A new baseball game based on a popular, decades-old toy version of the sport is allowing people with and without disabilities to experience the joys of the diamond.
Universal Baseball, developed by Tokyo-based railcar maintenance firm Horie Sharyo Denso Corp., was played in New York on April 21, for the first time outside Japan, with former Yankees slugger Hideki Matsui appearing as a special guest.
The game has been played about 200 times in Japan since 2019.
A player hits the ball by pulling on a string connected to the bat. The cord only needs to be pulled one centimeter, requiring no physical strength.
The result of each at-bat is determined by where the ball lands in a 5x5 meter baseball field. Areas are marked for an out, a base hit, a double, a triple and a home run.
The replica stadium resembles a much bigger version of the toy baseball game that first appeared on the market in the 1950s, and which has had several different iterations over the years in Japan.
"I want people to spread the word that there is a baseball game like this," said Matsui, the 2009 World Series MVP with the Yankees.
Tetsuro Nakamura, a former high school baseball player, came up with the idea for the game after meeting a boy in a wheelchair. His employer Horie Sharyo Denso, which supports people with disabilities, turned the idea into reality.
After he saw children enjoy the game in the United States, Nakamura said, "Everyone can play and is attracted to this, making me think we created a great game."
"It's the first time that a (former) pro ballplayer has come to Universal Baseball," he said of Matsui. "I hope this game will grow."
In a "hitting trial" ceremony, Matsui finished hitless after taking three swings.
"I made a terrible debut, but the developer is wonderful," he said.
