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class="vector-toc-numb">2</span> <span>Professional baseball</span> </div> </a> <button aria-controls="toc-Professional_baseball-sublist" class="cdx-button cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only vector-toc-toggle"> <span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-expand"></span> <span>Toggle Professional baseball subsection</span> </button> <ul id="toc-Professional_baseball-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Minor_leagues" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Minor_leagues"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.1</span> <span>Minor leagues</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Minor_leagues-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Differences_from_Major_League_Baseball" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Differences_from_Major_League_Baseball"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.2</span> <span>Differences from Major League Baseball</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Differences_from_Major_League_Baseball-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Strike_of_2004" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Strike_of_2004"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.3</span> <span>Strike of 2004</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Strike_of_2004-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-High_school_baseball" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#High_school_baseball"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3</span> <span>High school baseball</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-High_school_baseball-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Amateur_baseball" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Amateur_baseball"> <div 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</div> </div> </nav> <h1 id="firstHeading" class="firstHeading mw-first-heading"><span class="mw-page-title-main">Baseball in Japan</span></h1> <div id="p-lang-btn" class="vector-dropdown mw-portlet mw-portlet-lang" > <input type="checkbox" id="p-lang-btn-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-p-lang-btn" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox mw-interlanguage-selector" aria-label="Go to an article in another language. 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.infobox-full-data:not(.notheme)>div:not(.notheme)[style]{background:#1f1f23!important;color:#f8f9fa}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .infobox-full-data:not(.notheme) div:not(.notheme){background:#1f1f23!important;color:#f8f9fa}}@media(min-width:640px){body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table{display:table!important}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table>caption{display:table-caption!important}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table>tbody{display:table-row-group}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table tr{display:table-row!important}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table th,body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table td{padding-left:inherit;padding-right:inherit}}</style><table class="infobox" style="width:22em;"><tbody><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-above">Baseball in Japan (野球)</th></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-image"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:2014_MLB_Japan_All-Star_Series.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/86/2014_MLB_Japan_All-Star_Series.jpg/220px-2014_MLB_Japan_All-Star_Series.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="165" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/86/2014_MLB_Japan_All-Star_Series.jpg/330px-2014_MLB_Japan_All-Star_Series.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/86/2014_MLB_Japan_All-Star_Series.jpg/440px-2014_MLB_Japan_All-Star_Series.jpg 2x" data-file-width="4608" data-file-height="3456" /></a></span><div class="infobox-caption"><a href="/wiki/Tokyo_Dome" title="Tokyo Dome">Tokyo Dome</a> during the <a href="/wiki/2014_MLB_Japan_All-Star_Series" title="2014 MLB Japan All-Star Series">2014 MLB Japan All-Star Series</a></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Country</th><td class="infobox-data">Japan</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label"><span class="nowrap">Governing body</span></th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/wiki/Baseball_Federation_of_Japan" title="Baseball Federation of Japan">BFJ</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label"><span class="nowrap">National team(s)</span></th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/wiki/Japan_national_baseball_team" title="Japan national baseball team">Japan</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label"><span class="nowrap">First played</span></th><td class="infobox-data">1872</td></tr><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-header"><div style="border-bottom:1px solid lightgray;">National competitions</div></th></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-full-data"><div style="text-align:left;"> <a href="/wiki/Japan_Series" title="Japan Series">Japan Series</a></div></td></tr><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-header"><div style="border-bottom:1px solid lightgray;">Club competitions</div></th></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-full-data"><div style="text-align:left;"> <a href="/wiki/Nippon_Professional_Baseball" title="Nippon Professional Baseball">Nippon Professional Baseball</a><br /><a href="/wiki/Central_League" title="Central League">Central League</a><br /><a href="/wiki/Pacific_League" title="Pacific League">Pacific League</a><br /><a href="/wiki/Eastern_League_(Japanese_baseball)" title="Eastern League (Japanese baseball)">Eastern League</a><br /><a href="/wiki/Western_League_(Japanese_baseball)" title="Western League (Japanese baseball)">Western League</a><br /><a href="/wiki/Miyazaki_Phoenix_League" title="Miyazaki Phoenix League">Miyazaki Phoenix League</a><br /><a href="/wiki/Shikoku_Island_League_Plus" title="Shikoku Island League Plus">Shikoku Island League Plus</a><br /><a href="/wiki/Baseball_Challenge_League" title="Baseball Challenge League">Baseball Challenge League</a></div></td></tr><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-header"><div style="border-bottom:1px solid lightgray;">International competitions</div></th></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-full-data"><div style="text-align:left;"> <a href="/wiki/WBSC_Premier12" title="WBSC Premier12">WBSC Premier12</a><br /><a href="/wiki/World_Baseball_Classic" title="World Baseball Classic">World Baseball Classic</a><br /><a href="/wiki/Baseball_at_the_Summer_Olympics" title="Baseball at the Summer Olympics">Summer Olympics</a> (1992–2008, 2020)<br /><a href="/wiki/Asian_Baseball_Championship" title="Asian Baseball Championship">Asian Championship</a><br /><a href="/wiki/Baseball_at_the_Asian_Games" title="Baseball at the Asian Games">Asian Games</a></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <p><a href="/wiki/Baseball" title="Baseball">Baseball</a> was introduced to <a href="/wiki/Japan" title="Japan">Japan</a> in 1872 and is Japan's most popular participatory and spectator sport.<sup id="cite_ref-urlThe_8_Most_Popular_Sports_in_Japan_|_All_About_Japan_1-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-urlThe_8_Most_Popular_Sports_in_Japan_|_All_About_Japan-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The first professional competitions emerged in the 1920s. The highest level of baseball in Japan is <a href="/wiki/Nippon_Professional_Baseball" title="Nippon Professional Baseball">Nippon Professional Baseball</a> (NPB), which consists of two leagues, the <a href="/wiki/Central_League" title="Central League">Central League</a> and the <a href="/wiki/Pacific_League" title="Pacific League">Pacific League</a>, with six teams in each league.<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> High school baseball enjoys a particularly strong public profile and fan base, much like <a href="/wiki/College_football" title="College football">college football</a> and <a href="/wiki/College_basketball" title="College basketball">college basketball</a> in the United States; the <a href="/wiki/Japanese_High_School_Baseball_Championship" title="Japanese High School Baseball Championship">Japanese High School Baseball Championship</a> ("Summer <i>Kōshien</i>"), which takes place each August, is nationally televised and includes regional champions from each of Japan's <a href="/wiki/Prefectures_of_Japan" title="Prefectures of Japan">47 prefectures</a>. </p><p>In <a href="/wiki/Japanese_language" title="Japanese language">Japanese</a>, baseball is commonly called <span title="Hepburn transliteration"><i lang="ja-Latn">yakyū</i></span><span style="font-weight: normal"> (<span title="Japanese-language text"><span lang="ja">野球</span></span>)</span>, combining the <a href="/wiki/Kanji" title="Kanji">characters</a> for <i>field</i> and <i>ball</i>. According to the <a href="/wiki/Japan_National_Tourism_Organization" title="Japan National Tourism Organization">Japan National Tourism Organization</a> (JNTO), the atmosphere of Japanese baseball games is less relaxed than in the United States, with fans regularly singing and dancing to team songs.<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In addition, as American writer <a href="/wiki/Robert_Whiting" title="Robert Whiting">Robert Whiting</a> wrote in his 1977 book <i>The Chrysanthemum and the Bat</i>, "the Japanese view of life, stressing group identity, cooperation, hard work, respect for age, seniority and 'face' has permeated almost every aspect of the sport. Americans who come to play in Japan quickly realize that Baseball Samurai Style is different."<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><span><video id="mwe_player_0" poster="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0d/Yokohama_stadium_2023_May_2.webm/220px--Yokohama_stadium_2023_May_2.webm.jpg" controls="" preload="none" data-mw-tmh="" class="mw-file-element" width="220" height="124" data-durationhint="49" data-mwtitle="Yokohama_stadium_2023_May_2.webm" data-mwprovider="wikimediacommons" resource="/wiki/File:Yokohama_stadium_2023_May_2.webm"><source src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/0/0d/Yokohama_stadium_2023_May_2.webm/Yokohama_stadium_2023_May_2.webm.480p.vp9.webm" type="video/webm; codecs="vp9, opus"" data-transcodekey="480p.vp9.webm" data-width="854" data-height="480" /><source src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/0/0d/Yokohama_stadium_2023_May_2.webm/Yokohama_stadium_2023_May_2.webm.720p.vp9.webm" type="video/webm; codecs="vp9, opus"" data-transcodekey="720p.vp9.webm" data-width="1280" data-height="720" /><source src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/Yokohama_stadium_2023_May_2.webm" type="video/webm; codecs="vp9"" data-width="3840" data-height="2160" /><source src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/0/0d/Yokohama_stadium_2023_May_2.webm/Yokohama_stadium_2023_May_2.webm.1080p.vp9.webm" type="video/webm; codecs="vp9, opus"" data-transcodekey="1080p.vp9.webm" data-width="1920" data-height="1080" /><source src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/0/0d/Yokohama_stadium_2023_May_2.webm/Yokohama_stadium_2023_May_2.webm.240p.vp9.webm" type="video/webm; codecs="vp9, opus"" data-transcodekey="240p.vp9.webm" data-width="426" data-height="240" /><source src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/0/0d/Yokohama_stadium_2023_May_2.webm/Yokohama_stadium_2023_May_2.webm.360p.webm" type="video/webm; codecs="vp8, vorbis"" data-transcodekey="360p.webm" data-width="640" data-height="360" /><source src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/0/0d/Yokohama_stadium_2023_May_2.webm/Yokohama_stadium_2023_May_2.webm.360p.vp9.webm" type="video/webm; codecs="vp9, opus"" data-transcodekey="360p.vp9.webm" data-width="640" data-height="360" /></video></span><figcaption>Game night at Yokohama Stadium, 2023</figcaption></figure> <p>In Japan, <a href="/wiki/Nippon_Professional_Baseball" title="Nippon Professional Baseball">Nippon Professional Baseball</a> players such as <a href="/wiki/Shohei_Ohtani" title="Shohei Ohtani">Shohei Ohtani</a>, <a href="/wiki/Ichiro_Suzuki" title="Ichiro Suzuki">Ichiro Suzuki</a>, <a href="/wiki/Hideki_Matsui" title="Hideki Matsui">Hideki Matsui</a>, <a href="/wiki/Shigeo_Nagashima" title="Shigeo Nagashima">Shigeo Nagashima</a> and <a href="/wiki/Sadaharu_Oh" title="Sadaharu Oh">Sadaharu Oh</a> are regarded as national stars, and their exceptional performances have boosted baseball's popularity in Japan. All of them received or were approached for the <a href="/wiki/People%27s_Honour_Award" title="People's Honour Award">People's Honour Award</a><span style="font-weight: normal"> (<span title="Japanese-language text"><span lang="ja">国民栄誉賞</span></span>, <span title="Hepburn transliteration"><i lang="ja-Latn">Kokumin Eiyoshō</i></span>)</span> for their achievements and popularity.<sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <meta property="mw:PageProp/toc" /> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="History">History</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Baseball_in_Japan&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: History"><span>edit</span></a><span 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.sidebar-list-title,html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .sidebar:not(.notheme) .sidebar-title-with-pretitle{background:transparent!important}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .sidebar:not(.notheme) .sidebar-title-with-pretitle a{color:var(--color-progressive)!important}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .sidebar:not(.notheme) .sidebar-list-title,html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .sidebar:not(.notheme) .sidebar-title-with-pretitle{background:transparent!important}html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .sidebar:not(.notheme) .sidebar-title-with-pretitle a{color:var(--color-progressive)!important}}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .sidebar{display:none!important}}</style><table class="sidebar sidebar-collapse nomobile nowraplinks hlist"><tbody><tr><td class="sidebar-pretitle">Part of a series on the</td></tr><tr><th class="sidebar-title-with-pretitle" style="background:LightSteelBlue"><a href="/wiki/History_of_baseball" title="History of baseball">History of baseball</a></th></tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="color: var(--color-base)">Early years</div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Origins_of_baseball" title="Origins of baseball">Origins</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/1845_to_1868_in_baseball" title="1845 to 1868 in baseball">1845 to 1868 in baseball</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Knickerbocker_Rules" title="Knickerbocker Rules">Knickerbocker Rules</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Massachusetts_Game" title="Massachusetts Game">Massachusetts Game</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Town_ball" title="Town ball">Town ball</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Alexander_Cartwright" title="Alexander Cartwright">Alexander Cartwright</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Doc_Adams" title="Doc Adams">Doc Adams</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Doubleday_myth" title="Doubleday myth">Doubleday myth</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/National_Association_of_Base_Ball_Players" title="National Association of Base Ball Players">First league</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Cincinnati_Red_Stockings" title="Cincinnati Red Stockings">First pro team</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/National_Association_of_Professional_Base_Ball_Players" title="National Association of Professional Base Ball Players">First pro league</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/All-American_Girls_Professional_Baseball_League" title="All-American Girls Professional Baseball League">All-American Girls Professional Baseball League</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_baseball_team_nicknames" title="History of baseball team nicknames">Team nicknames</a></li></ul></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="color: var(--color-base)">By country</div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Baseball_in_Australia" title="Baseball in Australia">Australia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Baseball_in_Canada" title="Baseball in Canada">Canada</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Baseball_in_Cuba" title="Baseball in Cuba">Cuba</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Baseball_in_the_Dominican_Republic" title="Baseball in the Dominican Republic">Dominican Republic</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Baseball_in_Italy" title="Baseball in Italy">Italy</a></li> <li><a class="mw-selflink selflink">Japan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Baseball_in_South_Korea" title="Baseball in South Korea">Korea</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Baseball_in_Mexico" title="Baseball in Mexico">Mexico</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Baseball_in_the_Netherlands" title="Baseball in the Netherlands">Netherlands</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Baseball_in_Nicaragua" title="Baseball in Nicaragua">Nicaragua</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Baseball_in_Puerto_Rico" title="Baseball in Puerto Rico">Puerto Rico</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Baseball_in_Taiwan" title="Baseball in Taiwan">Taiwan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_baseball_in_the_United_States" title="History of baseball in the United States">United States</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Baseball_in_Venezuela" title="Baseball in Venezuela">Venezuela</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_baseball_outside_the_United_States" title="History of baseball outside the United States">Other</a></li></ul></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="color: var(--color-base)">International competitions</div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/World_Baseball_Softball_Confederation" title="World Baseball Softball Confederation">World Baseball Softball Confederation</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/World_Baseball_Classic" title="World Baseball Classic">World Baseball Classic</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Women%27s_Baseball_World_Cup" title="Women's Baseball World Cup">Women's Baseball World Cup</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Africa_Cup_Baseball_Championship" title="Africa Cup Baseball Championship">Africa Cup Baseball Championship</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Asian_Baseball_Championship" title="Asian Baseball Championship">Asian Baseball Championship</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Women%27s_Baseball_Asian_Cup" title="Women's Baseball Asian Cup">Women's Baseball Asian Cup</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/South_American_Baseball_Championship" title="South American Baseball Championship">South American Baseball Championship</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Oceania_Baseball_Championship" title="Oceania Baseball Championship">Oceania Baseball Championship</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Baseball_at_the_Pan_American_Games" title="Baseball at the Pan American Games">Baseball at the Pan American Games</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Baseball_at_the_Summer_Olympics" title="Baseball at the Summer Olympics">Summer Olympics</a> (1992–2008, 2020–)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Baseball_at_the_Asian_Games" title="Baseball at the Asian Games">Asian Games</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/European_Baseball_Championship" class="mw-redirect" title="European Baseball Championship">European Baseball Championship</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/European_Baseball_Championship_Women" class="mw-redirect" title="European Baseball Championship Women">European Baseball Championship Women</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/European_Cup_(baseball)" class="mw-redirect" title="European Cup (baseball)">European Cup (baseball)</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/WBSC_Premier12" title="WBSC Premier12">WBSC Premier12</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Caribbean_Series" title="Caribbean Series">Caribbean Series</a></li></ul></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="color: var(--color-base)">Other topics</div><div 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series)"><i>Baseball</i> <small>(documentary series)</small></a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/National_Baseball_Hall_of_Fame_and_Museum" title="National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum">Baseball Hall of Fame</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Society_for_American_Baseball_Research" title="Society for American Baseball Research">Society for American Baseball Research</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Category:Baseball_by_year" title="Category:Baseball by year">Baseball by year</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_Major_League_Baseball_seasons" title="List of Major League Baseball seasons">Major League Baseball seasons</a></li></ul></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="color: var(--color-base)"><a href="/wiki/Variations_of_baseball" title="Variations of baseball">Related games</a></div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Softball" title="Softball">Softball</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Comparison_of_baseball_and_softball" title="Comparison of baseball and softball">Comparison</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Baseball5" title="Baseball5">Baseball5</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/British_baseball" title="British baseball">British baseball</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rounders" title="Rounders">Rounders</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Vintage_base_ball" title="Vintage base ball">Vintage base ball</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wiffle_ball" title="Wiffle ball">Wiffle ball</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Over-the-line" title="Over-the-line">Over-the-line</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Elle_(sport)" title="Elle (sport)">Elle</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Tee-ball" title="Tee-ball">Tee-ball</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Corkball" title="Corkball">Corkball</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Fuzzball_(sport)" title="Fuzzball (sport)">Fuzzball</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Indian_Ball" title="Indian Ball">Indian Ball</a></li> <li><a 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(game)">Lapta</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Palant" title="Palant">Palant</a></li></ul></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-below" style="background:LightSteelBlue"> <a href="/wiki/Portal:Baseball" title="Portal:Baseball">Baseball portal</a></td></tr><tr><td class="sidebar-navbar"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239400231">.mw-parser-output .navbar{display:inline;font-size:88%;font-weight:normal}.mw-parser-output .navbar-collapse{float:left;text-align:left}.mw-parser-output .navbar-boxtext{word-spacing:0}.mw-parser-output .navbar ul{display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;line-height:inherit}.mw-parser-output .navbar-brackets::before{margin-right:-0.125em;content:"[ "}.mw-parser-output .navbar-brackets::after{margin-left:-0.125em;content:" ]"}.mw-parser-output .navbar li{word-spacing:-0.125em}.mw-parser-output .navbar a>span,.mw-parser-output .navbar a>abbr{text-decoration:inherit}.mw-parser-output .navbar-mini abbr{font-variant:small-caps;border-bottom:none;text-decoration:none;cursor:inherit}.mw-parser-output .navbar-ct-full{font-size:114%;margin:0 7em}.mw-parser-output .navbar-ct-mini{font-size:114%;margin:0 4em}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .navbar li a abbr{color:var(--color-base)!important}@media(prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .navbar li a abbr{color:var(--color-base)!important}}@media print{.mw-parser-output .navbar{display:none!important}}</style><div class="navbar plainlinks hlist navbar-mini"><ul><li class="nv-view"><a href="/wiki/Template:History_of_baseball" title="Template:History of baseball"><abbr title="View this template">v</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-talk"><a href="/wiki/Template_talk:History_of_baseball" title="Template talk:History of baseball"><abbr title="Discuss this template">t</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-edit"><a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:History_of_baseball" title="Special:EditPage/Template:History of baseball"><abbr title="Edit this template">e</abbr></a></li></ul></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <p>Baseball was first introduced into Japan in 1859 after the opening of the <a href="/wiki/Japanese_treaty_ports" class="mw-redirect" title="Japanese treaty ports">treaty ports</a>,<sup id="cite_ref-8" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-8"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>8<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> having been played alongside <a href="/wiki/Cricket" title="Cricket">cricket</a> by American and British expatriates in the foreign settlements until the 20th century.<sup id="cite_ref-9" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-9"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>9<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> It was introduced as a school sport in 1872 by American <a href="/wiki/Horace_Wilson_(professor)" title="Horace Wilson (professor)">Horace Wilson</a>,<sup id="cite_ref-10" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-10"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>10<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> an English professor at the Kaisei Academy in <a href="/wiki/Tokyo" title="Tokyo">Tokyo</a>. The first organized adult baseball team, called the Shimbashi Athletic Club, was established in 1878.<sup id="cite_ref-WhitingWa_11-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-WhitingWa-11"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>11<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The Japanese government appointed American <a href="/wiki/Foreign_government_advisors_in_Meiji_Japan" title="Foreign government advisors in Meiji Japan"><i>oyatoi</i></a> in order to start a state-inspired modernization process. This involved the education ministry, who made baseball accessible to children by integrating the sport into the physical education curriculum. Japanese students, who returned from studying in the United States captivated by the sport, took government positions. Clubs and private teams such as the Shinbashi Athletic Club, along with high school and college teams, commenced the baseball infrastructure.<sup id="cite_ref-12" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-12"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>12<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>At a match played in <a href="/wiki/Yokohama" title="Yokohama">Yokohama</a> in 1896, a team from Tokyo's Ichikō high school convincingly defeated a team of resident foreigners from the <a href="/wiki/Yokohama_Country_%26_Athletic_Club" title="Yokohama Country & Athletic Club">Yokohama Country & Athletic Club</a>. The contemporary Japanese language press lauded the team as national heroes and news of this match greatly contributed to the popularity of baseball as a school sport.<sup id="cite_ref-13" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-13"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>13<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> <a href="/wiki/Tsuneo_Matsudaira" title="Tsuneo Matsudaira">Tsuneo Matsudaira</a> in his "Sports and Physical Training in Modern Japan" address to <a href="/wiki/The_Japan_Society_of_the_UK" title="The Japan Society of the UK">the Japan Society of the UK</a> in <a href="/wiki/London" title="London">London</a> in 1907 related that after the victory, "the game spread, like a fire in a dry field, in summer, all over the country, and some months afterwards, even in children in primary schools in the country far away from <a href="/wiki/T%C5%8Dky%C5%8D" class="mw-redirect" title="Tōkyō">Tōkyō</a> were to be seen playing with bats and balls".<sup id="cite_ref-14" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-14"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>14<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Professional_baseball">Professional baseball</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Baseball_in_Japan&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: Professional baseball"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1236090951">.mw-parser-output .hatnote{font-style:italic}.mw-parser-output div.hatnote{padding-left:1.6em;margin-bottom:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .hatnote i{font-style:normal}.mw-parser-output .hatnote+link+.hatnote{margin-top:-0.5em}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .hatnote{display:none!important}}</style><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/wiki/Professional_baseball_in_Japan" title="Professional baseball in Japan">Professional baseball in Japan</a></div> <p>Professional baseball in Japan started in the 1920s, but it was not until the Greater Japan Tokyo Baseball Club<span style="font-weight: normal"> (<span title="Japanese-language text"><span lang="ja">大日本東京野球クラブ</span></span>, <span title="Hepburn transliteration"><i lang="ja-Latn">Dai-nippon Tōkyō Yakyū Kurabu</i></span>)</span>, a team of all-stars established in 1934 by media mogul <a href="/wiki/Matsutar%C5%8D_Sh%C5%8Driki" title="Matsutarō Shōriki">Matsutarō Shōriki</a>, that the modern professional game found continued success—especially after Shōriki's club matched up against an American All-Star team that included <a href="/wiki/Babe_Ruth" title="Babe Ruth">Babe Ruth</a>, <a href="/wiki/Jimmie_Foxx" title="Jimmie Foxx">Jimmie Foxx</a>, <a href="/wiki/Lou_Gehrig" title="Lou Gehrig">Lou Gehrig</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Charlie_Gehringer" title="Charlie Gehringer">Charlie Gehringer</a>. While prior Japanese all-star contingents had disbanded, Shōriki went pro with this group, playing in an independent league. </p><p>The <a href="/wiki/Japanese_Baseball_League" title="Japanese Baseball League">first Japanese professional league</a> was formed in 1936, and by 1950 had grown big enough to divide into two leagues, the <a href="/wiki/Central_League" title="Central League">Central League</a> and the <a href="/wiki/Pacific_League" title="Pacific League">Pacific League</a>, together known as <a href="/wiki/Nippon_Professional_Baseball" title="Nippon Professional Baseball">Nippon Professional Baseball</a> (NPB). It is called <span title="Hepburn transliteration"><i lang="ja-Latn">Puro Yakyū</i></span><span style="font-weight: normal"> (<span title="Japanese-language text"><span lang="ja">プロ野球</span></span>)</span>, meaning <i>professional baseball</i>. The pro baseball season is eight months long, with games beginning in April. Teams play 144 games (as compared to the 162 games of the American major league teams), followed by a playoff system, culminating in a championship held in October, known as the <a href="/wiki/Japan_Series" title="Japan Series">Japan Series</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-15" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-15"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>15<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Corporations with interests outside baseball own most of the teams. Historically, teams have been identified with their owners, not where the team is based. However, in recent years, many owners have chosen to include a place name in the names of their teams; the majority of the 12 NPB teams are currently named with both corporate and geographical place names. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Minor_leagues">Minor leagues</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Baseball_in_Japan&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: Minor leagues"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Much like <a href="/wiki/Minor_League_Baseball" title="Minor League Baseball">Minor League Baseball</a> in the United States, Japan has a farm system through two minor leagues, each affiliated with Nippon Professional Baseball. The <a href="/wiki/Eastern_League_(Japanese_baseball)" title="Eastern League (Japanese baseball)">Eastern League</a> consists of seven teams and is owned by the Central League. The <a href="/wiki/Western_League_(Japanese_baseball)" title="Western League (Japanese baseball)">Western League</a> consists of five teams and is owned by the Pacific League. Both minor leagues play 80-game seasons.<sup id="cite_ref-16" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-16"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>16<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Differences_from_Major_League_Baseball">Differences from Major League Baseball</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Baseball_in_Japan&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: Differences from Major League Baseball"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The rules are essentially those of <a href="/wiki/Major_League_Baseball" title="Major League Baseball">Major League Baseball</a> (MLB), but technical elements are slightly different: The Nippon league uses a smaller baseball, strike zone, and playing field. Five Nippon league teams have fields whose small dimensions would violate the American <a href="/wiki/Official_Baseball_Rules" class="mw-redirect" title="Official Baseball Rules">Official Baseball Rules</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-17" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-17"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>17<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Also unlike MLB, game length is limited and tie games are allowed. In the regular season, the limit is twelve innings, while in the playoffs, there is a fifteen-inning limit (games in Major League Baseball, by comparison, continue until there is a winner). Due to <a href="/wiki/Aftermath_of_the_2011_T%C5%8Dhoku_earthquake_and_tsunami" title="Aftermath of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami">power limits imposed because of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami</a>, the 2011 NPB regular season further limited game length by adding a restriction that no inning could begin more than three hours and thirty minutes after the first pitch. </p><p>NPB teams have active rosters of 28 players, as opposed to 26 in MLB (27 on days of doubleheaders). However, the game roster has a 25-player limit. Before each game, NPB teams must designate three players from the active roster who will not appear in that contest.<sup id="cite_ref-18" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-18"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>18<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> 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.<sup id="cite_ref-19" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-19"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>19<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> 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. </p><p>In each of the two Nippon Professional Baseball leagues, teams with the best winning percentage go on to a stepladder-format playoff (3 vs. 2, winner vs. 1). Occasionally, a team with more total wins has been seeded below a team that had more ties and fewer losses and, therefore, had a better winning percentage. The winners of each league compete in the Japan Series. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Strike_of_2004">Strike of 2004</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Baseball_in_Japan&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: Strike of 2004"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>On 18 September 2004, professional baseball players went on a two-day strike, the first <a href="/wiki/Strike_action" title="Strike action">strike</a> in the history of the league, to protest the proposed merger between the <a href="/wiki/Orix_Buffaloes" title="Orix Buffaloes">Orix BlueWave</a> and the <a href="/wiki/Osaka_Kintetsu_Buffaloes" title="Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes">Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes</a> 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 23 September 2004, when the owners agreed to grant a new franchise in the Pacific League and to continue the two-league, 12-team system. The new team, the <a href="/wiki/Tohoku_Rakuten_Golden_Eagles" title="Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles">Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles</a>, began play in the <a href="/wiki/2005_Nippon_Professional_Baseball_season" title="2005 Nippon Professional Baseball season">2005 season</a>. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="High_school_baseball">High school baseball</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Baseball_in_Japan&action=edit&section=6" title="Edit section: High school baseball"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/wiki/K%C5%8Dshien_baseball_tournament" title="Kōshien baseball tournament">Kōshien baseball tournament</a></div> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Koshien(1992_Summer)2.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/eb/Koshien%281992_Summer%292.jpg/220px-Koshien%281992_Summer%292.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="147" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/eb/Koshien%281992_Summer%292.jpg/330px-Koshien%281992_Summer%292.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/eb/Koshien%281992_Summer%292.jpg 2x" data-file-width="400" data-file-height="267" /></a><figcaption>Hanshin Kōshien Stadium during the 1992 Kōshien tournament</figcaption></figure> <p>In Japan, <i>high school baseball</i><span style="font-weight: normal"> (<span title="Japanese-language text"><span lang="ja">高校野球</span></span>, <span title="Hepburn transliteration"><i lang="ja-Latn">kōkō yakyū</i></span>)</span> generally refers to the two annual baseball tournaments played by high schools nationwide culminating in a final showdown at <a href="/wiki/Koshien_Stadium" title="Koshien Stadium">Hanshin Kōshien Stadium</a> in <a href="/wiki/Nishinomiya" title="Nishinomiya">Nishinomiya</a>. They are organized by the <a href="/wiki/Japan_High_School_Baseball_Federation" title="Japan High School Baseball Federation">Japan High School Baseball Federation</a> in association with <a href="/wiki/Mainichi_Shimbun" title="Mainichi Shimbun">Mainichi Shimbun</a> for the <a href="/wiki/National_High_School_Baseball_Invitational_Tournament" class="mw-redirect" title="National High School Baseball Invitational Tournament">National High School Baseball Invitational Tournament</a> in the spring (also known as "Spring Kōshien") and <a href="/wiki/Asahi_Shimbun" class="mw-redirect" title="Asahi Shimbun">Asahi Shimbun</a> for the <a href="/wiki/National_High_School_Baseball_Championship" class="mw-redirect" title="National High School Baseball Championship">National High School Baseball Championship</a> in the summer (also known as "Summer Kōshien"). </p><p>These nationwide tournaments enjoy widespread popularity, arguably equal to or greater than professional baseball. Qualifying tournaments are often televised locally and each game of the final stage at Kōshien is televised nationally on <a href="/wiki/NHK" title="NHK">NHK</a>. The tournaments have become a national tradition, and large numbers of students and parents travel from hometowns to cheer for their local team. The popularity of these tournaments has been compared to the popularity of <a href="/wiki/NCAA_Division_I_men%27s_basketball_tournament" title="NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament">March Madness</a> in the United States.<sup id="cite_ref-20" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-20"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>20<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Amateur_baseball">Amateur baseball</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Baseball_in_Japan&action=edit&section=7" title="Edit section: Amateur baseball"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Amateur baseball leagues exist all over Japan, with many teams sponsored by companies. Amateur baseball is governed by the Japan Amateur Baseball Association (JABA). Players on these teams are employed by their sponsoring companies and receive salaries as company employees, not as baseball players. The best teams in these circuits are determined via the <a href="/wiki/Intercity_baseball_tournament" title="Intercity baseball tournament">intercity baseball tournament</a> and the Industrial League national tournament.<sup id="cite_ref-ryo_21-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-ryo-21"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>21<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The level of play in these leagues is very competitive; Industrial League players are often selected to represent Japan in international tournaments<sup id="cite_ref-ryo_21-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-ryo-21"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>21<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> and Major League Baseball players such as <a href="/wiki/Hideo_Nomo" title="Hideo Nomo">Hideo Nomo</a> (<a href="/wiki/Nippon_Steel" title="Nippon Steel">Shin-Nitetsu Sakai</a>),<sup id="cite_ref-22" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-22"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>22<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> <a href="/wiki/Junichi_Tazawa" title="Junichi Tazawa">Junichi Tazawa</a> (<a href="/wiki/Nippon_Oil" class="mw-redirect" title="Nippon Oil">Nippon Oil</a>)<sup id="cite_ref-23" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-23"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>23<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> and <a href="/wiki/Kosuke_Fukudome" title="Kosuke Fukudome">Kosuke Fukudome</a> (<a href="/wiki/Nippon_Life" title="Nippon Life">Nihon Seimei</a>),<sup id="cite_ref-24" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-24"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>24<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> have been discovered by professional clubs while playing industrial baseball. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="International_play">International play</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Baseball_in_Japan&action=edit&section=8" title="Edit section: International play"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">See also: <a href="/wiki/Baseball_Federation_of_Japan" title="Baseball Federation of Japan">Baseball Federation of Japan</a></div> <p>Japan has won the <a href="/wiki/World_Baseball_Classic" title="World Baseball Classic">World Baseball Classic</a> three times since the tournament was created. In the <a href="/wiki/2006_World_Baseball_Classic" title="2006 World Baseball Classic">2006 World Baseball Classic</a>, they defeated <a href="/wiki/Cuba_national_baseball_team" title="Cuba national baseball team">Cuba</a> in the finals<sup id="cite_ref-25" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-25"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>25<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> and in the <a href="/wiki/2009_World_Baseball_Classic" title="2009 World Baseball Classic">2009 World Baseball Classic</a>, Japan defeated its <a href="/wiki/Japan%E2%80%93South_Korea_baseball_rivalry" title="Japan–South Korea baseball rivalry">arch-rival</a> of <a href="/wiki/South_Korea_national_baseball_team" title="South Korea national baseball team">South Korea</a> in 10 innings to defend their title.<sup id="cite_ref-26" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-26"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>26<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In the <a href="/wiki/2023_World_Baseball_Classic" title="2023 World Baseball Classic">2023 World Baseball Classic</a>, they reclaimed their title by defeating the United States 3–2 in the Championship game. The national team is consistently <a href="/wiki/WBSC_World_Rankings" title="WBSC World Rankings">ranked</a> one of the best in the world by the <a href="/wiki/World_Baseball_Softball_Confederation" title="World Baseball Softball Confederation">World Baseball Softball Confederation</a>. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="See_also">See also</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Baseball_in_Japan&action=edit&section=9" title="Edit section: See also"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Asahi_(baseball_team)" title="Asahi (baseball team)">Asahi (baseball team)</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Baseball_awards#Japan" title="Baseball awards">Baseball awards#Japan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Japan_national_baseball_team" title="Japan national baseball team">Japan national baseball team</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_Japanese_baseball_players" title="List of Japanese baseball players">List of Japanese baseball players</a></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Mr._Baseball" title="Mr. Baseball">Mr. Baseball</a></i>, 1992 film</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sport_in_Japan" class="mw-redirect" title="Sport in Japan">Sport in Japan</a></li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Baseball_in_Japan&action=edit&section=10" title="Edit section: References"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239543626">.mw-parser-output .reflist{margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%}}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}</style><div class="reflist"> <div class="mw-references-wrap mw-references-columns"><ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-urlThe_8_Most_Popular_Sports_in_Japan_|_All_About_Japan-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-urlThe_8_Most_Popular_Sports_in_Japan_|_All_About_Japan_1-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free.id-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited.id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration.id-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription.id-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-size:contain;padding:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#085;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}</style><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://allabout-japan.com/en/article/4175/">"The 8 Most Popular Sports in Japan | All About Japan"</a>. 28 December 2016.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=The+8+Most+Popular+Sports+in+Japan+%26%23124%3B+All+About+Japan&rft.date=2016-12-28&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fallabout-japan.com%2Fen%2Farticle%2F4175%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABaseball+in+Japan" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-2">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFGillettePalmer2006" class="citation encyclopaedia cs1">Gillette, Gary; Palmer, Pete, eds. (2006). "Baseball in Japan". <i>The 2006 ESPN Baseball Encyclopedia</i>. New York: Sterling Publishing Company. pp. 1733–1734. