Baseball in Japan: an overview – Part 1
Baseball has become one of the most played and followed sports in Japan. The Japanese are renowned for their perfection and they have not stayed behind in baseball either. They have innovated playing styles which have not only awarded the Japanese fame within
Japan but also in the Major League Baseball played in the United States of America (USA) and Canada.
Hiroshi Hiraoka introduced the game of baseball in Japan in 1878 when he returned from USA. The game got popular and expanded to universities. In 1920, the game experienced a major breakthrough when Major and Minor League teams from America came to play
against the teams in Japan. Reciprocating their act, the Japanese teams made a return trip to America and this became a custom which continued till the 1930s.
The game got organised and then formed into a proper league which commenced from 1950. The league was named as the Nippon Professional Baseball and consisted of two major divisions, the Central League and the Pacific League. The NPB also consists of two
Minor League divisions, the Eastern and Western Leagues.
Both Major Leagues are similar to the two major divisions in MLB, the American League and the National League. The Pacific League has adopted rules similar to the American League. The rule of designated hitter is functional in the Pacific League just as
in the American League. The Central League, on the contrary, continues to follow the National League and avoid the use of a designated hitter.
The Japanese have, however, varied their style of play on the general level. Where games can never end as a tie in Major League Baseball, the Japanese end the game as a tie if the scores remain equal until the end of the 12th inning. In the post-season,
this rule is further altered. If the scores remain identical by the time the 15th inning has ended, the game has to be replayed. The Americans are different in this aspect because the fans are more result oriented and do not find any enthusiasm
if the games end as a tie.
The NPB season starts in late March or early April and ends in October. The time of their season is similar to Major League Baseball in timing and structure as well. There are two to three All-Star Games in July, the same time when Major League Baseball
hosts their All-Star Games. There is a window for the Interleague games from mid May to mid June. Teams that have the best winning percentage go on to the playoffs.
There are twelve teams in total in the Nippon Professional Baseball with six teams in the Central League and six in the Professional League. Except for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, all teams joined the NPB in 1950. The Golden Eagles were formed in 2005
and joined the NPB in the same year.
In the Central League, Yomiuri Giants are the oldest and the most successful team. They were formed in 1934 and have won the most titles with 21 currently on their shelf. Other teams in the Central League are the Chunichi Dragons, Hanshin Tigers, Hiroshima
Toyo Carp, Tokyo Yakult Swallows and the Yokohama Bay Stars.
The Pacific League consists of Chiba Lotte Marines, Orix Buffaloes, Fukuoka Soft Bank Hawks, Saitama Seibu Lions, Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, and Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.
Continued in Part 2
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