It's no longer a novelty for Japanese baseball stars to play in the major leagues, but few who return to Japan to play have proved as successful as Tadahito Iguchi, who is profiled on "Sports Tairiku" (Sports Continent; NHK-G, Mon., 10:45 p.m.).
The infielder originally left Japan and the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks after the 2004 season to play with the Chicago White Sox. Over the next four seasons, he also played with the Philadelphia Phillies (twice) and the San Diego Padres.
This year he's covering second base for the Chiba Lotte Marines, and though the team isn't doing that well, Iguchi, who bats last, has had an excellent season at the plate so far. The 34-year-old explains on the show how he has managed to fuse what he learned in the United States with his professional experience in Japan.
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