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-4027-3625-4" title="Special:BookSources/978-1-4027-3625-4"><bdi>978-1-4027-3625-4</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=bookitem&rft.atitle=Baseball+in+Japan&rft.btitle=The+2006+ESPN+Baseball+Encyclopedia&rft.place=New+York&rft.pages=1733-1734&rft.pub=Sterling+Publishing+Company&rft.date=2006&rft.isbn=978-1-4027-3625-4&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABaseball+in+Japan" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-3">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://npb.jp/eng/teams/">"Teams Nippon Professional Baseball"</a>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20160110203258/http://npb.jp:80/eng/teams/">Archived</a> from the original on 2016-01-10.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Teams+Nippon+Professional+Baseball&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fnpb.jp%2Feng%2Fteams%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABaseball+in+Japan" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-4">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.japan.travel/en/guide/japanese-sports-an-overview/">"Japanese Sports"</a>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200813051455/https://www.japan.travel/en/guide/japanese-sports-an-overview/">Archived</a> from the original on 2020-08-13.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Japanese+Sports&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.japan.travel%2Fen%2Fguide%2Fjapanese-sports-an-overview%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABaseball+in+Japan" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-5">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Whiting, Robert (1977). <i>Chrysanthemum and the Bat: Baseball Samurai Style</i>. Dodd, Mead.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-6">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFRobert_Whiting2018" class="citation web cs1">Robert Whiting (23 October 2018). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20210728070352/https://japan-forward.com/koshien-players-as-japanese-gods-why-were-crazy-about-high-school-baseball/">"Koshien Players as 'Japanese Gods': Why We're Crazy About High School Baseball"</a>. Japan Forward. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://japan-forward.com/koshien-players-as-japanese-gods-why-were-crazy-about-high-school-baseball/">the original</a> on 28 July 2021<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">10 December</span> 2022</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Koshien+Players+as+%27Japanese+Gods%27%3A+Why+We%27re+Crazy+About+High+School+Baseball&rft.pub=Japan+Forward&rft.date=2018-10-23&rft.au=Robert+Whiting&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fjapan-forward.com%2Fkoshien-players-as-japanese-gods-why-were-crazy-about-high-school-baseball%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABaseball+in+Japan" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-7">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20221210044742/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2021/11/22/baseball/mlb/ohtani-japan-peoples-honor-award/">"<span class="cs1-kern-left"></span>'Too early': Ohtani turned down Japan national honor after MVP season"</a>. <a href="/wiki/Japan_Times" class="mw-redirect" title="Japan Times">Japan Times</a>. 22 November 2021. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2021/11/22/baseball/mlb/ohtani-japan-peoples-honor-award/">the original</a> on 10 December 2022<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">10 December</span> 2022</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=%27Too+early%27%3A+Ohtani+turned+down+Japan+national+honor+after+MVP+season&rft.pub=Japan+Times&rft.date=2021-11-22&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.japantimes.co.jp%2Fsports%2F2021%2F11%2F22%2Fbaseball%2Fmlb%2Fohtani-japan-peoples-honor-award%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABaseball+in+Japan" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-8">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFWilliams2018" class="citation cs2">Williams, Harold S. (2018), Hoare, J. E. (ed.), <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/culture-power-politics-in-treaty-port-japan-18541899-key-papers-press-and-contemporary-writings/shades-of-the-past-the-introduction-of-baseball-into-japan-the-journal-of-the-american-chamber-of-commerce-in-japan-1976-13-15-17-19-21/13E93C66C509C8E2C364E0752022DFA5">"<span class="cs1-kern-left"></span>'Shades of the Past': The Introduction of Baseball into Japan, The Journal of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan, 1976, 13, 15, 17, 19, 21"</a>, <i>Culture Power & Politics in Treaty Port Japan 1854-1899 Key Papers Press and Contemporary Writings</i>, Amsterdam University Press, pp. 418–424, <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-898823-62-9" title="Special:BookSources/978-1-898823-62-9"><bdi>978-1-898823-62-9</bdi></a><span class="reference-accessdate">, retrieved <span class="nowrap">2024-07-27</span></span></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Culture+Power+%26+Politics+in+Treaty+Port+Japan+1854-1899+Key+Papers+Press+and+Contemporary+Writings&rft.atitle=%27Shades+of+the+Past%27%3A+The+Introduction+of+Baseball+into+Japan%2C+The+Journal+of+the+American+Chamber+of+Commerce+in+Japan%2C+1976%2C+13%2C+15%2C+17%2C+19%2C+21&rft.pages=418-424&rft.date=2018&rft.isbn=978-1-898823-62-9&rft.aulast=Williams&rft.aufirst=Harold+S.&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cambridge.org%2Fcore%2Fbooks%2Fculture-power-politics-in-treaty-port-japan-18541899-key-papers-press-and-contemporary-writings%2Fshades-of-the-past-the-introduction-of-baseball-into-japan-the-journal-of-the-american-chamber-of-commerce-in-japan-1976-13-15-17-19-21%2F13E93C66C509C8E2C364E0752022DFA5&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABaseball+in+Japan" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-9">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFGuthrie-Shimizu2012" class="citation book cs1">Guthrie-Shimizu, Sayuri (2012-04-04). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=Dx2i3f5k6MkC&q=%22when+private+baseball+clubs%22&pg=PP26"><i>Transpacific Field of Dreams: How Baseball Linked the United States and Japan in Peace and War</i></a>. Univ of North Carolina Press. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-8078-8266-5" title="Special:BookSources/978-0-8078-8266-5"><bdi>978-0-8078-8266-5</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Transpacific+Field+of+Dreams%3A+How+Baseball+Linked+the+United+States+and+Japan+in+Peace+and+War&rft.pub=Univ+of+North+Carolina+Press&rft.date=2012-04-04&rft.isbn=978-0-8078-8266-5&rft.aulast=Guthrie-Shimizu&rft.aufirst=Sayuri&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DDx2i3f5k6MkC%26q%3D%2522when%2Bprivate%2Bbaseball%2Bclubs%2522%26pg%3DPP26&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABaseball+in+Japan" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-10">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFStaples2011" class="citation book cs1">Staples, Bill (2011). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=pcoAoMBsWrMC&pg=PA15"><i>Kenichi Zenimura, Japanese American Baseball Pioneer</i></a>. Jefferson, NC: McFarland. p. 15. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780786485246" title="Special:BookSources/9780786485246"><bdi>9780786485246</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Kenichi+Zenimura%2C+Japanese+American+Baseball+Pioneer&rft.place=Jefferson%2C+NC&rft.pages=15&rft.pub=McFarland&rft.date=2011&rft.isbn=9780786485246&rft.aulast=Staples&rft.aufirst=Bill&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DpcoAoMBsWrMC%26pg%3DPA15&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABaseball+in+Japan" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-WhitingWa-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-WhitingWa_11-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="/wiki/Whiting,_Robert" class="mw-redirect" title="Whiting, Robert">Whiting, Robert</a>. <i>You Gotta Have Wa</i> (Vintage Departures, 1989), p. 27.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-12">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFEdelman2020" class="citation book cs1">Edelman, Robert, ed. (2020). "Baseball's Global Diffusion". <i>The Oxford Handbook of Sports History</i>. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. p. 206. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780197520956" title="Special:BookSources/9780197520956"><bdi>9780197520956</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=bookitem&rft.atitle=Baseball%27s+Global+Diffusion&rft.btitle=The+Oxford+Handbook+of+Sports+History&rft.place=New+York%2C+NY&rft.pages=206&rft.pub=Oxford+University+Press&rft.date=2020&rft.isbn=9780197520956&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABaseball+in+Japan" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-13"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-13">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFDunning2004" class="citation book cs1">Dunning, Eric (2004). <i>Sport Histories: Figurational Studies in the Development of Modern Sports</i>. London: Routledge. p. 163. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-415-28665-4" title="Special:BookSources/0-415-28665-4"><bdi>0-415-28665-4</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Sport+Histories%3A+Figurational+Studies+in+the+Development+of+Modern+Sports&rft.place=London&rft.pages=163&rft.pub=Routledge&rft.date=2004&rft.isbn=0-415-28665-4&rft.aulast=Dunning&rft.aufirst=Eric&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABaseball+in+Japan" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-14"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-14">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFMatsudaira1907" class="citation book cs1">Matsudaira, Tsuneo (1907). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=Jp4wOMSIoIoC&q=Matsudaira%2C+Tsuneo.+%22Sports+and+Physical+Training+in+Modern+Japan%2C%22&pg=RA1-PA113"><i>Sports and Physical Training in Modern Japan</i></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Sports+and+Physical+Training+in+Modern+Japan&rft.date=1907&rft.aulast=Matsudaira&rft.aufirst=Tsuneo&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DJp4wOMSIoIoC%26q%3DMatsudaira%252C%2BTsuneo.%2B%2522Sports%2Band%2BPhysical%2BTraining%2Bin%2BModern%2BJapan%252C%2522%26pg%3DRA1-PA113&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABaseball+in+Japan" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-15"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-15">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/baseball-is-back-in-japan-heres-everything-to-know-about-nippon-professional-baseball/">"Baseball is back... in Japan; here's everything to know about Nippon Professional Baseball"</a>. <i>CBSSports.com</i>. 18 June 2020<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2021-04-12</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=CBSSports.com&rft.atitle=Baseball+is+back...+in+Japan%3B+here%27s+everything+to+know+about+Nippon+Professional+Baseball&rft.date=2020-06-18&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbssports.com%2Fmlb%2Fnews%2Fbaseball-is-back-in-japan-heres-everything-to-know-about-nippon-professional-baseball%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABaseball+in+Japan" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-16"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-16">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://npb.jp/bis/eng/2021/stats/index_farm.html">"Farm Leagues"</a>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20210412013149/https://npb.jp/bis/eng/2021/stats/index_farm.html">Archived</a> from the original on 2021-04-12.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Farm+Leagues&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fnpb.jp%2Fbis%2Feng%2F2021%2Fstats%2Findex_farm.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABaseball+in+Japan" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-17"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-17">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">The note set out at the end of Rule 1.04 specifies minimum dimensions for American ballparks built or renovated after 1958: 325 feet (99 m) down each foul line and 400 feet (120 m) to center field.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-18"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-18">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFWaldstein2014" class="citation news cs1">Waldstein, David (2014-07-21). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/22/sports/baseball/rangers-yu-darvish-pushes-for-a-six-man-pitching-rotation.html?_r=0">"Ace Favors Fewer Starts to Protect Pitchers' Arms: Rangers' Yu Darvish Pushes for a Six-Man Pitching Rotation"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/The_New_York_Times" title="The New York Times">The New York Times</a></i>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=The+New+York+Times&rft.atitle=Ace+Favors+Fewer+Starts+to+Protect+Pitchers%27+Arms%3A+Rangers%27+Yu+Darvish+Pushes+for+a+Six-Man+Pitching+Rotation&rft.date=2014-07-21&rft.aulast=Waldstein&rft.aufirst=David&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2014%2F07%2F22%2Fsports%2Fbaseball%2Frangers-yu-darvish-pushes-for-a-six-man-pitching-rotation.html%3F_r%3D0&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABaseball+in+Japan" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-19"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-19">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation cs2"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://japanesebaseball.com/faq/gaijin.jsp"><i>JapaneseBaseball.com: Foreign Player Restrictions</i></a><span class="reference-accessdate">, retrieved <span class="nowrap">2013-12-27</span></span></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=JapaneseBaseball.com%3A+Foreign+Player+Restrictions&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fjapanesebaseball.com%2Ffaq%2Fgaijin.jsp&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABaseball+in+Japan" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-20"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-20">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFLefton2018" class="citation news cs1">Lefton, Brad (August 16, 2018). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/16/sports/japan-high-school-baseball.html">"In Japan, 100 Years of Glory Days for High School Baseball"</a>. <i>The New York Times</i>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=The+New+York+Times&rft.atitle=In+Japan%2C+100+Years+of+Glory+Days+for+High+School+Baseball&rft.date=2018-08-16&rft.aulast=Lefton&rft.aufirst=Brad&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2018%2F08%2F16%2Fsports%2Fjapan-high-school-baseball.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABaseball+in+Japan" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-ryo-21"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-ryo_21-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-ryo_21-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFRyo2009" class="citation news cs1">Ryo (2 September 2009). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.npbtracker.com/2009/09/inside-the-industrial-leagues/">"Inside the Industrial Leagues"</a>. NPB Tracker<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2 November</span> 2015</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Inside+the+Industrial+Leagues&rft.date=2009-09-02&rft.au=Ryo&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.npbtracker.com%2F2009%2F09%2Finside-the-industrial-leagues%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABaseball+in+Japan" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-22"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-22">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFWhiting2010" class="citation news cs1">Whiting, Robert (10 October 2010). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2010/10/10/baseball/japanese-baseball/contract-loophole-opened-door-for-nomos-jump/#.Vje22iu3Frm">"Contract loophole opened door for Nomo's jump"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/Japan_Times" class="mw-redirect" title="Japan Times">Japan Times</a></i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2 November</span> 2015</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Japan+Times&rft.atitle=Contract+loophole+opened+door+for+Nomo%27s+jump&rft.date=2010-10-10&rft.aulast=Whiting&rft.aufirst=Robert&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.japantimes.co.jp%2Fsports%2F2010%2F10%2F10%2Fbaseball%2Fjapanese-baseball%2Fcontract-loophole-opened-door-for-nomos-jump%2F%23.Vje22iu3Frm&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABaseball+in+Japan" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-23"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-23">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFSchwarzLefton2008" class="citation news cs1">Schwarz, Alan; Lefton, Brad (19 November 2008). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/20/sports/baseball/20pitcher.html">"Japanese Are Irked by U.S. Interest in Pitcher"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/The_New_York_Times" title="The New York Times">The New York Times</a></i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2 November</span> 2015</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=The+New+York+Times&rft.atitle=Japanese+Are+Irked+by+U.S.+Interest+in+Pitcher&rft.date=2008-11-19&rft.aulast=Schwarz&rft.aufirst=Alan&rft.au=Lefton%2C+Brad&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2008%2F11%2F20%2Fsports%2Fbaseball%2F20pitcher.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABaseball+in+Japan" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-24"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-24">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFMarantz1996" class="citation news cs1">Marantz, Ken (6 June 1996). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/sbbw0332.htm">"MLB, Japanese are headed for a bidding war"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/USA_Today" title="USA Today">USA Today</a></i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2 November</span> 2015</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=USA+Today&rft.atitle=MLB%2C+Japanese+are+headed+for+a+bidding+war&rft.date=1996-06-06&rft.aulast=Marantz&rft.aufirst=Ken&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fusatoday30.usatoday.com%2Fsports%2Fbaseball%2Fsbbw0332.htm&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABaseball+in+Japan" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-25"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-25">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation cs2"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20131228025021/http://www.worldbaseballclassic.com/wbc/2013/results/index.jsp?season=2006"><i>2006 Results</i></a>, archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.worldbaseballclassic.com/wbc/2013/results/index.jsp?season=2006">the original</a> on 2013-12-28<span class="reference-accessdate">, retrieved <span class="nowrap">2013-12-27</span></span></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=2006+Results&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.worldbaseballclassic.com%2Fwbc%2F2013%2Fresults%2Findex.jsp%3Fseason%3D2006&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABaseball+in+Japan" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-26"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-26">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation cs2"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20131228023542/http://www.worldbaseballclassic.com/wbc/2013/results/index.jsp?season=2009"><i>2009 Results</i></a>, archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.worldbaseballclassic.com/wbc/2013/results/index.jsp?season=2009">the original</a> on 2013-12-28<span class="reference-accessdate">, retrieved <span class="nowrap">2013-12-27</span></span></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=2009+Results&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.worldbaseballclassic.com%2Fwbc%2F2013%2Fresults%2Findex.jsp%3Fseason%3D2009&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABaseball+in+Japan" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> </ol></div></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Further_reading">Further reading</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Baseball_in_Japan&action=edit&section=11" title="Edit section: Further reading"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li>Beach, Jerry. "Godzilla Takes the Bronx". (New York, 2004)</li> <li>Bikel, Ofra; Harris, Gail; Woodruff, Judy, et al., "American Game, Japanese Rules" (Alexandria, Va.: PBS Video, 1990).</li> <li>Crepeau, Richard C. "Pearl Harbor: A Failure of Baseball?" <i>The Journal of Popular Culture</i> xv.4 (1982): 67–74.</li> <li>Cromartie, Warren and Whiting, Robert. <i>Slugging It Out in Japan: An American Major Leaguer in the Tokyo Outfield</i> (New York: Signet, 1992).</li> <li>Dabscheck, Braham (October 2006). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=354379887572871;res=IELBUS">"Japanese Baseball Takes a Strike"</a> <span style="font-size:0.95em; font-size:95%; color: var( --color-subtle, #555 )">(subscription required)</span>. <i>International Journal of Employment Studies</i> 14.2: pp. 19–34. <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><a href="/wiki/ISSN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISSN (identifier)">ISSN</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.worldcat.org/search?fq=x0:jrnl&q=n2:1039-6993">1039-6993</a>.</li> <li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFHayford2007" class="citation cs2">Hayford, Charles W. (4 April 2007), <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080418081200/http://japanfocus.org/products/details/2398">"Japanese Baseball or Baseball in Japan?"</a>, <i>Japan Focus</i>, archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://apjjf.org/-Charles-W--Hayford/2398/article.pdf">the original</a> <span class="cs1-format">(PDF)</span> on 18 April 2008</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Japan+Focus&rft.atitle=Japanese+Baseball+or+Baseball+in+Japan%3F&rft.date=2007-04-04&rft.aulast=Hayford&rft.aufirst=Charles+W.&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fapjjf.org%2F-Charles-W--Hayford%2F2398%2Farticle.pdf&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABaseball+in+Japan" class="Z3988"></span></li> <li>Kelly, William. "Blood and Guts in Japanese Professional Baseball," in Sepp Linhard and Sabine Frustuck, ed., <i>The Culture of Japan as Seen through Its Leisure</i> (Albany: State University of New York Press, 1998): 95–111.</li> <li>Kelly, William. "Caught in the Spin Cycle: An Anthropological Observer at the Sites of Japanese Professional Baseball," in Susan O. Long, ed., <i>Moving Targets: Ethnographies of Self and Community in Japan</i>. (Ithaca, 2000)</li> <li>Kelly, William. "The Spirit and Spectacle of School Baseball: Mass Media, Statemaking, and 'Edu-Tainment' in Japan, 1905–1935", in William Kelly Umesao Tadao, and Kubo Masatoshi, ed., <i>Japanese Civilization in the Modern World Xiv: Information and Communication</i> (Osaka: National Museum of Ethnology, 2000): 105–116.</li> <li>Kelly, William. <i>Fanning the Flames: Fans and Consumer Culture in Contemporary Japan</i> (Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 2004).