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Part of the History of baseball series. Wikipedia has a number of articles about the history of baseball: Origins of baseball History of baseball in the United States History of baseball outside the United States Negro League baseball Minor league baseball Japanese baseball Baseball championships World Series Japan Series Caribbean World Series Little League World Series This...
Baseball has been a popular sport in Japan for over a century since its introduction in 1872. It is called 野球 (やきゅう; yakyū) in Japanese, combining the characters for field and ball. Picture of Fenway Park. ...
1872 was a leap year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...
It is played at all age levels but most widely in junior high schools and senior high schools. Two tournaments are held in March and August for senior high school teams that win a prefectural tournament. The location of the tournaments is Koshien Stadium. Hanshin KÅshien Stadium during the 1992 KÅshien tournament View from the Alps stands In Japan, high school baseball (é«˜æ ¡é‡Žçƒ: kÅkÅ yakyÅ«) generally refers to baseball tournaments played by high schools nationwide culminating at a final tournament at Hanshin KÅshien Stadium in Nishinomiya, Japan. ...
Hanshin KÅshien Stadium (阪神甲å園çƒå ´, Hanshin KÅshien KyÅ«jÅ) is a baseball park located near Kobe in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. ...
The highest level of competition is the professional league, started in 1920. It is called Puro Yakyū (プロ野球), meaning Professional Baseball. 1920 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar) // Events January January 7 - Forces of Russian White admiral Kolchak surrender in Krasnoyarsk. ...
Players from the Japanese leagues who have gone on to success in Major League Baseball in the United States include Hideo Nomo, Kazuhiro Sasaki, Ichiro Suzuki, and Hideki Matsui. MLB logo Major League Baseball (MLB) is the highest level of play in professional baseball in the world. ...
Hideo Nomo (野茂英雄 Nomo Hideo, born August 31, 1968) is a right-handed pitcher who has achieved success both in Japan and the United States. ...
Kazuhiro Daimajin Sasaki (ä½ã€…木主浩 Sasaki Kazuhiro, born February 22, 1968 in Sendai, Japan) is one of the top relief pitchers from Japan. ...
Ichiro Suzuki (鈴木一朗, Suzuki IchirÅ, born October 22, 1973 in Toyoyama, Nishikasugai, Aichi Prefecture, Japan) is the right fielder for the Seattle Mariners Major League Baseball team. ...
Hideki Matsui (æ¾äº• 秀喜 Matsui Hideki, born June 12, 1974) is a Japanese Major League Baseball left fielder who plays for the New York Yankees. ...
Professional Baseball
Japanese professional baseball consists of two leagues, the Central League and the Pacific League. There are also two secondary-level professional minor leagues, the Eastern League and the Western League, that play shorter schedules. See also: Central League (football) The Central League (セントラル・リーグ Sentoraru Riigu) is one of Japans two major professional baseball leagues (the other is the Pacific League). ...
The Pacific League (パシフィック・リーグ Pashifikku Riigu) is one of Japans two major professional baseball leagues (the other is the Central League). ...
The professional season starts in late March or early April and ends in October with two or three all star games in July. In recent decades, the two leagues each scheduled 130, 135 or 140 regular season games with the best teams from each league going on to play in the "Nihon Series" or Japan Series. Prior to 1950 there was just one league, called the Japanese Baseball League. From 1973 to 1982, the Pacific League employed a split season with the first half winner playing against the second half winner in a mini-playoff to determine its champion. Then in 2004, the Pacific League played five fewer games than the Central League teams during the regular season and used a new playoff format to determine its champion. The teams in third and second place played in a best two of three series (all at the second place team's home ground) with the winner of that series going on to play the first place team in a best 3 of 5 format at its home ground. In the end, the Seibu Lions finished in second place, defeated Nippon Ham 2 games to 1, went on to take 3 of 5 games in Fukuoka against the Daiei Hawks and then defeated the Chunichi Dragons in the Japan Series, 4 games to 3, capping off their grueling playoff drive with a well-earned championship. The Japan Series (日本選手権シリーズ試合 Nihon Senshuken Shiriizu Shiai, usually shortened to Nihon Shiriizu) is a seven-game championship played by the winners of Japans two professional baseball leagues (the Central League and Pacific League). ...
