Pretty Pitchers |

April 4th was opening day for the 2010 Major League Baseball season and if you’ve ever been to a ball game in Japan or Korea, where a well-known person has opened the game with a ceremonial first pitch, I’m sure you appreciated it if the well-known person was an attractive female celebrity, which it usually is.

While the Korea Baseball Organization almost always has mainstream actresses and singers doing the honors, Nippon Professional Baseball often has less conservatively-dressed gravure idols and models take the mound, such as Satoko Miyata (above and allegedly aka Akiko Miyata), who impressively did get it across the plate from the pitcher’s rubber at the Tokyo Dome last summer.Examples of what you might see at the opening of a KBO or NPB game, if you’re lucky:

[u]Korea[/u]

Actress Han Chae-young

Singer/Actress Sung Yuri

Actress Hwang Shin-hye

Singer/Actress Hwang Bo

Singer Park Jung-ah, who had the best arm I’ve ever seen on any of these ladies. Don’t know why she threw from the foot of the mound because it looked like she could have easily thrown a strike from the rubber.

[u]Japan[/u]

Gravure idol Aki Hoshino, first featured at AS here

Singer and pianist Erina Mano

Singer/gravure idol Leah Dizon (first featured here), who’s not Japanese but definitely popular enough in Japan to open up a game there.

Pretty Pitcher
I have yet to ID this obvious stadium crowd-pleaser.

Another look at Satoko Miyata

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0 thoughts on “Pretty Pitchers”

Why am I not living in Asia? Oh, that’s right…because I am a moron!

Nice post CEC! An interesting demonstration of how Korea is that much more conservative than Japan.

Well, she throws better than Barack Obama (his opening pitch yesterday left a little to be desired).

Hard to beat Aki Hoshino, regardless of where the ball landed.

I too would choose the lovely and busty Aki and also miss Park Jung-ah. Just something about them boots, the hat and that skirt.

You have to love sports photography, all about capturing the melons oops sorry moment

…it concerns me that some of them aren’t wearing regulation baseball attire….

My favorite photo is the one of Sung Yuri.

Aki-san has my vote.

Leah is the only Southpaw (left-handed for you non-USA people)….

If any of these women were pitching, I would watch that game.

Doc, I didn’t notice until you pointed out the clothes differences between the pitchers of Japan and Korea….interesting.

@badnews: I too, am “concerned” that they are not wearing regulation baseball attire…

Maybe they should get them all together for a game and play one of the Olympic women’s beach volleyball teams… or better yet, the Beijing Olympic Cheerleaders.

Japan vs Korea vs China! Lots of great rivalries.

Aki! that’s the way to do it. and miss bones (Satoko Miyata), maybe you should introduce yourself to American culture and devour a quadruple cheeseburger. serious, anorexia is not attractive.