For Kansas City Royals pitcher Jeremy Guthrie, going to Japan to play the Japanese All Stars was more about baseball. It was about family.
The fourth generational Japanese American met his relatives there for the first time in his life.
“I’ve just been really focusing on trying to connect with some family I have over there,” Guthrie told MLB.com. “My mom’s really helped with that and well as a friend of ours who lives over in Hiroshima and through that I’ll be able to maximize my time and enjoy the experience and get the most out of it.”
You can watch a moment Guthrie had on the field prior to pitching against the Japanese All Stars in the clip below.
Guthrie struck out three, but gave up four runs in five innings as the Japanese All Stars beat the Major League All Stars 4-0. Guthrie got no offensive support. The MLB All Stars were no hit.
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