Sendai, Miyagi

From BR Bullpen

Sendai is a major city located on the Pacific Ocean coast of Japan's main island, Honshu, 300 miles north of Tokyo. It was the closest major city to the epicenter of the huge earthquake that hit Japan on March 11, 2011, and suffered significant damage from the quake and especially from the ensuing tsunami that engulfed the coastal area of the city, including its airport.

In 1934, it was in Sendai that Babe Ruth hit the first of his many home runs during a tour of Japan by an All-Star team of major leaguers, leaving a lasting impression on Japanese fans. The ballpark where it was hit, Yagiyama Baseball Stadium, has since been turned into a municipal zoo, but the spot where the ball landed is marked by a statue of the Babe, erected in 2002 not far from the rhinoceros enclosure.

Teams that have played here[edit]

People born here[edit]

People who died here[edit]

Educational establishments located here[edit]

Further Reading[edit]

  • Steven K. Wisensale: "In Search of Babe Ruth's Statue in a Japanese Zoo", in Baseball Research Journal, SABR, Vol. 50, Nr. 1 (Spring 2021), pp. 25-28.