In November 2021, the Tampa Bay Rays released Dietrich Enns so the left-hander could pursue an opportunity overseas. Enns, 30 years old at the time, found new life thousands of miles from home in Japan.

Enns joined the Saitama Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball’s Pacific League. He spent two years there before signing with the LG Twins in Korea.

“I think the moment we stepped off the airplane was like the wow moment, me and my wife were like, ‘Wow we’re actually here,’ in both cities that we lived in,” Enns said. “It’s just totally different than what you’re used to.”

It took time, but Enns eventually found his way back to the United States. The Detroit Tigers signed the lefty to a minor league contract before the start of the 2025 season, later sending him to the Orioles on July 31.

Enns, 34, came back home a new pitcher. He left primarily as a four-seam and cutter pitcher, but since then he has drastically increased his changeup usage while mixing in a curveball and sinker. All have been on display in five outings as an Oriole. That’s a credit to his time overseas.

Enns frequently pitched against the same teams in Korea and Japan, so he needed to adapt and become comfortable with that.

“You’re facing guys that are more used to your stuff, so you have to be a little bit more creative in how you pitch guys,” Enns said. “You can’t just go over there with two pitches and expect to get guys out. It might work a few times, but what I learned in my second year was the league catches up to you pretty quickly.”

Enns found instant success with the Lions in 2022, pitching to a 2.94 ERA in 122.1 innings as a full-time starter for the first time in three years. But he didn’t find the same results next season, going 1-10 with a 5.17 ERA in 54 innings.

Enns had to “learn a lot,” most notably the style of play. Japan’s baseball is contact-based. Teams tend to focus on playing for one run every inning.

The swing paths in Korea, however, are similar to those in the U.S., according to Enns. The 6-foot-1, 210-pound lefty went 13-6 with a 4.19 ERA in 167.2 innings in 2024, his lone season in the KBO.

Enns said serving as a starter helped turn him into a better pitcher and “100 percent” led him back to the major leagues.

“Being able to throw close to 180 innings last year, I think helped me tremendously — in Japan, too — to help me a lot, just learn more about myself like my strengths and weaknesses and what I can improve on,” Enns said. “Baseball is a game of reps, and you have to be able to get those reps at a high level.”

The experience Enns had in Tokyo and Seoul was a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” that he’ll forever cherish. While there were clear differences between those places and the U.S., there were also similarities — like how the grocery stores had the same layouts, just in a different language — which aided his comfort level there.

Another way was through a former Oriole.

Enns was teammates with Hyun Soo Kim in his lone season with LG. Kim, who played for Baltimore in 2016 and 2017, was the captain of that Twins team. Enns said he’d often take players out to dinner, connecting both the younger Korean players and the foreign players.

Enns talked a lot with Kim about his short time in the States, as the Illinois native’s role with the Twins was similar to Kim’s with the Orioles. Enns joked that he still needs to get on a FaceTime with Kim to hear his insight into Baltimore.

“The game of baseball, it’s a smaller world than you think, it’s so connected,” Enns said. “Having that perspective of what it’s like for a foreign player over here too, I feel like I can relate a little bit more to those guys just not being able to speak the language.”

One of the biggest shocks for Enns overseas was the fans, who made every game feel like a playoff game. The atmosphere from the first pitch to the last brought the best out of players, Enns said.

That’s why Enns was able to return to the big leagues. No environment would rattle him any more than in Korea and Japan, where he settled into his strengths and found confidence on the mound. He has shown that in his short time as an Oriole.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of the Baltimore Orioles