong eases a little. But—
I still have the values that soaked into me from my student days. The field is a sacred place. I cannot help feeling that strongly. And now I think that is fine.
How do you feel? If you watch with the difference in values in mind, the same game may look a little different.
In 2026, this two-way player started spitting on the field. Why did he start? I thought about it as someone who has cheered for him.
Other things I have written about baseball in Japan:
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