Japanese Baseball League was a professional baseball league in Japan. ...
Beginning in 2005, the two leagues will have interleague play with each team playing two 3-game series (one home, one away) against each of the six teams in the other league. All interleague play games will be completed in a 7-week span.
Play in the Pacific League is similar to that of American League baseball, with the use of designated hitters, unlike the Central League. Unlike North American baseball, however, Japanese baseball games may end in a tie. If the score is tied after 9 innings of play, up to 3 additional innings will be played. If there is no leader after 12 innings, the game is declared a draw. Other differences from its American counterpart is that the general play is less aggressive, there are fewer home runs, the strike zone is larger near the batter but smaller away from the batter, and the ball is slightly smaller and wound tighter. The Pacific League (パシフィック・リーグ Pashifikku Riigu) is one of Japans two major professional baseball leagues (the other is the Central League). ...
The American League (or formally the American League of Professional Baseball Clubs) is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States of America and Canada. ...
A designated hitter, or DH, is a baseball player who is chosen at the start of a game to bat in place of the pitcher. ...
See also: Central League (football) The Central League (セントラル・リーグ Sentoraru Riigu) is one of Japans two major professional baseball leagues (the other is the Pacific League). ...
An innings, or inning, is a segment of a game in any of a variety of sports – most notably baseball and cricket – during which a side takes its turn to bat. ...
Strike zone boundaries (MLB) Definition In baseball, the strike zone is a conceptual rectangular area over home plate which defines the boundaries through which a pitch must pass in order to count as a strike when the batter does not swing. ...
Unlike American pro teams, Japanese professional baseball teams are usually named after their corporate owners/sponsors rather than the cities that they play in.
Problems of Professional Baseball There are several underlying problems with the league as a whole that led to its current state (as of September 2004).
The financial reason is the biggest but the problem is not a simple one to solve. It is believed that except for the Yomiuri Giants and the Hanshin Tigers, all teams are operating with considerable subsidies, often as much as ¥6 billion or about US$50 million, from their parent companies. A rise in the salaries of players is often blamed, but, from the start of the professional league, parent companies paid the difference as an advertisement. Most teams have never tried to improve their finances through constructive marketing. Until Nippon Ham Fighters moved to Hokkaidō, there were six teams in Tokyo and its surrounding area and three teams in the Ōsaka–Kōbe region. The market was flooded, but this was considered all right, as there was no competitor that tried to challenge baseball's popularity. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...
The Hanshin Tigers (阪神タイガース) is a professional baseball team in Japans Central League. ...
Japanese 10 yen coin (obverse) showing Phoenix Hall of Byodoin Yen is the currency used in Japan. ...
The United States dollar, or American dollar, is the official currency of the United States. ...
The Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters (北海道日本ハムファイターズ) are a professional baseball team in Japans Pacific League. ...
Hokkaido listen? (åŒ—æµ·é“ HokkaidÅ, literal meaning: North Sea Route, Ainu: Mosir), formerly known as Ezo, is the second largest island of Japan. ...
Long a symbol of Tokyo, the Nijubashi Bridge at the Kokyo Imperial Palace. ...
Osaka Castle (ÅŒsaka-jÅ) Location in Japan Osaka Aquarium (Kaiyukan) Osaka railway station Azumanga Daioh. ...
Kobe (Japanese: 神戸市; kÅbe-shi) is a city in Japan, located on the island of Honshu. ...
