The Orix Buffaloes have been lost in the wild since the 2004 merger between the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes and the Orix BlueWave.
Since their inaugural 2005 season, the Buffaloes have never won a pennant and have finished in the bottom half of the Pacific League standings 13 times, including bumping their heads on the cellar floor five times.
Following a last-place finish in 2019, Orix went for a splash by plucking free agent Adam Jones, an outfielder who turns 35 on Aug. 1, out of free agency in the offseason.
Jones brings some power -- 282 homers (mostly with the Baltimore Orioles) over 14 seasons -- and a wealth of experience to the meandering Buffaloes, who have stumbled out of the gate again this season and are in fifth place as of Wednesday's games.
"Especially in baseball, one player's not going to dictate wins or losses or anything, but one player can help with culture," Jones told The Japan News in a recent telephone interview. "One player can help with the overall attitude.
"And if you've seen me play, my attitude is stomp on their throats. Play the game hard, play it right, and stomp on their throats. And after the game, rest up and bring it again tomorrow."
That mental approach was put to the test early in a season that began on June 19 after the novel coronavirus pandemic delayed Opening Day for three months. Nippon Professional Baseball this season scheduled six-game series at one venue to help teams avoid travel and risk of being infected with the virus. Orix dropped all six meetings against the Chiba Lotte Marines in a series that ended on June 28 at ZOZO Marine Stadium.
"Through my interpreter, I told everybody to remain positive," Jones said of his approach to coping with his teammates during what ended up being a seven-game skid.
"We were one hit away or one pitch away from winning five of the six games. It's not like you just got your brains beat in 10-0. So I just told the guys to remain positive -- keep grinding it out and good things will happen. Then we ended up winning four out of the next six" against the Saitama Seibu Lions, the two-time defending PL champions.
Jones said veteran leadership is part of the role he expects to play, but he's still adjusting to pitchers and the baseball culture in Japan.
"Every guy I'm facing, I'm facing for the very first time," he said. "I didn't have the greatest spring training numerically, but it wasn't about the numbers. It was about educating myself on how they pitch here and how they play the game here," said Jones, who landed in Japan because of a lack of offers from major league clubs.
"Last offseason -- in 2018 -- was something I didn't really expect. I thought that with my credentials, with me being well-respected in the game. I thought that warranted, not a five- or six-year deal, but at least a two- or three-year deal -- something in that range. But nothing happened."
By the time the Arizona Diamondbacks added the outfielder, he found himself trying to catch up with his new teammates.
"I didn't end up signing until March 13 of '19, and the team was already [engaged] in spring training," he said.
According to Jones, the Buffaloes had previously expressed interest and made another pitch to the veteran that sealed the deal.
"Orix called back about 10 days later [after making contact] and said, 'Well, we've got a two-year deal with X amount guaranteed, and I looked at my wife and she said, 'Your tail better get on that.'
"I mean, I played 13 years in the major leagues, who doesn't want to finish their career the way they want to? I just weighed the options; I needed to embrace it.
"Someone wants me for more than one year. I'm not a rental."
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
