I love baseball, but being here (in the United States), I've been able to play golf every day. I can't play in Japan because every course has caddies, and the caddies all want autographs and don't want to let me golf.

The Japanese have a strong tendency to suppress their own feelings. That's the Japanese character. They kill their own emotions.

Personally, I don't like the term 'success.' It's too arbitrary and too relative a thing. It's usually someone else's definition, not yours.

Baseball has been the greatest things in my life, but the cameras and the media surrounding baseball have not been fun. It's unnecessary. How many times do they see me stretch? How many times do they see me walk? It is a big concern. If it affected the team in a negative way, I don't know what I would do.

The more that Japanese players go to the big leagues to play and succeed, the more that will serve to inspire young kids in Japan to want to become baseball players when they grow up.

If I ever saw myself saying I'm excited going to Cleveland, I'd punch myself in the face, because I'm lying.

As professionals we have a responsibility of providing a good show for the fans. Getting hits and home runs is what they want to see.