Eventually, however, J. League professional football league challenged that, winning over many people who used to spend their money and time on baseball. Instead of teams clustered in metropolitan areas, J. League aimed to create teams in the major city of every prefecture, much like professional football leagues in Europe. The J. League (in Japanese: Jリーグ, Officially 日本プãƒã‚µãƒƒã‚«ãƒ¼ãƒªãƒ¼ã‚°) is the top professional football league in Japan. ...
In typical game play, players attempt to move towards a goal through individual control of the ball, such as by dribbling (running with the ball close to their feet); by passing the ball from team-mate to team-mate; and by taking shots at the goal. ...
On September 18, 2004, professional baseball players went on a two-day strike, the first strike in the history of the league, to protest the proposed merger between the Orix BlueWave and the Ōsaka Kintetsu Buffaloes and the failure of the owners to agree to create a new team to fill the void resulting from the merger. The strike was settled on September 23, 2004, when the owners agreed to grant a new franchise in the Pacific League and to continue the two-league, 12-team system. September 18 is the 261st day of the year (262nd in leap years). ...
2004(MMIV) is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
The Orix BlueWave (オリックスブルーウェーブ) is a baseball team in Kōbe, Japan, that plays in the Pacific League. ...
The Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes (in Kanji, 大阪近鉄ãƒãƒ•ã‚¡ãƒãƒ¼ã‚º) was a professional baseball team in Japans Pacific League. ...
September 23 is the 266th day of the year (267th in leap years). ...
2004(MMIV) is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
History Baseball was introduced to Japan in 1872 by Horace Wilson, and its first formal team was established in 1878. For almost 30 years, until 1906, a game could be viewed freely, as it was considered shameful to take money for doing something the players liked. In 1907, the first game was held that had a fee to watch. From 1908, several U.S. professional teams made their tours and had a match against amateur teams made up mostly by university students. Realizing that a professional league was necessary to improve, two professional teams were established in 1920. In the same year, teams held exhibition tours in Korea and Manchuria to spread baseball. This first professional league disintegrated in 1923 for financial reasons, and after repeated attempts to revive a professional league, it formally disbanded in 1929. Picture of Fenway Park. ...
1872 was a leap year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...
Horace Wilson was an American professor of English at Tokyo University (then named Kaisei Gakko) during the modernization of Japan after the Meiji Restoration. ...
1878 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...
1906 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...
1907 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...
1908 is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...
1920 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar) // Events January January 7 - Forces of Russian White admiral Kolchak surrender in Krasnoyarsk. ...
Korea (Hangul: í•œêµ, Hanguk, used by South Korea; ì¡°ì„ , Joseon, used by North Korea) refers to South Korea (Republic of Korea) and North Korea (Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea) together, which were a unified country until 1945. ...
Extent of Manchuria according to Definition 1 (dark red), Definition 3 (dark red + medium red) and Definition 4 (dark red + medium red + light red) Manchuria (Manchu: Manju, Simplified Chinese: 满洲; Traditional Chinese: 滿洲; pinyin: ) is name given to a vast territorial region in northeast Asia. ...
1923 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...
1929 was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ...
In 1934, Dai-nippon Tokyo Yakyū Club (literally Tokyo, Japan Baseball Club) was established, reviving professional baseball. A second team, Ōsaka Yakyū Club (literally Ōsaka Baseball Club) was established in following year. The former became Yomiuri Giants and the latter became Hanshin Tigers. In 1936, five other teams also formed, and the Nippon Professional Baseball League was started. Briefly forced to stop playing for a year beginning in 1944, it restarted on November 6, 1945, and a full season was played the next year. In 1950, the league split into the Central and Pacific Leagues. 1934 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...
1936 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...
1944 was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ...
November 6 is the 310th day of the year (311th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 55 days remaining. ...
1945 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...
1950 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ...
Starting in 1992 and continuing intermittently, several Major League Baseball (MLB) teams have played exhibition games against Japanese teams. American teams popular in Japan include the Seattle Mariners, Los Angeles Dodgers, and New York Yankees at least in part due to Japanese players on those teams. Since 1986, a team of MLB All-Stars has made an end-of-the-season biennial tour of Japan, playing exhibitions games against a mix of NPB teams and all-star teams; the MLB squad has won each of these series. 1992 was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ...
