Good morning! Prognostications about where Japanese stars will end up when they come to the big leagues are often filled with stereotypes and lazy assumptions. They all want to play for the Dodgers, they all want to be on the West Coast, they all want to be on a team with other Japanese players, etc.

But, in a recent interview with Daiskuke Matsuzaka, Saitama Seibu Lions pitcher Tatsuya Imai, who will be posted this offseason, turned a lot of those cliches on their heads. Not only did he say that he would prefer to beat the Dodgers rather than join him, he further said that he’d prefer to be on a team without any of his countrymen because he embraces the challenge of confronting cultural challenges on his own and wants “more of a survival situation.”

Check out the full interview below, t

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