Nippon Professional Baseball
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Current season, competition or edition: Fuji TV / NHK | |
Official website | NPB.jp |
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Nippon Professional Baseball (日本野球機構, Nippon Yakyū Kikō) or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called Puro Yakyū (プロ野球), meaning simply Professional Baseball; outside of Japan, NPB is often referred to as "Japanese baseball."
The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation of the "Greater Japan Tokyo Baseball Club" (大日本東京野球倶楽部, Dai-Nippon Tōkyō Yakyū Kurabu) in 1934. The first professional circuit for the sport in Japan, the Japanese Baseball League (JBL), was founded two years later and continued to play even through the final years of World War II. The organization that is today's NPB was formed when the JBL reorganized in 1950, dividing its 15 teams into two leagues, which would meet in the annual season-ending Japan Series championship play-off series of games starting that year.
NPB comprises twelve teams divided equally in two leagues, the
Since the first Japan Series in 1950, the Yomiuri Giants have the most championships with 22, and the most appearances with 37. Entering the 2024 season, the Hanshin Tigers, who defeated the Orix Buffaloes 4–3 in the 2023 Japan Series, are the reigning champions. The Japan Series has been contested 74 times as of 2023, with the Pacific League and the Central League winning 37 each.
NPB was the only professional sports league in Japan until the foundation of the J.League in 1993. It is the eleventh-wealthiest professional sport league by revenue in the world, and the second-wealthiest baseball league, behind only Major League Baseball (MLB); it is also the wealthiest sports league in Asia. NPB has the second-highest total season attendance of any league, also behind MLB, despite playing considerably fewer games per season.
League structure
Nippon Professional Baseball consists of two leagues, the Central League and the Pacific League, which each have six teams. There are also two secondary-level professional minor leagues, the Eastern League and the Western League, that play shorter schedules for developing players. NPB teams are allowed to have more than one minor league team as long as they are outside of the established minor league system, with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks and Yomiuri Giants being the only teams taking advantage of this. As of 2023, the Hawks have three minor league teams,[4] the Giants have two, and the other ten teams only have one minor league team each. Teams below the Eastern and Western Leagues play exhibition matches against various teams of collegiate, industrial, Shikoku Island League Plus, and other NPB minor league statuses.
The Central League and Pacific League operate as separate entities, unlike the four major professional sports leagues of North America whose leagues each operate as one singular entity. TV rights for games are always held by a game's home team. The Pacific League has used the designated hitter (DH) rule since 1975, while the Central League has not used the DH outside of interleague play where a Pacific League team is the home team and in the 1985 Japan Series.
The season starts in late March or early April, and ends in October, with two or three all-star games in July. In recent decades prior to 2007, the two leagues each scheduled between 130 and 140 regular season games, with the 146 games played by the Central League in 2005 and 2006 being the only exception. Both leagues have since adopted 143-game seasons, 71 or 72 each at home and on road, facing their five respective intra-league opponents 25 times each and facing their six interleague opponents three times each in late May to early June in interleague play, with a separate champion being crowned for the team with the best record through the 18 games of interleague play. In general, Japanese teams play six games a week, with every Monday off (except on specific occasions, such as a game being played outside of the home team's primary stadium or if a rainout forced a game to be postponed to a Monday).[5] Unlike in Major League Baseball, doubleheaders have not been featured in NPB since the late 1990s.
Following the conclusion of each regular season, the top three teams from each league go on to play in the
Since its adoption by both leagues in 2007, Climax Series does not determine who won each league's pennant, rather the team with the best regular season record in each league wins the pennant, regardless of their result in the Climax Series. This has led to four occasions where the Japan Series champion did not win their league's pennant that year, with those being the 2007 Chunichi Dragons, 2010 Chiba Lotte Marines, and the 2018 and 2019 Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. However, from 2004 to 2006, the winner of the Pacific League Playoffs was given the Pacific League pennant for that year.
Financial problems
Financial problems plague many teams in the league. It is believed that with the exception of the Yomiuri Giants, Hanshin Tigers, and Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, all teams are operating with considerable subsidies, often as much as ¥6 billion (about US$44.9 million), from their parent companies. A raise 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. In addition, teams in the Central League historically saw much higher profits than the Pacific League, having popular teams such as the Giants and Tigers.[6]
The number of metropolitan areas represented in the league increased from four to five in 1988, when the
Until 1993, baseball was the only team sport played professionally in Japan. In that year, the J.League professional football league was founded. The new football league placed teams in prefectural capitals around the country—rather than clustering them in and around Tokyo—and the teams were named after their locations rather than after corporate sponsors, despite many clubs in the J.League still being owned and subsidized by corporate entities.