MLB logo Major League Baseball (MLB) is the highest level of play in professional baseball in the world. ...
The Seattle Mariners are a Major League Baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. ...
Brooklyn Dodgers redirects here. ...
The New York Yankees are a Major League baseball team based in The Bronx, New York City. ...
1986 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Look up Biennial in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Biennial is a term referring to a period of two years, much in the same way centennial refers to 100 years. ...
In 2005 the Japan Samurai Bears began play in the Golden Baseball League, becoming the first Japanese team in an American professional baseball league. 2005 (Roman: MMV) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
The Japan Samurai Bears are a Golden Baseball League team. ...
The Golden Baseball League is an independent minor league in California and Arizona, whose member teams are not associated with any Major League Baseball teams. ...
Current Japanese Baseball Teams This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...
The Yakult Swallows (ヤクルトスワãƒãƒ¼ã‚º Yakuruto SuwarÅzu) are a professional baseball team in Japans Central League. ...
The Yokohama BayStars (横浜ベイスターズ) is a professional baseball team in Japans Central League. ...
The Chunichi Dragons (in Kanji: ä¸æ—¥ãƒ‰ãƒ©ã‚´ãƒ³ã‚º; ChÅ«nichi-doragonzu) is a popular baseball team based in Nagoya, Japan. ...
The Hanshin Tigers (阪神タイガース) is a professional baseball team in Japans Central League. ...
The Hiroshima Toyo Carp (広島æ±æ´‹ã‚«ãƒ¼ãƒ—) is a professional baseball team in Japans Central League. ...
The Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters (北海é“日本ãƒãƒ ファイターズ) are a professional baseball team in Japans Pacific League. ...
The Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles (æ±åŒ—楽天ゴールデンイーグルス) is a baseball team founded in 2004 to begin play in 2005 in the Japanese Pacific League. ...
The Seibu Lions (in Kanji, 西æ¦ãƒ©ã‚¤ã‚ªãƒ³ã‚º) are a professional baseball team in Japans Pacific League and are owned by Yoshiaki Tsutsumi, who was once listed as the worlds richest man. ...
The Chiba Lotte Marines (åƒè‘‰ãƒãƒƒãƒ†ãƒžãƒªãƒ¼ãƒ³ã‚º) is a professional baseball team in Japans Pacific League. ...
The Orix Buffaloes (オリックス・ãƒãƒ•ã‚¡ãƒãƒ¼ã‚º) is a baseball team in ÅŒsaka and KÅbe, Japan, that plays in the Pacific League of Nippon Professional Baseball. ...
The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks (ç¦å²¡ã‚½ãƒ•ãƒˆãƒãƒ³ã‚¯ãƒ›ãƒ¼ã‚¯ã‚¹) is a Japanese baseball team based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture. ...
Defunct Japanese Baseball Teams - Former Japanese Baseball League teams
- Nagoya Golden Dolphins (merged with Tsubasa in 1940, Tsubasa later became Nishitetsu)
- Nishitetsu (dissolved in 1943)
- Yamato (dissolved in 1944)
- Former Central League teams
- Nishi Nihon Pirates (merged with the Nishitetsu Clippers in 1951, now the Seibu Lions)
- Shochiku Robins (merged with Taiyo Whales 1952, now the Yokohama BayStars)
- Former Pacific League teams
1940 was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...
The Nishi-Nippon Railroad Co. ...
Jump to: navigation, search 1943 is a common year starting on Friday. ...
1944 was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ...
1951 was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ...
1952 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ...
1957 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
The Orix BlueWave (オリックスブルーウェーブ) is a baseball team in Kōbe, Japan, that plays in the Pacific League. ...
