"It made my wife smile," Agbayani said.

He is expected to be rewarded for last season, when he finished in the top 10 in 11 of 14 offensive categories in the Pacific League. He batted .315 with 35 home runs and 100 RBIs. He slugged .617 with an on-base percentage of .426 thanks to a league-leading 86 walks.

Agbayani was reunited with former New York Mets manager Bobby Valentine, who was rehired by Chiba, which he managed in 1995. Valentine also brought hitting coach Tom Robson, who had been Agbayani's hitting coach when both were in the Mets organization. Familiarity eased an adjustment period for Agbayani early in the season.

"I struggled in the spring," Agbayani said. "I watched film. That helped me correct my problem. Tom Robson was a big help, too."

Once Agbayani adjusted, so did the pitchers he faced.

"If you're hitting (well), they'll (intentionally) walk you," he said. "Even when they don't intentionally walk you, they (the catchers) set you up on the outside corner."

He said injuries to other players forced him into playing all three outfield positions; he was primarily a left fielder in the United States. Ironically, injuries hampered Agbayani when he played in the majors. With Chiba, he played in 130 of the team's 133 games. He credited the Marines' good training room program, which included acupuncture.

"I was the king of acupuncture," Agbayani said. "They said I led all gaijin (foreigner) in using acupuncture."

Agbayani said the fan support was great. He said fans cheered continually from the first to ninth innings.

"The fans were great," he said. "They don't boo. Everybody gets crazy. No matter what the score, they go all out (cheering)."

His off-field experience was just as enjoyable. He said his wife, Niela, and daughter Aleia, took advantage of their proximity to Tokyo Disneyland, which was about a 15-minute train ride from where he lived. He added that retired sumo stars Konishiki (Saleva'a Atisanoe) and Musashimaru (Fiamalu Penitani) also helped him adjust to the culture. He took part in Musashimaru's retirement ceremony.

"I got to cut his hair," Agbayani said.

Of course, there was some culture shock.

"Everything's expensive," he said. "Rice was expensive. A 20-pound bag was $50 to $100."

Still, he enjoyed his time in Japan.

"It was a blast," he said. "The team really took care of me."

Note: The Agbayanis' second child, Ailana, was born Aug. 18. Niela returned here for the birth and went back to Japan in September.