Since the Red Sox players are taking their time to learn Japanese with the addition of Daisuke Matsuzaka and Hidkei “Darkman” Okajima, I figured it would be nice if we here in Red Sox Nation took the time to learn a few baseball related words in Japanese as taken from the Hartford Courant. If your not a Red Sox fan, these words will still be nice to know because Dice-K Mania may hit your town or your team may have a Japanese import playing for them.

Way With Words

In Japan, “jigoku ni ochiro jiantsu” means “Go to hell, Giants,” heard at other Central League parks because the Yomiuri Giants have long been kings in Japan. Things to know:

banto: bunt

batta: batter

fauro: a foul ball

foa boru: four ball; a walk

furu besu: bases loaded

furu kaunto: full count

gaijin or gaikokujin: foreigner, foreign player

gurobu: glove

herumetto: batting helmet

homuran: home run

kantoku: manager

kyujo: stadium

rukii: rookie

sanshin: strikeout

sayonara homuran: winning home run

sebu: a save

shinpan: umpires

shusupuritto finga fasuto boru: a split finger fastball

suraida: a slider

sutoraiku: a strike

sutoreto: straight ball, fastball

wairudo pitchi: wild pitch

yusho: victory

If you would like to see your name in Japanese, click here. This is what my name looks like: