Baseball in Japan
Baseball ( Japanese 野球 , yakyū , dt. "Field ball") has been one of the most popular sports in Japan since its introduction from America in 1872.
In addition to two professional leagues, it is played at universities as well as middle and high schools across the country. The high schools determine the best Japanese school team twice a year in the Kōshien Stadium in Nishinomiya.
In addition to baseball in their own country, the Japanese professionals in American Major League Baseball also get a lot of attention in Japan . Japan won the first edition of the World Baseball Classic in 2006 , the first competition for national teams made up of players from the top professional leagues, and was able to defend its title in 2009 .
Professional baseball sport
Professional baseball in Japan is organized by the Nippon Yakyū Kikō ( 日本 野球 機構 , English Nippon Professional Baseball) association. It is played in two leagues, the Central League (CL) and the Pacific League (PL). At the end of the season, the respective league champions compete against each other in the Nihon Series (English Japan Series ).
Central League
セ ン ト ラ ル ・ リ ー グ
sentoraru rīgu
Pacific League
パ シ フ ィ ッ ク ・ リ ー グ
pashifikku rīgu
Despite the names that suggest a geographical division of the country, both leagues include teams from all parts of the country. The PL plays with Designated Hitter (DH), the CL without. In each of the leagues, six teams play the league championship in 144 games from April to September. The number of games per season varied, at times more games were played in the PL than in the CL. Since 2005 there is an Interleague Series ( kōryūsen ) of currently 24 games, in which teams from both leagues compete against each other. In interleague games as well as in the playoffs, the host's league membership decides on the application of the DH rule.
The champion is determined at the end of the season in the Nihon Series (English Japan series ), in which the best teams from both leagues can compete against each other in seven games for the Japanese championship. For a long time only the top of the table of the regular season took part in the Nihon Series, since 2007 the three best teams of the Pacific and Central League play-offs have been playing the Climax Series . First, the second at home plays a challenger against the third in three games, who can determine the league champion in five games against the top of the table.
In 2004 the third party Seibu Lions not only reached the Japan series , but was also able to prevail against the Chūnichi Dragons and became Japanese champions. In 2005, the Pacific League champion Chiba Lotte Marines was able to prevail in the Japan series with 4-0 games against the Hanshin Tigers , with numerous records being set or newly set. It was the first time that a team supervised by a foreign coach managed to win the title. Champion 2006 was the team of the Hokkaidō Nippon Ham Fighters from Sapporo , who could bring down the master of the Central League, Chūnichi Dragons , with 4-1 games. In 2007 the Chūnichi Dragons, who finished the regular season as second in the Central League , won the new edition of the Nihon Series last year against Nippon Ham with 4-1 games.
The dimensions of the field, the rules and the style of play differ slightly from the American ones. A game can also end in a draw if there is no winner after a maximum of three innings overtime. The game is also played more tactically and with less force than in the USA: Bunts and sacrifice hits are used more frequently, extra base hits and especially home runs are somewhat rarer.
The All Star Game ( オ ー ル ス タ ー ゲ ー ム , ōrusutāgēmu , " All-Star-Games ") has taken place annually in July since 1951 : currently three, in some years two encounters between selection teams from the Central and Pacific League, Players and managers are determined in different voting procedures. The game is played today with DH, games end in a draw without overtime after nine innings. Unlike in the MLB, the All-Star Games do not decide on home rights at the beginning of the championship series, which changes annually between the Central and Pacific League. The naming rights have been sold since the 1990s, which is why the games are currently officially called Mazda All Star Game . Up to and including 2011, the teams of the Pacific League won a total of 77 individual encounters, the Central League 71 and nine games ended in a draw. In 2013, a scandal about the flight characteristics of the balls became known, which led to the fact that suddenly more home runs were achieved in the current season.
Baseball in schools and colleges
Most schools in Japan have baseball clubs. These can vary from small clubs that only play for fun to semi-professional groups. A national high school tournament is held twice a year. A regional master is determined in qualifying tournaments in each prefecture, who is allowed to participate in the final tournament in the Kōshien Stadium in Nishinomiya. The games will be televised live and nearly the entire nation will be watching the results with excitement. In 2005, the Tomakomai High School (Komazawa, Hokkaidō ) was the first team to win the particularly important summer tournament for the second time in a row. The careers of many Japanese baseball stars such as Ichirō , Nomo Hideo or Matsui Hideki began in Kōshien; the tournaments are not only followed by the fans, but also by the scouts of the national and sometimes international professional teams.
Baseball competitions are also held between the universities, including the League of the Six Universities of Tokyo , which takes place in spring and autumn , as well as regional and national tournaments.
history
Baseball was brought to Japan by Horace Wilson in 1872, shortly after the country opened up. At a time when Japan was open to innovations from the West, the game quickly became popular. However, it would take over 30 years for sport to become more professional.
The first exchange with the USA took place in 1905 when the Waseda University team visited the USA. In 1908 the Reach All-American showed the American professional baseball on its world tour with a stop in Japan. The first Japanese professional teams were founded in 1920, but soon disbanded. In 1934, with the forerunner of the Yomiuri Giants, the first professional team that still exists today was founded. After other teams were quickly set up, the first Japanese baseball league could start in 1936.
After the game operation had to be suspended in the last year of the war, the Japanese baseball organization ( 日本 野球 機構 , nihon yakyū kikō ) was re- established in 1945 . As a result, baseball continued to grow in popularity in Japan, drawing millions to the stadiums every year for decades.
At the Olympic Games, Japan was able to convince in baseball, winning the bronze medal in 1992 and the silver medal in 1996 . In addition, Japanese baseball is gaining increasing attention in the USA , the "motherland of baseball". Several Japanese pros play in the MLB , and in 2004 Suzuki Ichirō broke George Sisler's 1920 record with 262 hits in one season .
Professional teams
Central League
| society | Japanese name | places | Main owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hanshin Tigers | 阪神 タ イ ガ ー ス Hanshin Taigāsu |
Nishinomiya and Osaka | Railway company Hanshin Denki Tetsudō |
| Chūnichi Dragons | 中 日 ド ラ ゴ ン ズ Chūnichi Doragonzu |
Nagoya | Chūnichi Shimbun Newspaper |
| Tōkyō Yakult Swallows | ヤ ク ル ト ス ワ ロ ー ズ Tōkyō Yakuruto Suwarōzu |
Tokyo | Food, pharmaceutical and cosmetics company Yakult |
| Yokohama DeNA BayStars | 横 浜 ベ イ ス タ ー ズ Yokohama Dī-Enu-Ē Beisutāzu |
Yokohama | Tokyo Broadcasting System TV station |
| Yomiuri Giants | 読 売 ジ ャ イ ア ン ツ Yomiuri Jaiantsu |
Tokyo | Yomiuri Shimbun Newspaper |
| Hiroshima Tōyō Carp | 広 島 東洋 カ ー プ Hiroshima Tōyō Kāpu |
Hiroshima | Automobile company Mazda |
Pacific League
| society | Japanese name | places | Main owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fukuoka Softbank Hawks | 福岡 ソ フ ト バ ン ク ホ ー ク ス Fukuoka Sofutobanku Hōkusu |
Fukuoka | SoftBank |
| Chiba Lotte Marines | 千葉 ロ ッ テ マ リ ー ン ズ Chiba Rotte Marīnzu |
Chiba | Confectionery and food manufacturer Lotte Group |
| Saitama Seibu Lions | 埼 玉 西武 ラ イ オ ン ズ Saitama Seibu Raionzu |
Tokorozawa | Seibu Tetsudō Railway Company |
| Orix Buffaloes | オ リ ッ ク ス ・ バ フ ァ ロ ー ズ Orikkusu Bafarōzu |
Kobe and Osaka | Financial service provider ORIX |
| Hokkaidō Nippon Ham Fighters | 北海道 日本 ハ ム フ ァ イ タ ー ズ Hokkaidō Nippon Hamu Faitāzu |
Sapporo | Food company Nippon Ham KK |
| Tōhoku Rakuten Golden Eagles | 東北 楽 天 ゴ ー ル デ ン イ ー グ ル ス Tōhoku Rakuten Gōruden Īgurusu |
Sendai | Rakuten |
Web links
- Off. Japanese Amateur Baseball Association website (Japanese)
- Off. Japanese Professional Baseball League website (Japanese, English)
- Pacific League (Japanese)
- Central League (Japanese)
- japanlink.de
Individual evidence
- ↑ Junya Ishii: The History of the Baseball Partnership across the Pacific Ocean. An Essay by a Public Affairs Officer of the Embassy of Japan. (No longer available online.) Japanese Embassy to the United States, March 14, 2004, archived from the original on March 10, 2009 ; accessed on June 27, 2009 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
