Smoking areas in clubhouse, no pitch clock: MLB players get a little taste of baseball in Japan

TOKYO (AP) — The Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers can party like it's 2022 on the baseball field for a few days in Japan, and even like it's 1982 in the clubhouse.

There are a lot of similarities between baseball in the U.S. and Japan, but there are also subtle differences that will be on display as the Cubs and Dodgers play in the Tokyo Dome. That's particularly true over the next few days when they play exhibtion games against the Hanshin Tigers and Yomiuri Giants.

From pitch clocks to smoking in clubhouses, here are a few of the quirks:

Japan's highest professional baseball league — Nippon Professional Baseball — doesn't use a pitch clock, which has had a huge effect on Major League Baseball since the rule was established in 2023.

In MLB, pitchers have just 15 seconds to deliver a pitch when the bases are empty and 18 seconds with runners on base. They also only get two disengagements from the pitching rubber, limiting the number of times they can attempt to pick runners off base.

The changes drastically reduced game times in the U.S., cutting roughly 30 minutes from the average contest. Initially, players were lukewarm to the changes, but for the most part have adapted.

But the pitch clock won't be used in the exhibition games in Japan.

Cubs pitcher Matthew Boyd — who is expected to pitch in relief on Sunday against Yomiuri — said it might be tempting to take a few extra seconds between pitches, but that probably won't be smart.

After all, the pitch clock will be back for the regular season games in Tokyo on Tuesday and Wednesday.

“As much as I'd love to continue to pick off multiple times at first base and take 30 seconds between pitches, I don't think it would be in my best interest to do that because I'm trying to prepare to win a championship.”

Then he grinned. Those pre-2023 days had their perks.

“It's a lose-lose question. The rules are the rules and I'm going to stick to them.”

Cubs manager Craig Counsell had a playing career in the big leagues that spanned from 1995 to 2011, and the two exhibition games have an old-school vibe that he says he'll enjoy.

Early in Counsell's career, statistical and video analysis were rare in the game. If Counsell wanted to know what an opposing player's pitch mix was, he couldn't consult hours of video, he just asked the guy hitting before him.

These days, players have droves of information on every possible aspect of the game. That won’t be possible against Hanshin and Yomiuri.

“We get to play two games where there's not a lot of information and that's fun — especially as an older person,” Counsell said. "Going back to an era when I played, we might have to ask the hitter before, 'what's he got?' That was the advanced scouting report.

“I think that's fun. We'll see if our hitters like it.”

If the first exhibition game was indication, probably not much. Hanshin's pitchers gave up no hits until the sixth inning when Miguel Amaya finally smacked a single that got past the shortstop.

The Cubs finished with just three hits in a 3-0 loss.

The NPB and MLB use two different baseballs, so when Japanese teams are in the field, they use their version of the ball during the exhibitions. The Cubs and Dodgers will use the MLB ball when they are pitching.

Boyd said he tried the Japanese ball before the game and there are subtle differences, like the height of the seams.

Back in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, it wasn't that uncommon to see pictures of MLB players lighting up a cigarette after a big game, but those days have almost completely passed.

That's not necessarily the case in Japan.

The Cubs' cramped third-base clubhouse at the Tokyo Dome had an enclosed area that looked like a phone booth where players could grab a smoke if they're ready to go old school. Nobody on the Cubs took up the offer on Saturday, but hey, there's time to grab a pack of heaters and light one up if someone's interested.

The first exhibition game between the Cubs and Hanshin on Saturday was completely packed, with a capacity crowd in a building that holds 42,000.

The biggest difference was the constant coordinated cheers from the right field stands — complete with a band — that felt like a mix of soccer and college football. There were also the workers who walk around the park with small kegs of beer on their back, ready to pour one out at any moment for thirsty fans.

Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki, who had one of the team's three hits on Saturday, said the scene brought back good memories.

“It's been a little while since I heard those Tigers' cheers, I got goosebumps hearing them,” Suzuki said through an interpreter. “Just feeling how passionate they are, it was good.”

Suzuki was asked if the fans at Wrigley Field should do the same thing.

“I fear that something wild would happen," he said, smiling. “Let's just keep it the way it is.”

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Players of Los Angeles Dodgers warm up during a training session in Tokyo, Friday, March 14, 2025, ahead of the Dodgers to play their MLB opening games against the Chicago Cubs at the Tokyo Dome next week. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Shota Imanaga of the Chicago Cubs comes on to the ground for a training session at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Friday, March 14, 2025, as the Cubs play their MLB opening games against the Los Angeles Dodgers at the venue next week. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)

A man, center right, hands out a ball to a child after he caught it as it was thrown into spectators during the Chicago Cubs' training session at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Friday, March 14, 2025, as the Cubs play their MLB opening games against the Los Angeles Dodgers at the venue next week. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)

Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers participates in a practice session at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Friday, March 14, 2025, as the Dodgers play their MLB opening games against the Chicago Cubs at the venue next week. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)

Shota Imanaga of the Chicago Cubs participates in a training session at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Friday, March 14, 2025, as the Cubs play their MLB opening games against the Los Angeles Dodgers at the venue next week. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)

Players of Los Angeles Dodgers warm up during a training session in Tokyo, Friday, March 14, 2025, ahead of the Dodgers to play their MLB opening games against the Chicago Cubs at the Tokyo Dome next week. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump said he ordered a series of airstrikes on the Houthi-held areas in Yemen on Saturday, promising to use “overwhelming lethal force” until the Iran-backed rebels cease their attacks on shipping along a vital maritime corridor. The Houthis said at least 31 people were killed.

