On August 6 a plane touched down at the New Tokyo International Airport at Narita carrying 14 little leaguers from New York, their manager, parents, and others. They were coming to play a group of young all-stars from Tokyo in the Tokyo-New York Friendship Baseball Series, played using a special rubber-coated ball.

The Tokyo squad consisted of 14 players, mostly sixth graders, chosen from around 1,700 teams in Tokyo. They took on the New York City all-stars for games from August 8 to 14.

This year's exhibition matches were the twentieth held. The series began in 1980, after then Tokyo Governor Shun'ichi Suzuki proposed the idea to Ed Koch, the mayor of New York at the time, to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of sisterhood ties between the two municipalities. The little league series became the first regular sports event to be held between the two cities.

The inaugural series was hosted by Tokyo at Jingu Stadium. The following year, an all-star team from Tokyo visited New York for matches at Central Park. Because Major League players were on strike at the time, the games received a lot of coverage on radio and television, with commentators saying that a series of baseball games between the children of Japan and the United States was a great way for them to get to know each other's culture. Since then, the matches have been hosted by the two cities in alternating years.

The four-game series this year ended with two victories and one loss for the New York side (with one game being rained out). It showcased the power of New York batters, who clobbered seven home runs to just two for the Tokyoites. The all-stars from the Big Apple improved their record to 25 wins, 21 losses, and 1 draw for the games played in Tokyo. The Tokyo squad has the edge for the series overall, though, with a record of 53 wins, 39 losses, and 5 draws.

During their visit, the New York ball players stayed with the families of their Japanese counterparts, enjoying barbecue parties and playing with sparklers. Even though the kids couldn't speak each other's language, they had no trouble communicating through body language. One big surprise for the Tokyo kids was how big the New York players were.

A farewell party on the day before the visitors' departure attracted around 100 people, including players, their families, and officials. The leader of the New York entourage invited Tokyo players to visit the Big Apple next year, while the Tokyo representative handed out souvenirs to all the players from New York. After the players exchanged uniforms, they all sang "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" together and performed a Japanese summertime dance in a big circle.

The friendships formed on and off the diamond this year will surely become assets for both the players and the host municipalities. Who knows, the same players may one day play against one another again in a series of matches between Japanese and American professional all-stars!

Photos: (Top) A New York base-runner heads home in one of the games; (above) posing for one last photo at the farewell party. (Tokyo Chunichi Sports)