The wave of players moving to Major League Baseball, which began with
History
Origins
The first professional baseball team in Japan was founded by media mogul
From 1936 to 1950,
NPB establishment
After the 1949 season, the JBL team owners reorganized into the NPB; Daiei Stars owner Masaichi Nagata promoted a two-league system, which became the Pacific League (initially called the Taiheiyo Baseball Union) and the Central League. (Nagata became the first president of the Pacific League.)[12] The league now known as Nippon Pro Baseball began play in the 1950 season.
Four JBL teams formed the basis of the Central League: the
Four JBL teams formed the basis of the Pacific League: the
Matsutarō Shōriki, the Giants' owner, acted as NPB's unofficial commissioner and oversaw the first Japan Series, which featured the Mainichi Orions defeating the Shochiku Robins 4 games to 2.
Expansion and contraction
The Central League's
In 1954 a new
After these various franchise developments, by the end of the 1950s, Nippon Professional Baseball had contracted from the initial allotment of 15 teams down to the current number of 12.
1960s and 1970s
On September 1, 1964,
Continuing their dominance from the JBL, the Yomiuri Giants won nine consecutive Japan Series championships from 1965 to 1973.
From 1973 to 1982, in a forerunner to today's Climax Series playoff rounds, the
1980s and the "Invincible Seibu"
After being a second division team for much of the 1960s and 1970s, in 1983 the
.American expatriate players made their mark in NPB in the 1980s, with players like the Lee brothers (Leron Lee and Leon Lee), Greg "Boomer" Wells, Randy Bass, and Ralph Bryant playing key roles on their NPB teams.
Hideo Nomo and the exodus to MLB
In 1995, star pitcher
Since Nomo's exodus, more than 60 NPB players have played Major League Baseball. Some of the more notable examples include:
- 3,000-hit club, has established a number of MLB batting records, including the single-season record for hits with 262. He had ten consecutive 200-hit seasons, the longest streak by any player in history. Between his career hits in Japan's and America's major leagues, Ichiro has the most all-time top-flight hits. On August 27, 2022, Ichiro was enshrined in the Seattle Mariners Hall of Fame.[17]
- Most Valuable Player for the 2009 World Series. He was the first power hitter from Japan to succeed in Major League Baseball.
- All-Star. After 2003, he returned to Japan to pitch in the NPB until his retirement in 2005.
- Seibu Lions, Matsui signed with the New York Mets on December 15, 2003, in 2004 becoming the first Japanese infielder to play with a Major League Baseball team.[18]His seven seasons in Major League Baseball were not as successful, and he later returned to NPB. Matsui now resides as the manager of his former Lions team.
- Shohei Ohtani: He is a two-way player who was a five-time All-Star while playing for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters.[19] Ohtani holds the record for fastest pitch in NPB history at 165 km/h (102.5 mph).[20] After signing with the Los Angeles Angels, Ohtani won the 2018 AL Rookie of the Year award. In 2021, he became the first player in MLB history to be named an All-Star as both a pitcher and a position player.[21] After the conclusion of the season, Ohtani was unanimously named the AL Most Valuable Player.
Merger and strike of 2004
In September 2004, the professional Japanese players went on strike for the first time in over 70 years. The strike arose from a dispute that took place between the owners of the 12 professional Japanese baseball teams and the players' union (which was led by popular
A battle escalated between the players union and the owners, and reached its height when Yomiuri Giants owner Tsuneo Watanabe controversially remarked that Furuta was "a mere player",[22] implying that players had no say in what league would look like the next year. The dispute received huge press coverage (which mostly favored Furuta and the players' union) and was dubbed one of the biggest events in the history of Japanese baseball. Proposals and amendments concerning interleague games, player drafting, and management were also discussed between the players union and the owners during this period.
