TOMODACHI Partnership with Major League Baseball
The Japanese people love baseball as much as Americans do. That’s why Major League Baseball (MLB), the Major League Baseball Players’ Association (MLBPA), and TOMODACHI have teamed up to help the children of the Tohoku region rebuild through our shared joy for the game. This includes holding baseball clinics and providing baseball equipment to youth teams in the Tohoku area.
- MLB and TOMODACHI reopen baseball field in Ishinomaki – Curtis Granderson of the New York Yankees, along with officials from MLB and TOMODACHI, reopened a baseball field in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture on December 9, 2012 which was repaired through an effort under the TOMODACHI Initiative. The field was damaged following the March 11, 2011 disasters and is located next to a temporary housing community.
- Equipment donations to Tohoku youth – The TOMODACHI Initiative and MLB organized a donation of baseball equipment from the Cal Ripken. Sr. Foundation to four Japanese youth baseball teams in Iwate Prefecture.
- MLB players conduct baseball clinic for Tohoku youth – MLB Players opened the 2012 Season in Tokyo and conducted a baseball clinic for young players. They met with some of the residents of Ishinomaki who were affected by the devastating earthquake and tsunami of March 11, 2011.
- Cal Ripken, Jr. conducts baseball clinics for Japanese kids – MLB Hall of Famer Cal Ripken, Jr. conducted baseball clinics for children in Tokyo, Tohoku, and Kansai in November 2011. He was joined by former American League All-Star and Baltimore Orioles teammate Brady Anderson and longtime friend Sachio Kinugasa, a former Japanese baseball star with the Hiroshima Carp.
