For Cubs' Matt Shaw, two games in Tokyo were tough, but they provided important lessons

For Cubs' Matt Shaw, two games in Tokyo were tough, but they provided important lessons

MESA, Ariz. — Cubs third baseman Matt Shaw had quite the introduction to the majors last week. Not only did he face hard-throwing Dodgers pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki, but he did it in another country.Shaw’s performance over the two-game Tokyo Series to start the regular season was disjointed: In the first game March 18, a 4-1 Cubs loss, he committed an error on an off-balance throw to first base. The next day, in a 6-3 loss, he c…

I have been watching professional baseball for more than half a century, but I think the excitement and the scramble for tickets for the Tokyo Series, which included the MLB opening game and took place from March 15th to 19th, were unprecedented. "MLB Tokyo Series tickets,..."

A few final thoughts about the Tokyo Series

Baseball did pretty much everything right here — and they should do more of it.