Betto-San and the White Rat: Evaluating Japanese Major League Baseball Managers Vis-à-Vis Their American Counterparts1

Abstract

Using the Pythagorean Theorem of Baseball (James 1986, 701), this paper evaluates Japanese baseball managers in comparison with their American counterparts. The evaluation is done in light of the differences in Japanese and American managerial styles and their corporate and work ethics. Insofar as the latter are reflected in differences in the managers' on-the-field success, it is concluded that the Japanese style of baseball results in more homogeneous managerial performance than does the American style that tolerates individuality even where it is necessarily encouraged.