This Fish not out of water in Iowa (w/video of 500th win)

MARION - This Japanese kid has done all right for himself in Eastern Iowa. Five-hundred wins all right.

To be straight, Steve Fish isn't really Japanese. His father was an officer in the United States Navy, with the family living all over the world.

The Marion baseball coach graduated from high school in Japan before deciding to come to Cedar Rapids for college some 30 years ago. He has never left.

This is home.

"I had a buddy who came to Coe, and I blindly came out to Iowa with him," Fish said after picking up victory No. 500 Tuesday night, an 11-1 six-inning job over Cascade. "I spent the first semester of my freshman year thinking 'What the hell have I done?' ...

"But I fell in love with baseball and met some people. Long story short, I stayed."

A lot of kids in Linn County are the beneficiaries of that decision. Fish actually had a job lined up with the United States Olympic Committee after college, but changed his mind and decided teaching and coaching would be his vocation.

He was an assistant for Pinky Primrose at Cedar Rapids Washington and Coe before taking his first head coaching job at Central City in 1985. He's in his 12th year at Marion, with a career record of 500-261.

Fish is the 53rd Iowa prep coach to pick up 500 victories. The 52nd was Iowa City West's Charlie Stumpff, earlier this season.

He preceded Fish as a Washington assistant in the 1980s. Small world - in more ways than one in this case.

"Awesome," said Fish's son, Byron, who fittingly had the game-ending RBI Tuesday night. "Dad has been coaching a long time. Baseball is his life."

"As you reflect, you look at that list and some of the guys that have won 500 games," said Fish, thanking Primrose for his influence and the hard work of all of his assistant coaches over the years. "I never thought I'd do that. Especially being a kid that graduated from high school in Japan, then just kind of showed up with Pinky over at Wash.

"I never thought I'd stay in it this long. But I guess I do have a passion for the game. And I've had good kids."

Marion is 16-9 and has won 13 of its last 14 games.

Here is video of a short postgame presentation celebrating Fish's 500th win Tuesday night, including the obligatory Gatorade shower from the team:

[gallery columns="2"]