The strike was originally planned for all Saturday and Sunday games that month, starting from September 11, but was pushed back due to the agreement of another meeting between the union and the owners on September 10. The players decided to strike on September 18–19, 2004, when no progress was made in the negotiations, as there was insufficient time left in the season to hold discussions.[citation needed]
The dispute officially ended after the two groups reached consensus on September 23, 2004. As part of the agreement, the Buffaloes were allowed to merge with the Blue Wave (forming into the
Interleague play
The two leagues began interleague play in 2005, with each team playing two three-game series (one home, one away) against each of the six teams in the other league. This was reduced to two two-game series in 2007. All interleague play games are played in a seven-week span near the middle of the season.
As of the end of the 2017 season, the Pacific League has won the most games in interleague play since it began in 2005 twelve times, with 2009 being the only time that the Central League has won more games.
League championship series/Climax Series
After 2004, a three-team playoff system was introduced in the Pacific League, dubbed the "Pacific League Championship Series". The teams with the second- and third-best records play in the three-game first stage, with the winner advancing to the five-game final against the top team. The winner becomes the representative of the Pacific League to the Japan Series.
Since the Pacific League won every Japan Series after introducing this league playoff system, an identical system was introduced to the Central League in 2007, and the post-season intra-league games were renamed the "Climax Series" in both leagues. Player statistics and drafting order based on team records are not affected by these postseason games.
Recent history
In 2011,
The 2013 season featured a livelier baseball, which was secretly introduced into NPB, resulting in a marked increase in home runs league-wide.[24] Tokyo Yakult Swallows outfielder Wladimir Balentien broke the NPB single-season home run record of 55, previously held by professional baseball's all-time home run leader Sadaharu Oh in 1964, Tuffy Rhodes in 2001, and Alex Cabrera in 2002.[25] Balantien finished the season with 60 home runs. Three-term NPB commissioner Ryōzō Katō was forced to resign over the scandal when the changed baseball was revealed.[24]
Former Prime Minister
The 2020 NPB season was delayed numerous times due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially preseason games were set to be played without spectators, but with opening day of March 20 remaining unchanged.[27] With the lifting of states of emergency over major Japanese cities, NPB announced that it would begin its regular season on 19 June behind closed doors. "Warm-up" games began 26 May.[28] The shortened 120-game regular season began on 19 June.[29] On 10 July, NPB began allowing a limited number of fans to attend games, with plans to further ease restrictions in the near future.[30] On 19 September, attendance was expanded to a maximum of 20,000 fans per game, or 50% of stadium capacity.[31]
Expatriate baseball players in Japan
For most of its history, NPB regulations imposed "gaijin waku", a limit on the number of non-Japanese people per team to two or three—including the manager and/or coaching staff.[32] Even today, a team cannot have more than four foreign players on a 25-man game roster, although there is no limit on the number of foreign players that it may sign. If there are four, they cannot all be pitchers nor all be position players.[32] This limits the cost and competition for expensive players of other nationalities, and is similar to rules in many European sports leagues' roster limits on non-European players.
Nonetheless,
Koreans have had an impact in the NPB as well, including such standout players as
Many of the most celebrated foreign players came to Japan after not finding success in the Major Leagues; see "Big in Japan".
Since the 1970s, foreigners have also made an impact in Nippon Professional Baseball's managing and coaching ranks, with Americans Bobby Valentine and Trey Hillman managing their respective teams to Japan Series championships.
Teams
Note: The Tokyo Yakult Swallows and Yomuri Giants have plans to build a new stadium for them,The Swallows new stadium will be localized next to its current stadium, and Giants one will be built where the old Tsukiji fish market had existied, both will be delivered around 2030.[36][37]
Defunct Clubs | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Team | City | Stadium | Founded | Ceased Operations | Notes |
Nishi Nippon Pirates | Fukuoka, Fukuoka | 52 stadiums in 29 prefectures across Japan[38] | 1950 | January 30, 1951[39] | Merged with the Nishitetsu Clippers to form the Fukuoka Nishitetsu Lions (now known as the Saitama Seibu Lions) |
Shochiku Robins | Kyoto, Kyoto | Kinugasa Stadium | 1936 | January 1, 1953[40] | Merged with the Taiyo-Shochiku Robins (now known as the Yokohama DeNA BayStars )
|
Takahashi Unions | Kawasaki, Kanagawa | Kawasaki Stadium | 1954 | February 25, 1957[41] | Merged with the Daiei Unions
|
Daiei Unions
|
Bunkyō, Tokyo | Korakuen Stadium | 1946 | November 24, 1957[42] | Merged with the Daimai Orions (now known as the Chiba Lotte Marines )
|
Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes | Osaka, Osaka | Kyocera Dome Osaka | 1949 | December 1, 2004 | Merged with the Orix BlueWave to form the Orix Buffaloes
|
Franchise locations
Locations are listed from north to south. Only the most prominent names of each franchise are listed.
