Global Baseball Series to be played at Toyota Field
MADISON – Toyota Field is going international. For the first time in the stadium’s history a foreign team will partake in a game on the grounds of the home of the Rocket City Trash Pandas, and going into their seventh season, the Trash Pandas will play its first pre-season exhibition game in the team’s history. The excitement surrounds the upcoming Global Baseball Series scheduled to be held March 30 and 31, and April 1 where the host Trash Pandas will welcome both UAH and Alabama A&M baseball teams and the Toyota Red Cruisers, the official corporate amateur baseball team of the Toyota Motor Corporation based in Japan and who play in that country’s industrial league system.
“Many of the Red Cruisers are fulltime Toyota employees with many having gone on to play professional baseball in Japan and even had a couple players make the Japanese National Team, so this is pretty good baseball,” said Garrett Fahrmann, vice president and general manager of the Trash Pandas.
“We and having this value connecting people, the community and the countries,” said Katsutashi Satake, a member of the Red Cruisers, through an interpreter at the recent announcement of the Global Baseball Series held at the SportsMED Stadium Club at Toyota Field. “”We look forward to the opportunity to share the power of sports as we will do our best to deliver a memorable game for the fans here in Alabama.”
When asked if this was his first trip to Alabama, Satake said yes. This reporter then taught him to speak “Southern” by teaching him to say “Y’all,” which he proudly did and loved the idea he will return to Alabama knowing how to speak the language of the South. Satake, who is known as “Mr. Baseball” among the industrial league, has played for the Red Cruisers for 19 years and is a pitcher among the 31-player roster.
Newly announced Trash Pandas’ manager, Joe Kruzel, will bring his team to their home field with anticipation of playing a good brand of baseball against both the Red Cruisers. Meeting the local media for the first time, the more than 30 years coach of professional and college baseball said, “This is not only a great opportunity for our players to be a part of this, but also for the Red Cruisers, Alabama A&M and UAH. I’m glad to be part of this opportunity to witness this tremendous event of experiences for the kids and the Red Cruisers.”
The Alabama A&M Bulldogs, a NCAA Div. 1 program and member of the SWAC Conference, is led by first-year head coach Louis Whitlow who looks forward to his entire program to participate in the Global Baseball Series. He added, “Exposing our student-athletes to great opportunities is the ultimate goal and there’s no greater goal than this one to provide an international opportunity. This is an honor and pleasure and there are no other words to describe what we are doing for our student-athletes at Alabama A&M. I am looking to the great memories we are going to create together.”
For UAH, the Chargers play in the Gulf South Conference as part of the NCAA Div. II and are led by Hunter Royer who took over the head coach position for the Big Blue in 2011. “This is a very big deal for our players and will be excited to say the least to play against future big leaguers. We hope to put on a good show for everybody,” he said.
The Global Baseball Series serves as a bridge for cultural and educational exchange, celebrating the long-standing community partnership between Japan and the area of North Alabama. Tickets for all three games are currently on sale at TPTix. com and trashpandasbaseball. com. The lineup of the contest are: Monday, March 30, 6:35 p.m.- Toyota Red Cruisers vs. Alabama A&M Tuesday, March 31, 6:35 p.m.Rocket City Trash Pandas vs. UAH Wednesday, April 1, 6:35 p.m.Rocket City Trash Pandas vs. Toyota Red Cruisers Marc Perry, President of Toyota Alabama, spoke of the connection between Huntsville and Japan being very unique.
“Here in Huntsville, we build the engines that supply the power for some of the Toyota’s most recognized vehicles, and we also make the differentials, those components that make the automobiles run smooth and safe handling utilizing around 2,400 team members. We do more than that. We power communities. We believe in giving back to the place we call home. Just like our plant just a few miles up the road from Toyota Field, baseball requires precision through work and commitment. If you do it right, the result is a home run. Just looking what this event is and the people connected, it’s going to be a grand slam. For me, the only question I have, is who do I route for. I have Toyota and then the Trash Pandas, but I feel I win either way.”
