Tokyo held its first-ever MLB Players STEM League Championship tournament, supported by AMETEK and hosted by ABeam at their offices in Yaesu Central Tower in Tokyo. 32 students from four schools across the region participated in the championship. Students were welcomed to the event by legendary pitcher, Masanori “Mashi” Murakami. A true trailblazer for the sport, Mashi was the first Japanese-born player to compete in Major League Baseball, making his debut as a pitcher for the San Francisco Giants in 1964. The star-studded attendees did not end there, as the emcee for the event was Yuji Kendo, a well-known sports broadcaster for Japan.
Above Masanori “Mashi” Murakami, the first Japan-born player to compete in the MLB, welcoming students to the tournament
"IT WAS SO EXCITING!! Fortunately, I was able to meet a famous commentator and MLB player,” said Ryota, a student at Omiya International Secondary School, one of the four schools participating.
The tournament began with three round-robin games. Afterwards, the top four teams with the best win-to-loss record moved on to the final four. For the finals, from Kaisei Academy, Hayato N. and Nozomi O., faced Shinnosuke S. and Haruto E. from Omiya International.
All 32 participants were cheering on the two teams. “The atmosphere was perfect, and it was wonderful to see the students interacting and forming connections with students from other schools… It was really great to see students from different grades coming together. The students were especially good at giving each other advice and making sure that everyone was playing well,” said Aaron Nachsin, an English language teacher at Omiya International School. “We also had some participating students who have had trouble in the past with consistent school attendance, so this was a good opportunity to get them more engaged in school activities.”
Hayato and Nozomi cheer after winning the tournament
The energy in the room was undeniable with loud cheers and gasps at each play. The final spinner landed and Hayato N. and Nozomi O. emerged victorious!
Hiroki Mochizuki, County Manager of North Asia of Ametek, and ABeam Consulting’s President and CEO, Takahiro Yamada, wrapped up the tournament with inspiring words for the students and educators participating.
The tournament champions, finalists, and sportsmanship award winners were able to attend Tokyo Series games featuring the Los Angeles Dodgers, Yomiuri Giants, Chicago Cubs, and Hanshin Tigers. The champions, Hayato and Nozomi, were treated to a special on-field experience, where they met Dodgers’ manager, Dave Roberts, and current players, Miguel Rojas and Kirby Yates.
From left to right: Miguel Rojas, Nozomi, Hayato, and Dave Roberts
Students at Omiya International School gather around the board game
A unique aspect of the tournament was Omiya International School taking the game one step further by calculating a custom metric to analyze players for their draft picks. “I mostly focused on OBP and [other] types of statistics circle… I made two types of deviation value as well. The first one is total value and the second one is value in the position,” explained Haruki, a second-year high school student at Omiya International Secondary School. “For batters, we analyzed the on-base percentage and batting average. For pitchers, we analyzed the number of numbers and the defense ratio,” continued Ryota.
Students’ custom metrics used to analyze their draft picks
“The most interesting scene is when the wild card is used. The type and timing of the use of wild cards is very important as a strategy, and makes the game more interesting,” said Osuke, a student at Omiya International Secondary School.
With one team reaching the final four and another as finalists in this first year alone, Omiya International School is already looking forward to competing again next year.
Program participants from Omiya International’s MLB Players STEM League program
To see the Tokyo tournament in action, check out the official photo album here.
Just five days later, the energy and excitement continued at Yongsan International School in Seoul, Korea. Here, the MLB Players STEM League program is in the beginning stages with 15 active student participants. Students even took their lunch break to learn the rules and get in on the action.
Students enjoying the board game at Yongsan International School
Yongsan will host a tournament at the end of their term. The program was introduced to another school in the region, Oryun Middle School. Here, students engaged in structured gameplay led by Learn Fresh staff.
The program is set to continue into the following year for both cities and is expected to expand.
“The opportunity to bring this program to Japan, a country with such a rich and deeply rooted baseball culture, is a source of great pride and excitement for us. The energy, sportsmanship, and enthusiasm we’ve seen here are unparalleled,” said Nick Monzi, CEO & co-founder of Learn Fresh. “As for Korea, a newer venture for us, the students showed eagerness to learn and great potential for the program’s growth. We’re grateful for our partnership with the Trust, to help bring our programs to these communities and continue to expand upon our mission. At Learn Fresh, we are committed to fostering a global community and creating cross-cultural experiences for our students, and this marks another important step forward in that direction.”