Locality | 1950 | 1951–1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955–1956 | 1957 | 1958–1972 | 1973–1977 | 1978 | 1979–1988 | 1989–2003 | 2004 | 2005–present |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Greater Sapporo | Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters (PL), 2004–present[a] | ||||||||||||
Sendai | Lotte Orions (PL), 1973–1977
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Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles (PL), 2005–present | |||||||||||
Greater Tokyo | Kokutetsu Swallows / Sankei Atoms / Yakult Swallows (CL), 1950–present | ||||||||||||
Yomiuri Giants (CL), 1950–present | |||||||||||||
Toei Flyers / Nippon-Ham Fighters (PL), 1950–2003 | |||||||||||||
Mainichi/Daimai/Tokyo/Lotte Orions (PL), 1950–1972 | Lotte Orions / Chiba Lotte Marines (PL), 1978–present | ||||||||||||
Takahashi Unions (PL), 1954–1956 | Daiei Unions (PL), 1957
|
Saitama Seibu Lions (PL), 1979–present | |||||||||||
Daiei Stars (PL), 1950–1956 | |||||||||||||
Taiyo Whales / Yokohama BayStars (CL), 1955–present | |||||||||||||
Nagoya | Chunichi Dragons (CL), 1950–present | ||||||||||||
Greater Osaka | Hanshin Tigers (CL), 1950–present | ||||||||||||
Hankyu Braves / Orix BlueWave (PL), 1950–2004 | Orix Buffaloes (PL), 2005–present | ||||||||||||
Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes (PL), 1950–2004 | |||||||||||||
Nankai Hawks (PL), 1950–1988
| |||||||||||||
Shochiku Robins (CL), 1950–1954 | |||||||||||||
Hiroshima | Hiroshima Toyo Carp (CL), 1950–present | ||||||||||||
Shimonoseki | Taiyo Whales (CL), 1950–1952
| ||||||||||||
Fukuoka | Nishitetsu Lions (PL), 1950–1978
|
Fukuoka Daiei/SoftBank Hawks (PL), 1989–present | |||||||||||
Nishi Nippon Pirates (CL), 1950 |
Champions
Awards
- Nippon Professional Baseball Most Valuable Player Award
- Nippon Professional Baseball Rookie of the Year Award
- Nippon Professional Baseball Comeback Player of the Year Award
- Eiji Sawamura Award (starting pitcher of the year)
- Mitsui Golden Glove Award
- Golden Spirit Award
- Matsutaro Shoriki Award
- Japan Series Most Valuable Player
- Nippon Professional Baseball All-Star GameMost Valuable Player
Records
Single season batting
a Harimoto is a Korean citizen who was born and grew up in Japan (see
b As all Curaçaoans have
c Despite being born in Japan, Oh was a citizen of the
d Ramirez did not have Japanese citizenship until 2019 and so is listed as the nationality he was during his playing career.
Single season pitching
Central League | Pacific League | Overall | ||||||
Player | Year | Player | Year | Player | Year | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ERA | ||||||||
Minoru Murayama | 0.98 | 1970 | Kazuhisa Inao | 1.06 | 1956 | Minoru Murayama d | 0.98 | 1970 |
Minoru Murayama | 1.19 | 1959 | Masahiro Tanaka | 1.272 | 2011 | Kazuhisa Inao | 1.06 | 1956 |
Minoru Murayama | 1.20 | 1962 | Masahiro Tanaka | 1.273 | 2013 | Minoru Murayama | 1.19 | 1959 |
Wins | ||||||||
Juzo Sanada | 39 | 1950 | Kazuhisa Inao | 42 | 1961 | Kazuhisa Inao e | 42 | 1961 |
Hiroshi Gondo
|
35 | 1961 | Tadashi Sugiura | 38 | 1959 | Juzo Sanada | 39 | 1950 |
Takehiko Bessho | 33 | 1952 | Kazuhisa Inao | 35 | 1957 | Tadashi Sugiura | 38 | 1959 |
Saves | ||||||||
Hitoki Iwase | 46 | 2005 | Dennis Sarfate | 54 | 2017 | Dennis Sarfate | 54 | 2017 |
Kyuji Fujikawa | 46 | 2007 | Dennis Sarfate | 43 | 2016 | Hitoki Iwase | 46 | 2005 |
Kazuhiro Sasaki | 45 | 1998 | Dennis Sarfate | 41 | 2015 | Kyuji Fujikawa | 46 | 2007 |
Strikeouts | ||||||||
Yutaka Enatsu | 401 | 1968 | Kazuhisa Inao | 353 | 1961 | Yutaka Enatsu | 401 | 1968 |
Masaichi Kaneda f | 350 | 1955 | Tadashi Sugiura | 336 | 1959 | Kazuhisa Inao | 353 | 1961 |
Yutaka Enatsu | 340 | 1970 | Kazuhisa Inao | 334 | 1958 | Masaichi Kaneda | 350 | 1955 |
d The Japanese record is 0.73, set by
e The Japanese record is shared between Inao and Victor Starffin, who also recorded 42 wins during the 1942 Japanese Baseball League season.
f Despite being born in Japan, Kaneda did not become a Japanese citizen until 1959 and was instead a South Korean citizen.
Career batting
This section needs to be updated.(August 2022) |
Player | Years played | |
---|---|---|
Batting average[43] | ||
Leron Lee | .320 | 1977–1987 |
Tsutomu Wakamatsu | .31918 | 1971–1989 |
Isao Harimoto | .31915 | 1959–1981 |
Greg Wells | .317 | 1983-1992 |
Home Runs | ||
Sadaharu Oh | 868 | 1959–1980 |
Katsuya Nomura | 657 | 1954–1980 |
Hiromitsu Kadota | 567 | 1970–1992 |
Hits | ||
Isao Harimoto | 3,085 | 1959–1981 |
Katsuya Nomura | 2,901 | 1954–1980 |
Sadaharu Oh | 2,786 | 1959–1980 |
RBIs | ||
Sadaharu Oh | 2,170 | 1959–1980 |
Katsuya Nomura | 1,988 | 1954–1980 |
Hiromitsu Kadota | 1,678 | 1970–1992 |
Stolen Bases | ||
Yutaka Fukumoto | 1,065 | 1969–1988 |
Yoshinori Hirose | 596 | 1955–1977 |
Isao Shibata | 579 | 1962–1981 |
Strikeouts | ||
Kazuhiro Kiyohara | 1,955 | 1986–2008 |
Motonobu Tanishige | 1,838 | 1989–2015 |
Koji Akiyama | 1,712 | 1981–2002 |
OPS | ||
Sadaharu Oh | 1.080 | 1959–1980 |
Hideki Matsui | .995 | 1993–2002 |
Alex Cabrera | .990 | 2001–2012 |
Career pitching
Player | Years played | |
---|---|---|
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 |
Strikeouts | ||
Masaichi Kaneda | 4490 | 1950–1969 |
Tetsuya Yoneda | 3388 | 1956–1977 |
Masaaki Koyama | 3159 | 1953–1973 |
Keishi Suzuki | 3061 | 1966–1985 |
Saves | ||
Hitoki Iwase | 407 | 1999–2018 |
Shingo Takatsu | 286 | 1991–2003, 2006–2007 |
Kazuhiro Sasaki | 252 | 1990–1999, 2004–2005 |
ERA champions
Perfect games
Date | Pitcher (Club) | Score | Opponent | Ballpark |
---|---|---|---|---|
June 28, 1950 | Hideo Fujimoto (Yomiuri Giants) | 4–0 | Nishi-Nippon Pirates |
Aomori Stadium |
June 19, 1955 | Kintetsu Pearls ) |
1–0 | Daiei Stars | Ōsaka Stadium
|
September 19, 1956 | Kokutetsu Swallows ) |
6–0 | Hiroshima Carp |
Kanazawa Stadium |
August 21, 1957 | Kokutetsu Swallows ) |
1–0 | Chunichi Dragons | Chunichi Stadium
|
July 19, 1958 | Nishitetsu Lions ) |
1–0 | Toei Flyers |
Komazawa Stadium
|
August 11, 1960 | Taiyō Whales ) |
1–0 | Ōsaka Tigers | Kawasaki Stadium |
June 20, 1961 | Kokutetsu Swallows ) |
1–0 | Chunichi Dragons | Korakuen Stadium |
May 1, 1966 | Taiyō Whales ) |
1–0 | Hiroshima Carp |
Hiroshima Municipal Stadium |
May 12, 1966 | Nishitetsu Lions ) |
2–0 | Nankai Hawks |
Heiwadai Stadium |
September 14, 1968 | Yoshiro Sotokoba (Hiroshima Toyo Carp) | 2–0 | Taiyō Whales |
Hiroshima Municipal Stadium |
October 6, 1970 | Kintetsu Buffaloes ) |
3–0 | Nankai Hawks |
Ōsaka Stadium
|
August 21, 1971 | Toei Flyers ) |
4–0 | Nishitetsu Lions |
Korakuen Stadium |
October 10, 1973 | Lotte Orions ) |
1–0 | Taiheiyo Club Lions |
Miyagi Stadium
|
August 31, 1978 | Hankyu Braves ) |
5–0 | Lotte Orions |
Miyagi Stadium
|
May 18, 1994 | Hiromi Makihara (Yomiuri Giants) | 6–0 | Hiroshima Toyo Carp | Fukuoka Dome
|
November 1, 2007 | Daisuke Yamai and Hitoki Iwase (Chunichi Dragons) | 1–0† | Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters | Nagoya Dome
|
April 10, 2022 | Rōki Sasaki (Chiba Lotte Marines) | 6–0 | Orix Buffaloes | Zozo Marine Stadium |
- †: 5th game of Japan Series; In NPB, no-hitters or perfect games achieved by multiple pitchers in one game are considered unofficial. However, it is recognized by the WBSC (World Baseball Softball Confederation, the international governing body of baseball) as a perfect game.
International play
The
Since
The 2014 series also celebrated the 80th anniversary of the establishment of Japan's professional baseball by holding an exhibition game of a joint team of Hanshin Tigers and Yomiuri Giants against the MLB All-Stars at the Koshien Stadium on November 11, 2014.
Agreement and systems
- Nippon Professional Baseball Agreement
- Nippon Professional Baseball rosters
- Registration of players under control
- Developmental player system
- Nippon Professional Baseball draft
See also
- Comparison of Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball
- High school baseball in Japan
- Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame
- List of Japanese baseball players
- List of Japanese players in Major League Baseball
- Shikoku Island League Plus (Regional professional league)
- List of Nippon Professional Baseball mascots
Notes
- ^ Based in Kitahiroshima since 2023
References
- ^ "リーグ略史 | パシフィック・リーグ".
- ^ "リーグ略史 | セントラル・リーグ".
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- ^ "【ソフトバンク】来季から球界初「4軍制」創設へ 20日ドラフト会議で育成選手を大量指名(スポーツ報知)". Archived from the original on Oct 15, 2022.
- ^ Waldstein, David. "Ace Favors Fewer Starts to Protect Pitchers' Arms: Rangers' Yu Darvish Pushes for a Six-Man Pitching Rotation", New York Times (July 21, 2014).
- ^ "Tokyo Yomiuri Giants | Team Information". JapanBall.com. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
- ^ "Orix Buffaloes up and running". 2 December 2004.
- ^ McKillop, Peter (18 May 2001). "Letter from Japan: Go West, Young Man". TIME. Archived from the original on March 22, 2005.
- ^ Axisa, Mike (29 October 2016). "Focus shifts to Shohei Otani posting decision after Fighters win Japan Series". CBSSports.com.
- ^ "Hawks ace Kodai Senga can't persuade club to post him, gets raise instead". December 26, 2020.
- ^ Reaves, Joseph A. Taking in a Game: A History of Baseball in Asia (U. of Nebraska Press, 2002), p. 77.
- ^ "Nagata, Masaichi". Hall of Famers List. The Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Archived from the original on 1 January 2020. Retrieved 24 September 2011.
- ^ Kleinberg, Alexander (December 24, 2001). "Where have you gone, Masanori Murakami?". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on August 18, 2002. Retrieved November 13, 2008.
- ^ "Nomo Retires from Baseball", Dodgers.com: News, MLB.com, July 17, 2008, archived from the original on 23 May 2016
{{citation}}
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- ^ "Players by birthplace: Japan Baseball Stats and Info". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved 2009-08-23.
- ^ "Ichiro joins exclusive company in Mariners Hall of Fame". Major League Baseball. Retrieved 2022-11-01.