</li> <li>Kelly, William. "Is Baseball a Global Sport? America's 'National Pastime' as a Global Sport", <i>Global Networks</i> 7.2 (2007):</li> <li>Roden, Donald. "Baseball and the Quest for National Dignity in Meiji Japan," <i>The American Historical Review</i> 85.3 (1980): 534.</li> <li>Terry, Darin. "International Professional Baseball Procurement" 2010</li> <li>Whiting, Robert. <i>The Chrysanthemum and the Bat: Baseball Samurai Style</i> (New York: Dodd, Mead, 1977).</li> <li>Whiting, Robert. <i>You Gotta Have Wa: When Two Cultures Collide on the Baseball Diamond</i> (New York: Vintage Books, Vintage departures, 1990).</li> <li>Whiting, Robert. "The Japanese Way of Baseball and the National Character Debate", <i>Japan Focus</i> (29 September 2006).</li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="External_links">External links</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Baseball_in_Japan&action=edit&section=12" title="Edit section: External links"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.japanesebaseball.com/">JapaneseBaseball.com</a></li></ul> <div class="navbox-styles"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1236075235">.mw-parser-output .navbox{box-sizing:border-box;border:1px solid #a2a9b1;width:100%;clear:both;font-size:88%;text-align:center;padding:1px;margin:1em auto 0}.mw-parser-output .navbox .navbox{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .navbox+.navbox,.mw-parser-output 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id="23x15px&#124;border_&#124;alt=Japan&#124;link=Japan_Baseball_in_Japan" style="font-size:114%;margin:0 4em"><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/Japan" title="Japan"><img alt="Japan" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/9e/Flag_of_Japan.svg/23px-Flag_of_Japan.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="15" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/9e/Flag_of_Japan.svg/35px-Flag_of_Japan.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/9e/Flag_of_Japan.svg/45px-Flag_of_Japan.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="900" data-file-height="600" /></a></span></span> <a class="mw-selflink selflink">Baseball in Japan</a></div></th></tr><tr><td class="navbox-abovebelow" colspan="2"><div><a href="/wiki/WBSC_Asia" title="WBSC Asia">WBSC Asia</a></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Governing bodies</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Baseball_Federation_of_Japan" title="Baseball Federation of Japan">Baseball Federation of Japan</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">National teams<br /><span style="font-size:85%;">(Samurai Japan)</span></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Japan_national_baseball_team" title="Japan national baseball team">Men's</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Japan_national_under-18_baseball_team" title="Japan national under-18 baseball team">U-18</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Japan_women%27s_national_baseball_team" title="Japan women's national baseball team">Women</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Japan_national_Baseball5_team" title="Japan national Baseball5 team">Baseball5</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Competitions</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"></div><table class="nowraplinks navbox-subgroup" style="border-spacing:0"><tbody><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Professional_baseball_in_Japan" title="Professional baseball in Japan">Professional</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><b><a href="/wiki/Nippon_Professional_Baseball" title="Nippon Professional Baseball">Nippon Professional Baseball</a></b> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Central_League" title="Central League">Central League</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Pacific_League" title="Pacific League">Pacific League</a></li></ul></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Minor_league" title="Minor league">Minor</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Eastern_League_(Japanese_baseball)" title="Eastern League (Japanese baseball)">Eastern League</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Western_League_(Japanese_baseball)" title="Western League (Japanese baseball)">Western League</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Miyazaki_Phoenix_League" title="Miyazaki Phoenix League">Miyazaki Phoenix League</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/College_baseball" title="College baseball">Collegiate</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Tokyo_Big6_Baseball_League" title="Tokyo Big6 Baseball League">Tokyo Big Six</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kansai_Big_Six_Baseball_League" title="Kansai Big Six Baseball League">Kansai Big Six</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Tohto_University_Baseball_League" title="Tohto University Baseball League">Tohto</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Independent_baseball_league" title="Independent baseball league">Independent</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Baseball_Challenge_League" title="Baseball Challenge League">Baseball Challenge League</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Shikoku_Island_League_Plus" title="Shikoku Island League Plus">Shikoku Island League Plus</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Intercity_Baseball_Tournament" class="mw-redirect" title="Intercity Baseball Tournament">Intercity Baseball Tournament</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/K%C5%8Dshien_baseball_tournament" title="Kōshien baseball tournament">High school baseball</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Japanese_High_School_Baseball_Invitational_Tournament" title="Japanese High School Baseball Invitational Tournament">Spring Kōshien</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Japanese_High_School_Baseball_Championship" title="Japanese High School Baseball Championship">Summer Kōshien</a></li></ul></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table><div></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Awards & honors</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li>Most Valuable Player <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Nippon_Professional_Baseball_Most_Valuable_Player_Award" title="Nippon Professional Baseball Most Valuable Player Award">NPB</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Japan_Series_Most_Valuable_Player_Award" title="Japan Series Most Valuable Player Award">Japan Series</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nippon_Professional_Baseball_Rookie_of_the_Year_Award" title="Nippon Professional Baseball Rookie of the Year Award">NPB Rookie of the Year</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nippon_Professional_Baseball_Comeback_Player_of_the_Year_Award" title="Nippon Professional Baseball Comeback Player of the Year Award">NPB Comeback Player of the Year</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Eiji_Sawamura_Award" title="Eiji Sawamura Award">Eiji Sawamura Award</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Matsutaro_Shoriki_Award" title="Matsutaro Shoriki Award">Matsutaro Shoriki Award</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mitsui_Golden_Glove_Award" title="Mitsui Golden Glove Award">Mitsui Golden Glove</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Best_Nine_Award" title="Best Nine Award">Best Nine</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Hosted events</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/World_Baseball_Classic" title="World Baseball Classic">World Baseball Classic</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/2006_World_Baseball_Classic_Pool_A" title="2006 World Baseball Classic Pool A">2006</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/2009_World_Baseball_Classic_Pool_A" title="2009 World Baseball Classic Pool A">2009</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/2013_World_Baseball_Classic_Pool_A" title="2013 World Baseball Classic Pool A">2013</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/2017_World_Baseball_Classic_Pool_B" title="2017 World Baseball Classic Pool B">2017 B</a> and <a href="/wiki/2017_World_Baseball_Classic_Pool_E" title="2017 World Baseball Classic Pool E">E</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/2023_World_Baseball_Classic_Pool_B" title="2023 World Baseball Classic Pool B">2023</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Baseball_at_the_Summer_Olympics" title="Baseball at the Summer Olympics">Olympic Games</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Baseball_at_the_1964_Summer_Olympics" title="Baseball at the 1964 Summer Olympics">1964</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Baseball_at_the_2020_Summer_Olympics" title="Baseball at the 2020 Summer Olympics">2020</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/WBSC_Premier12" title="WBSC Premier12">WBSC Premier12</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/2015_WBSC_Premier12" title="2015 WBSC Premier12">2015</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/2019_WBSC_Premier12" title="2019 WBSC Premier12">2019</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/2024_WBSC_Premier12" title="2024 WBSC Premier12">2024</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Asian_Baseball_Championship" title="Asian Baseball Championship">Asian Baseball Championship</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/1959_Asian_Baseball_Championship" title="1959 Asian Baseball Championship">1959</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/1967_Asian_Baseball_Championship" title="1967 Asian Baseball Championship">1967</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/1987_Asian_Baseball_Championship" title="1987 Asian Baseball Championship">1987</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/2003_Asian_Baseball_Championship" title="2003 Asian Baseball Championship">2003</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/2005_Asian_Baseball_Championship" title="2005 Asian Baseball Championship">2005</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/2009_Asian_Baseball_Championship" title="2009 Asian Baseball Championship">2009</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Asia_Series" title="Asia Series">Asia Series</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/2005_Asia_Series" title="2005 Asia Series">2005</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/2006_Asia_Series" title="2006 Asia Series">2006</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/2007_Asia_Series" title="2007 Asia Series">2007</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/2008_Asia_Series" title="2008 Asia Series">2008</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Women%27s_Baseball_World_Cup" title="Women's Baseball World Cup">Women's Baseball World Cup</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/2008_Women%27s_Baseball_World_Cup" title="2008 Women's Baseball World Cup">2008</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/2014_Women%27s_Baseball_World_Cup" title="2014 Women's Baseball World Cup">2014</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Baseball_at_the_1994_Asian_Games" title="Baseball at the 1994 Asian Games">1994 Asian Games</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/1934_Japan_Tour" title="1934 Japan Tour">1934 MLB Tour</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/1980_Amateur_World_Series" title="1980 Amateur World Series">1980 Amateur World Series</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/2010_World_University_Baseball_Championship" title="2010 World University Baseball Championship">2010 World University Championship</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Related articles</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Gyroball" title="Gyroball">Gyroball</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Shuuto" title="Shuuto">Shuuto</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Japan%E2%80%93South_Korea_baseball_rivalry" title="Japan–South