2004(MMIV) is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
The Orix Buffaloes (オリックス・ãƒãƒ•ã‚¡ãƒãƒ¼ã‚º) is a baseball team in ÅŒsaka and KÅbe, Japan, that plays in the Pacific League of Nippon Professional Baseball. ...
The Orix BlueWave (オリックスブルーウェーブ) is a baseball team in Kōbe, Japan, that plays in the Pacific League. ...
2004(MMIV) is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
The Orix Buffaloes (オリックス・ãƒãƒ•ã‚¡ãƒãƒ¼ã‚º) is a baseball team in ÅŒsaka and KÅbe, Japan, that plays in the Pacific League of Nippon Professional Baseball. ...
1956 was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Records Season
Batting
- Batting Average
- Randy Bass .389 (1986)
- Ichiro Suzuki .387 (2000)
- Ichiro Suzuki .385 (1994)
- HR
- RBI
- Makoto Kozuru 161 (1950)
- Robert Rose 153 (1999)
- SB
- SO
- Ralph Bryant 204 (1993)
- Ralph Bryant 198 (1990)
- Ralph Bryant 187 (1989)
- Ralph Bryant 176 (1992)
- Orestes Destrade 165 (1990)
Pitching Ichiro Suzuki (鈴木一朗, Suzuki IchirÅ, born October 22, 1973 in Toyoyama, Nishikasugai, Aichi Prefecture, Japan) is the right fielder for the Seattle Mariners Major League Baseball team. ...
Sadaharu Oh (王貞治 Japanese transliteration: Ō Sadaharu, Mandarin transliteration: Wáng Zhēnzhì, born May 20, 1940) was a professional baseball player and manager. ...
Alex Cabrera (born December 24, 1971 in Caripito, Sucre State, Venezuela) is a first baseman and right-handed batter who played in Major League Baseball for the Arizona Diamondbacks. ...
Karl Tuffy Rhodes (born August 21, 1968, in Cincinnati, Ohio) was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball for the Houston Astros, Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox from 1990-1995. ...
Yutaka Fukumoto (福本豊, born November 7, 1947) was a professional baseball player born in Osaka, Osaka. ...
- ERA
- Hideo Fujimoto 0.73 (1943)
- Masaru Kageura 0.79 (1936 fall)
- Eiji Sawamura 0.81 (1937 spring)
- Wins
- SO
- Yutaka Enatsu 401 (1968)
- Kazuhisa Inao 353 (1961)
career Victor Starffin (Виктор Константинович/Фëдорович Старухин May 1, 1916 - January 12, 1957) was a Japanese baseball player from Russia. ...
- BA
- Leron Lee .320 (1977–1987)
- Tsutomu Wakamatsu .31918 (1971–1989)
- Isao Harimoto .31915 (1959–1981)
- HR
- Sadaharu Oh 868 (1959–1980)
- RBI
- SB
- Yutaka Fukumoto 1065 (1969–1988)
- SO
- ERA
- Hideo Fujimoto 1.90 (1942–1955)
- Wins
- Masaichi Kaneda 400 (1950–1969)
- Tetsuya Yoneda 350 (1956–1977)
- Masaaki Koyama 320 (1953–1973)
- Keishi Suzuki 317 (1966–1985)
- Takehiko Bessho 310 (1942–1960)
- Victor Starffin 303 (1936–1955)
- SO
See also The Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum (野球体育博物館; Yakyû Taiiku Hakubutsukan) first opened in 1959 next door to Korakuen Stadium in Tokyo, Japan. ...
This list consists of players both past and present who have played in Japanese Baseball,. This list include those players who played in other leagues like Major League Baseball in the United States and ignores nationality. ...
Hanshin KÅshien Stadium during the 1992 KÅshien tournament View from the Alps stands In Japan, high school baseball (é«˜æ ¡é‡Žçƒ: kÅkÅ yakyÅ«) generally refers to baseball tournaments played by high schools nationwide culminating at a final tournament at Hanshin KÅshien Stadium in Nishinomiya, Japan. ...
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