“Our brave Warfighters are right now carrying out aerial attacks on the terrorists’ bases, leaders, and missile defenses to protect American shipping, air, and naval assets, and to restore Navigational Freedom,” Trump said in a social media post. “No terrorist force will stop American commercial and naval vessels from freely sailing the Waterways of the World.”

He also warned Iran to stop supporting the rebel group, promising to hold the country “fully accountable” for the actions of its proxy. It comes two weeks after the U.S. leader sent a letter to Iranian leaders offering a path to restarting bilateral talks between the countries on Iran’s advancing nuclear program. Trump has said he will not allow it to become operational.

The Houthis reported explosions in their territory Saturday evening, in the capital of Sanaa and the northern province of Saada, the rebels’ stronghold on the border with Saudi Arabia, with more airstrikes reported in those areas early Sunday. Images online showed plumes of black smoke over the area of the Sanaa airport complex, which includes a sprawling military facility. The Houthis also reported airstrikes early Sunday on the provinces of Hodeida, Bayda, and Marib.

The Houthi-run Health Ministry said early Sunday that the death toll had climbed to 31, including women and children. Anees al-Asbahi, a spokesperson for the ministry, said Sunday that another 101 people were wounded.

A U.S. official said this was the beginning of air strikes on Houthi targets that are expected to continue. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the press.

Nasruddin Amer, deputy head of the Houthi media office, said the airstrikes won’t deter them and they would retaliate against the U.S. “Sanaa will remain Gaza’s shield and support and will not abandon it no matter the challenges,” he added on social media.

Another spokesman, Mohamed Abdulsalam, on X, called Trump’s claims that the Houthis threaten international shipping routes “false and misleading.”

The airstrikes come a few days after the Houthis said they would resume attacks on Israeli vessels sailing off Yemen in response to Israel’s latest blockade on Gaza. They described the warning as affecting the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Arabian Sea.

There have been no Houthi attacks reported since then.

Earlier this month, Israel halted all aid coming into Gaza and warned of “additional consequences” for Hamas if their fragile ceasefire in the war isn’t extended as negotiations continue over starting a second phase.

The Houthis had targeted over 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking two vessels and killing four sailors, during their campaign targeting military and civilian ships between the start of the war between Israel and Hamas in late 2023 and January of this year, when this ceasefire in Gaza took effect.

The attacks raised the Houthis’ profile as they faced economic and other problems at home amid Yemen’s decade-long stalemated war that’s torn apart the Arab world’s poorest nation.

The Houthi media office said the U.S. strikes hit a residential neighborhood in Sanaa’s northern district of Shouab. Residents said at least four airstrikes rocked the Eastern Geraf neighborhood there, terrifying women and children.

“The explosions were very strong,” said Abdallah al-Alffi. “It was like an earthquake.”

The Eastern Geraf is home to Houthi-held military facilities and a headquarters for the rebels' political bureau, located in a densely populated area.

The Houthis reported fresh strikes on the southwestern Dhamar province late Saturday. They said the strikes hit the outskirts of the provincial capital, also named Dhamar, and the district of Abs.

The United States, Israel and Britain have previously hit Houthi-held areas in Yemen. Israel’s military declined to comment.

However, Saturday's operation was conducted solely by the U.S., according to a U.S. official. It was the first strike on the Yemen-based Houthis under the second Trump administration.

Such broad-based missile strikes against the Houthis were carried out multiple times by the Biden administration in response to frequent attacks by the Houthis against commercial and military vessels in the region.

The USS Harry S. Truman carrier strike group, which includes the carrier, three Navy destroyers and one cruiser, are in the Red Sea and were part of Saturday's mission. The USS Georgia cruise missile submarine has also been operating in the region.

Trump announced the strikes as he spent the day at his Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida.

“These relentless assaults have cost the U.S. and World Economy many BILLIONS of Dollars while, at the same time, putting innocent lives at risk,” Trump said.

Baldor reported from Washington and Magdy reported from Cairo. AP White House Correspondent Zeke Miller and AP writer Tara Copp in Washington contributed to this report.

Yemenis clean debris in front of their shops after a U.S. airstrikes in Sanaa, Yemen, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)

Yemenis clean debris in front of their shops after a U.S. airstrikes in Sanaa, Yemen, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)

Yemenis clean debris in front of their shops after a U.S. airstrikes in Sanaa, Yemen, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)

This image taken from video provided by the U.S. Navy shows an aircraft launching from a carrier in an undisclosed location before airstrikes in Sanaa, Yemen, Saturday, March 15, 2025. (U.S. Navy via AP)

This image taken from video provided by the U.S. Navy shows an aircraft launching from a carrier in an undisclosed location before airstrikes in Sanaa, Yemen, Saturday, March 15, 2025. (U.S. Navy via AP)

This image taken from video provided by the U.S. Navy shows an aircraft launching from a carrier in an undisclosed location before airstrikes in Sanaa, Yemen, Saturday, March 15, 2025. (U.S. Navy via AP)

This image taken from video provided by the U.S. Navy shows an aircraft launching from a carrier in an undisclosed location before airstrikes in Sanaa, Yemen, Saturday, March 15, 2025. (U.S. Navy via AP)

Smoke rises from a location reportedly struck by U.S. airstrikes in Sanaa, Yemen, Saturday, March 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)

President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, March 4, 2025. (Win McNamee/Pool Photo via AP)

Smoke rises from a location reportedly struck by U.S. airstrikes in Sanaa, Yemen, Saturday, March 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman