Japanese Baseball
Regan Shaors
Towards the end of the Nineteenth Century, during the Meiji
period, baseball was introduced to Japan from the United
States. That was 1873, and it remained an amateur sport for
a good long while. Some experts suggest that Japan is today
the worldwide home of amateur baseball.
Till the 1920s, Japan experienced very little pro action.
It was in 1936 that Japan saw many teams making up the
league. Nippon Professional Baseball League was formed and
it started with six teams. A place near Osaka hosted the
Japan's first pro season in April 1936. The league is
played till date in Japan.
Although, with six teams in the early days, there weren't
exactly a lot of games. Then there was a forced break during
the second World War. But Japanese teams today play a good
number of games - about 140 a year. In fact there are now
twelve teams split into two divisions - the Central League
and the Pacific League. In season the several games are
featured live on television each week.
The teams all have nicknames like any North American team -
the full line up is the Giants, the Hawks, the Carp, the
Lions, the Baystars, the Marines, the Swallows, the
Fighters, the Tigers, the Buffaloes, the Dragons, and the
Bluewave. A mix of familiar names with some Japanese
inspired names (the Carps and the Dragons for example).
Unlike in the US and Canada however, the teams aren't named
after the city where they are based but after the team
owners. So for example the Fighters are properly called the
Nippon Ham Fighters - they're owned by a meat conglomerate.
Like any Japanese style, the christening also has a meaning
behind it. There are some teams that based in the same
city. Such teams also have to practice in the same stadium,
due to limitation of space. The stadiums in the metro, on
the other hand, have great facilities.
So much baseball played in cities is great for city-based
fans who can go to both home and away matches without
travelling out of city! It's less good for any fans based in
the countryside however, and all the teams are obliged to
play ten or more games on the road out and of the city.
There is another striking difference between the Japanese
and American baseball. In Japanese league, a game remains a
tie even after being tied after 12 innings. The Japanese
use smaller and less heavy balls in the league. Japanese
just play all-star games and the Japan Series unlike
Americans who also play interleague games.
Those few Japanese ball players who have hit the big time in
the US playing in the Majors are big stars back in Japan,
where their trials and tribulations are closely followed by
an enthusiastic fan base.
Regan Shaors is the editor of
Towards the end of the Nineteenth Century, during the Meiji
period, baseball was introduced to Japan from the United
States. That was 1873, and it remained an amateur sport for
a good long while. Some experts suggest that Japan is today
the worldwide home of amateur baseball.
Till the 1920s, Japan experienced very little pro action.
It was in 1936 that Japan saw many teams making up the
league. Nippon Professional Baseball League was formed and
it started with six teams. A place near Osaka hosted the
Japan's first pro season in April 1936. The league is
played till date in Japan.
Although, with six teams in the early days, there weren't
exactly a lot of games. Then there was a forced break during
the second World War. But Japanese teams today play a good
number of games - about 140 a year. In fact there are now
twelve teams split into two divisions - the Central League
and the Pacific League. In season the several games are
featured live on television each week.
The teams all have nicknames like any North American team -
the full line up is the Giants, the Hawks, the Carp, the
Lions, the Baystars, the Marines, the Swallows, the
Fighters, the Tigers, the Buffaloes, the Dragons, and the
Bluewave. A mix of familiar names with some Japanese
inspired names (the Carps and the Dragons for example).
Unlike in the US and Canada however, the teams aren't named
after the city where they are based but after the team
owners. So for example the Fighters are properly called the
Nippon Ham Fighters - they're owned by a meat conglomerate.
Like any Japanese style, the christening also has a meaning
behind it. There are some teams that based in the same
city. Such teams also have to practice in the same stadium,
due to limitation of space. The stadiums in the metro, on
the other hand, have great facilities.
So much baseball played in cities is great for city-based
fans who can go to both home and away matches without
travelling out of city! It's less good for any fans based in
the countryside however, and all the teams are obliged to
play ten or more games on the road out and of the city.
There is another striking difference between the Japanese
and American baseball. In Japanese league, a game remains a
tie even after being tied after 12 innings. The Japanese
use smaller and less heavy balls in the league. Japanese
just play all-star games and the Japan Series unlike
Americans who also play interleague games.
Those few Japanese ball players who have hit the big time in
the US playing in the Majors are big stars back in Japan,
where their trials and tribulations are closely followed by
an enthusiastic fan base.
Regan Shaors is the editor of