Korea baseball rivalry">Japan–South Korea baseball rivalry</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_Major_League_Baseball_players_from_Japan" title="List of Major League Baseball players from Japan">Major League Baseball players from Japan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Comparison_of_Major_League_Baseball_and_Nippon_Professional_Baseball" title="Comparison of Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball">Comparison of MLB and NPB</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><td class="navbox-abovebelow hlist" colspan="2"><div> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Japanese-style_baseball" title="Japanese-style baseball">Japanese-style baseball</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table></div> <div class="navbox-styles"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236075235"></div><div role="navigation" class="navbox" aria-labelledby="Sport_in_Japan" style="padding:3px"><table class="nowraplinks hlist mw-collapsible autocollapse navbox-inner" style="border-spacing:0;background:transparent;color:inherit"><tbody><tr><th scope="col" class="navbox-title" colspan="2"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1239400231"><div class="navbar plainlinks hlist navbar-mini"><ul><li class="nv-view"><a href="/wiki/Template:Sport_in_Japan" title="Template:Sport in Japan"><abbr title="View this template">v</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-talk"><a href="/wiki/Template_talk:Sport_in_Japan" title="Template talk:Sport in Japan"><abbr title="Discuss this template">t</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-edit"><a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Sport_in_Japan" title="Special:EditPage/Template:Sport in Japan"><abbr title="Edit this template">e</abbr></a></li></ul></div><div id="Sport_in_Japan" style="font-size:114%;margin:0 4em"><a href="/wiki/Sport_in_Japan" class="mw-redirect" title="Sport in Japan">Sport in Japan</a></div></th></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Team_sport" title="Team sport">Team sports</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/American_football_in_Japan" title="American football in Japan">American football</a></li> <li><a class="mw-selflink selflink">Baseball</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Basketball_in_Japan" title="Basketball in Japan">Basketball</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Category:Beach_soccer_in_Japan" title="Category:Beach soccer in Japan">Beach soccer</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Cricket_in_Japan" title="Cricket in Japan">Cricket</a></li> <li><a href="/w/index.php?title=Disability_sport_in_Japan&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Disability sport in Japan (page does not exist)">Disability</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Football_in_Japan" title="Football in Japan">Football</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Category:Futsal_in_Japan" title="Category:Futsal in Japan">Futsal</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Category:Handball_in_Japan" title="Category:Handball in Japan">Handball</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ice_hockey_in_Japan" title="Ice hockey in Japan">Ice hockey</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_union_in_Japan" title="Rugby union in Japan">Rugby union</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Category:Volleyball_in_Japan" title="Category:Volleyball in Japan">Volleyball</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Individual_sport" title="Individual sport">Individual sports</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Athletics_in_Japan" title="Category:Athletics in Japan">Athletics</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Boxing_in_Japan" title="Boxing in Japan">Boxing</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Category:Tennis_in_Japan" title="Category:Tennis in Japan">Tennis</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Category:International_sports_competitions" title="Category:International sports competitions">International competitions</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Japan_at_the_Olympics" title="Japan at the Olympics">Olympics</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Japan_at_the_Paralympics" title="Japan at the Paralympics">Paralympics</a></li> <li><a href="/w/index.php?title=Japan_at_the_Deaflympics&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Japan at the Deaflympics (page does not exist)">Deaflympics</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Category:Japan_at_the_World_Games" title="Category:Japan at the World Games">World Games</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Japan_at_the_Asian_Games" title="Japan at the Asian Games">Asian Games</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Category:Japan_at_the_Universiade" title="Category:Japan at the Universiade">Universiade</a></li> <li><b><a href="/w/index.php?title=Japan_at_the_team_sports_international_competitions&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Japan at the team sports international competitions (page does not exist)">Team sport</a></b></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><td class="navbox-abovebelow" colspan="2"><div> <ul><li><a href="/w/index.php?title=Japan_Sports_Agency&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Japan Sports Agency (page does not exist)">Japan Sports Agency</a><span class="noprint" style="font-size:85%; font-style: normal;"> [<a href="https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%B9%E3%83%9D%E3%83%BC%E3%83%84%E5%BA%81" class="extiw" title="ja:スポーツ庁">ja</a>]</span></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Japanese_Olympic_Committee" title="Japanese Olympic Committee">Olympic Committee</a></li> <li><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_sporting_events_in_Japan&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="List of sporting events in Japan (page does not exist)">List of sporting events in Japan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_stadiums_in_Japan" title="List of stadiums in Japan">List of stadiums in Japan</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table></div> <div class="navbox-styles"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236075235"></div><div role="navigation" class="navbox" aria-labelledby="Baseball_around_the_world" style="padding:3px"><table class="nowraplinks mw-collapsible autocollapse navbox-inner" style="border-spacing:0;background:transparent;color:inherit"><tbody><tr><th scope="col" class="navbox-title" colspan="3"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1239400231"><div class="navbar plainlinks hlist navbar-mini"><ul><li class="nv-view"><a href="/wiki/Template:World_baseball" title="Template:World baseball"><abbr title="View this template">v</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-talk"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Template_talk:World_baseball&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Template talk:World baseball (page does not exist)"><abbr title="Discuss this template">t</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-edit"><a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:World_baseball" title="Special:EditPage/Template:World baseball"><abbr title="Edit this template">e</abbr></a></li></ul></div><div id="Baseball_around_the_world" style="font-size:114%;margin:0 4em"><a href="/wiki/Baseball" title="Baseball">Baseball</a> around the world</div></th></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0;padding-left:50px"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"><li><a href="/wiki/Baseball_in_Australia" title="Baseball in Australia">Australia</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Baseball_in_the_Bahamas" class="mw-redirect" title="Baseball in the Bahamas">Bahamas</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Baseball_in_Canada" title="Baseball in Canada">Canada</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Baseball_in_Chile" class="mw-redirect" title="Baseball in Chile">Chile</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Baseball_in_China" title="Baseball in China">China</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Baseball_in_Cuba" title="Baseball in Cuba">Cuba</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Baseball_in_the_Czech_Republic" class="mw-redirect" title="Baseball in the Czech Republic">Czech Republic</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Baseball_in_the_Dominican_Republic" title="Baseball in the Dominican Republic">Dominican Republic</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Baseball_in_Egypt" title="Baseball in Egypt">Egypt</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Baseball_in_Finland" class="mw-redirect" title="Baseball in Finland">Finland</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Baseball_in_France" title="Baseball in France">France</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Baseball_in_Germany" title="Baseball in Germany">Germany</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Baseball_in_Greece" title="Baseball in Greece">Greece</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Baseball_in_India" title="Baseball in India">India</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Baseball_in_Iran" class="mw-redirect" title="Baseball in Iran">Iran</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Baseball_in_Israel" title="Baseball in Israel">Israel</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Baseball_in_Italy" title="Baseball in Italy">Italy</a></li><li><a class="mw-selflink selflink">Japan</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Baseball_in_Kenya" class="mw-redirect" title="Baseball in Kenya">Kenya</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Baseball_in_Mexico" title="Baseball in Mexico">Mexico</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Baseball_in_the_Netherlands" title="Baseball in the Netherlands">Netherlands</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Baseball_in_New_Zealand" title="Baseball in New Zealand">New Zealand</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Baseball_in_Nicaragua" title="Baseball in Nicaragua">Nicaragua</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Baseball_in_Palau" title="Baseball in Palau">Palau</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Baseball_in_the_Philippines" title="Baseball in the Philippines">Philippines</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Baseball_in_Russia" class="mw-redirect" title="Baseball in Russia">Russia</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Baseball_in_South_Korea" title="Baseball in South Korea">South Korea</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Baseball_in_Spain" title="Baseball in Spain">Spain</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Baseball_in_Sri_Lanka" class="mw-redirect" title="Baseball in Sri Lanka">Sri Lanka</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Baseball_in_Switzerland" title="Baseball in Switzerland">Switzerland</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Baseball_in_Taiwan" title="Baseball in Taiwan">Taiwan</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Baseball_in_the_United_Kingdom" title="Baseball in the United Kingdom">United Kingdom</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Baseball_in_the_United_States" title="Baseball in the United States">United States</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Baseball_in_Venezuela" title="Baseball in Venezuela">Venezuela</a></li></div></td><td class="noviewer navbox-image" rowspan="1" style="width:1px;padding:0 0 0 2px"><div><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Baseball_(crop).jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/1e/Baseball_%28crop%29.jpg/50px-Baseball_%28crop%29.jpg" decoding="async" width="50" height="48" class="mw-file-element" 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