- ^ "The Official Site of The Colorado Rockies: Official Info" (Press release). Colorado.rockies.mlb.com. Archived from the original on October 7, 2012. Retrieved December 22, 2011.
- ^ "Shohei Ohtani first Japanese player voted to start in All-Star Game since 2010". The Japan Times. July 2, 2021. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
- ^ Wertheim, Jon (April 6, 2017). "Shohei Ohtani is a two-way superstar who could change the face of baseball". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
- ^ Salvador, Joseph (July 4, 2021). "Ohtani Makes History as MLB Finalizes All-Star Rosters". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
- ^ "He's Back, We're on TV, and Your Reading Assignment". JapanBall.com. 13 June 2005. Archived from the original on 2007-08-16.
- ^ Kスタ宮城の復旧工事開始 完了まで約5週間 [Restoration work for K-STA Miyagi started, approximately 5 weeks until completion]. Sports Nippon (in Japanese). March 22, 2011. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
- ^ a b "Ryozo Kato resigns as commish", ESPN.com (September 19, 2013).
- ^ Berry, Adam (September 15, 2013). "Balentien breaks Oh's Japanese home run record". MLB.com. Retrieved September 15, 2013.
- ^ "Japan's new plan to beat deflation – more baseball". thestaronline. 2014-05-20. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
- ISSN 0447-5763. Retrieved 2020-04-20.
- ^ Tarrant, Jack (May 25, 2020). "Baseball-Japan's baseball league to start on June 19". National Post. Reuters. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
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- ^ "お待たせ!プロ野球7・10に6球場一斉観客解禁…上限5000人". June 23, 2020. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
- ^ "NPB 19日にも観客上限緩和へ 2万人、または収容50%の少ない方(デイリースポーツ) - Yahoo!ニュース". Archived from the original on 2020-10-06. Retrieved 2020-11-28.
- ^ a b "Foreign Player Restrictions?". Japanese Baseball.
- ^ "Index by team". NPB. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
- ^ "公式戦 京セラドーム大阪|チケット|阪神タイガース公式サイト" [Regular Season in Osaka Dome|Tickets|Hanshin Tigers Official Site]. hanshintigers.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-08-10.
- ^ "スタジアムトップ" [Stadiums]. Orix Buffaloes Official Website (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-08-10.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
- ^ "築地に国際交流拠点、東京都が三井不・読売連合を選定…30年代前半の開業目指す" [Tokyo Metropolitan Government selects Mitsui Fudosan and Yomiuri Alliance for international center in Tsukiji...aiming to open in the early 2030s.]. Yomiuri Shimbun (in Japanese). 2024-04-19. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
- ^ 【記録員コラム】29都道府県、52球場を駆け巡った西日本パイレーツ(日本野球機構)
- ISBN 4806205141.
- ISBN 9784583616179.
- ^ Yomiuri Shimbun, February 26, 1957, page 4, "Daiei and Takahashi to merge in Pacific League this year, 7 team system, Owners' Meeting Fails to Realize Six Team System"
- ^ Mainichi Shimbun, November 25, 1957, page 7 [Pacific's 6-team system realized; Mainichi and Daiei to merge in the middle of next month]
- ^ Ichiro Suzuki hit .353 for his Japanese career (1993–2000), but did not have enough at-bats to qualify for career leadership.
- ^ "侍ジャパン悲願達成へ 元日本代表守護神が語る戦い方 「全勝と掲げてしまうと…」". Nippon Express. 30 January 2019. Archived from the original on 15 August 2020.
- ^ "世界ランキング最新版!男子・日本代表・WBSC世界ランク". Nippon Express. 5 October 2023. Archived from the original on 11 March 2023.
Further reading
- Fitts, Robert K. (2005). Remembering Japanese Baseball: An Oral History of the Game. Southern Illinois University Press. ISBN 0-8093-2630-2.
- Johnson, Daniel (2006). Japanese Baseball: A Statistical Handbook. McFarland & Company. ISBN 0-7864-2841-4.
- Whiting, Robert (2005). The Samurai Way of Baseball: The Impact of Ichiro and the New Wave from Japan. Grand Central Publishing. ISBN 0-446-69403-7.
- Whiting, Robert (1990). You Gotta Have Wa. Vintage. ISBN 0-679-72947-X.
External links
- Official website (in English)
- Official website (in Japanese)
- Japan Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
- MLB history of Puro Yakyū page Archived 2006-08-21 at the Wayback Machine