SHIZUOKA, Japan >> Kusanagi Stadium in Suruga ward, Shizuoka, is sometimes referred to as legendary.

If any fan of baseball in Japan isn’t sure why, two bronze statues fronting the stadium — and a five-minute walk from Ken Sogo Undojo Station on Shizuoka Railway Co.’s Shizuoka Shimizu Line — help explain why. They depict legendary Japanese pitcher Eiji Sawamura and the iconic Babe Ruth, known in Japan as a “god of baseball.”

Kusanagi Stadium became the stage for a pre-World War II game between Japanese and U.S. all-star teams. The contest pitted a then-17-year-old Sawamura, who later became a superstar for the Yomiuri Giants, against a powerful U.S. team featuring Ruth.

The 10th game of the second U.S. all-star tour of Japan was played in Shizuoka on a crisp autumn day on Nov. 20, 1934. The U.S. team had won all previous games, crushing Japan 21-4 in the ninth game.

The attention of the 20,000 spectators was squarely on the great slugger Ruth, who was making his first trip to Japan. However, the game turned out quite differently from their expectations.

Sawamura, Japan’s starting pitcher, struck out the Americans one after another, starting from the first inning. The lone run for the U.S. team came on a seventh-inning home run by Lou Gehrig, but it was just one of five hits allowed by Sawamura. His performance shocked the U.S. baseball world, which dubbed him “Schoolboy Sawamura.”

Ruth, who had one hit in three at-bats, reportedly said he didn’t think the game would be close. He had nothing but praise for Sawamura — although there was one report of the Yankees great saying the sun was directly in his eyes when he stepped into the batter’s box.

The stadium and its illustrious history have a deep connection with Ken Sogo Undojo Station. In fact, Shizuoka Railway built the stadium to attract more train passengers. The railway, founded in 1919, was initially focused on transporting tea and developing a railroad that would connect central Shizuoka City with Shimizu Port.

Areas along the line were also developed, with an amusement park called Kitsunegasaki Yuenchi opening in 1926, complete with a boating pond and a zoo.

In 1930 the predecessor of Kusanagi Stadium, Shizuoka Baseball Stadium, was built on the current stadium site to help improve the physical strength of young residents and encourage people to use the station.

The stadium, with its infield and outfield stands, became known as the best stadium in the Tokai region and one of the most famous landmarks in the prefecture (along with the amusement park). The stadium was affectionately called the dentesu kyujo (electric railway stadium).

That famous Japan-U.S. baseball series was held four years after the completion of the stadium. Enthusiasm for baseball had been on the rise in the prefecture by that time, since Shizuoka Middle School (now Shizuoka Prefectural Shizuoka Senior High School) became the first prefectural team to win the national high school baseball championship in the summer of 1926.

It’s easy to picture all those many baseball fans taking the train and heading for the stadium.

In 1939 the stadium and its surrounding land were donated to the prefecture. Although there have been major renovations since then, the legacy of that legendary baseball series remains.

“The history of the Japan-U.S. baseball games has been passed down from generation to generation. Recently, for instance, we were interviewed … about Shohei Otani’s fantastic performances in the major league,” said Susumu Sasase, 71, of Tokyo Dome Sports Co., which manages Kusanagi Stadium.

In an exhibition room inside the stadium, visitors can examine the former location of the home plate where Ruth and other players stood. In 1991 the prefecture installed bronze statues of Sawamura and Ruth facing off.

Today, professional and high school baseball games are still held at the stadium.

Most passengers use Shizuoka Railway for commuting to work or school. It is on special occasions, like the days when professional baseball games are held, that people head to Ken Sogo Undojo Station (renamed Undojo Mae in 1990). On those days, trains run on a special schedule.

“We hope the pandemic will subside soon and the city will be filled with vitality again,” said Taketada Kita, Shizuoka Railway’s railway department head.

When many can gather again at stadiums, the home of so much drama, the station will surely become even livelier.