(ODDS and EVENS) Aaron Fischman shares insights into his new book about the tenacious pitcher Tony Barnette
Read the full story on SportLook – (ODDS and EVENS) Aaron Fischman shares insights into his new book about the tenacious pitcher Tony Barnette
What made Tony Barnette’s career as a professional baseball player so unique and inspiring are the central pillars of a compelling new book by Aaron Fischman.
The title of the book sums it up without giving away too many details: A baseball gaijin: chasing a dream to Japan and back (424 pages, June 2024, Sports Publishing). An audio book is also in the works.
So who is Barnette? Why did he travel to Japan and back? And when?
Let’s start with a few key facts: Barnette, a former Arizona State University pitcher, began his professional career in 2006 as a tenth-round pick of the Arizona Diamondbacks. The right-hander rose through the minor leagues from rookie ball to Single-A, Double-A and Triple-A. But at age 26 in 2010, he was not in the Diamondbacks’ immediate plans for the parent club.
Barnette was 14-8 as a starter for the Triple-A Reno Aces of the Pacific Coast League in 2009. He had a 5.79 ERA in the hitter-friendly league that season.
Sensing that his career might not progress as well as he had hoped, Barnette took a leap of faith and decided to play basketball in Japan in 2010. Even the big pay raise didn’t hurt him.
And maybe a change of scenery would give his career a boost.
The groundbreaking agent Don Nomura, who represented Hideo Nomo, also served in the same capacity for Barnette.
In the foreword to A baseball gaijinNomura wrote, “I challenge you, the reader, not to feel inspired after witnessing Tony’s exciting transformation from minor league pitcher to elite NPB closer to successful Texas Rangers reliever. I don’t think you can.”
As an experienced pitcher, Barnette fulfills a dream
After six seasons with the Swallows (2010-15), initially as a starting pitcher, Barnette made his MLB debut with the Rangers on April 5, 2016 at the age of 32. He pitched for three seasons for the Rangers and briefly for the Chicago Cubs in 2019.
Barnette ended his career at the age of 35. His dream of reaching the Major Leagues had come true.
When Barnette looked back on his move from the Swallows to the Rangers, he knew that nothing was guaranteed in the big leagues.
“I have proven myself in Japan, but I have not proven myself here yet,” Barnette was quoted as saying in April 2016.
After Barnette’s retirement, the baseball player and author’s friendly collaboration with Fischman, which included many interviews, emails and text messages over the years, served as the catalyst for the backbone of this book.
“I think it’s a cool mix where some people say, ‘Well, that’s nothing new, he retired from the major leagues in 2019,'” the author said Odd and even in a recent phone interview. “It wasn’t that long ago, and it was less than a decade ago, that he helped lead the Swallows to the Japan Series.”
During Barnette’s “Swallows” years, Fischman said, he was “in real-time contact with him” and also with “people in his inner circle,” adding another level of detail to the book that enriched interviews and research conducted years later.
Read the full story on SportsLook.
RELATED:
Check out a special eight-part series about Nomomania written in 2020, commemorating the 25th anniversary of Hideo Nomo’s first MLB season, on SportsLook.
Author: Ed Odeven
Find Ed on JAPAN Next‘s special website, SportLook. Follow his (Japanese sports notebook) Sunday, (Odd and Even) during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.
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