USA Baseball's Spencer Patton had a ‘heartwarming’ homecoming in Tokyo

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Spencer Patton has seen a lot of the world, playing in the Majors with the Rangers, Cubs and A’s, as well as pitching in Mexico and in the Dominican Winter League. But Japan, where he pitched as a member of the Yokohama BayStars from 2017-20, holds a special place in his heart. So, when he returned to Tokyo (Yokohama is about a 45 minute drive from the city) during USA Baseball’s bronze medal run during the WBSC Premier12 recently, it was actually a bit of a homecoming.

“I'm honored to wear the USA jersey. It just means a lot to be able to honor and represent the country. But coming back here is great, it’s a good environment. I've had a lot of support from the fans despite wearing the USA [jersey]. I've had a good welcome back,” Patton told MLB.com.

That “good welcome” is a bit of an understatement. One afternoon during a tournament off-day, Patton announced on social media that he was hosting an impromptu autograph session nearby.

He had no idea what the turnout might look like, having left the country four years ago. He had no idea what the turnout might look like, having left the country four years ago. What he experienced blew him away.

“It was heartwarming,” Patton said. “I wasn't quite sure how it would turn out. I kind of just threw that together and it was tough being in the middle of day with people at work, but the turnout was unbelievable. The fan support – knowing that they still follow me and support me – it’s truly heartwarming and a little bit overwhelming. It's just nice to know that you've had an impact not only in the States, but in another country on the other side of the world.”

It’s an atmosphere that Patton admits you can’t find anywhere else in the baseball universe.

“They just love baseball here. They're very into the games all game long, pitch one to the last pitch. They're paying attention and they love the players. They invest in the play and they almost feel attached to the players here. I mean, just in the autograph signing, there were people crying when they came up to see me. You don't get that much in the States.”

It wasn’t just the fans who he got to see again, though. The nanny who worked for his family when they were living in Yokohama took in a game with Patton’s wife and children, while the pitcher also got to reconnect with Yukino Imai, who babysat his children when they were very young. (Imai also served as a translator for my conversations with Hiroto Takahashi and Shugo Maki.)

“It’s pretty cool to come full circle like that,” Patton said. “You know, [Yukino] actually reached out to me as soon as she found out that we were coming over here, and was super excited that we were gonna get to meet back up. My kids were a little young, so they don't really remember Yukino that much, but she remembers them. And it was nice just to reunite with people like that. …It's almost like we were back playing for Yokohama.”

Patton also got a chance to say hi to some of those former Yokohama teammates and congratulate them on winning their first Japan Series title in 26 years.

“That's their goal every year: to bring the championship back to Yokohama,” Patton said. “We almost did it. My first year, we lost in Game 6 of the Japan series actually, to SoftBank. So, I was really happy that they got the opportunity to get that revenge and bring that championship back to Yokohama.”

The familiarity didn’t bother the pitcher once he was on the mound, though: Against Japan, Patton threw a scoreless inning, striking out one. He has hopes of sticking around in the international game once his playing career is over, perhaps even seeing if there’s an opportunity with USA Baseball.

“Obviously, I love this game and I've been doing it a long time,” Patton said. “I think I have a lot to offer and I love working with younger guys, so I think if there's an opportunity for me to stick with USA baseball, I would love to do that. If there are opportunities at the big league level to coach or even in the Minor Leagues, I'm open to anything. I just want to stay attached to the game somehow.”