Nippon Professional Baseball
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2008-07-13T15:52:16Z
Kintetsubuffalo
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{{Infobox sports league
| current_season=2008 Nippon Professional Baseball season
| logo=NPBLogo.png
| pixels=100px
| founded=1950
| sport=[[Baseball]]
| country={{JPN}}
| ceo = [[Yasuchika Negoro]]
| teams=12
| champion=[[Chunichi Dragons]]
| website=[http://www.npb.or.jp NPB.or.jp] {{jp icon}}
}}
[[Image:Hanshin Koshien Stadium 2007-21.jpg|thumb|right|300px|[[Koshien Stadium]] (in [[2007]])]]
[[Image:Seibu Dome baseball stadium - 26.jpg|thumb|300px|right|[[Seibu Dome]] (in 2007)]]
'''Nippon Professional Baseball''' or '''NPB''' is the highest level of [[baseball]] in [[Japan]]. In Japan it is often called '''Puro Yakyū''' (プロ野球), meaning ''Professional Baseball''. Outside of Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation of the {{Nihongo|[[Greater Japan]] Tokyo Baseball Club|大日本東京野球倶楽部|Dai-nippon Tōkyō Yakyū Kurabu}} in [[1934 in baseball|1934]] and the original [[Japanese Baseball League]]. NPB was formed when that league reorganized in 1950.
Some notable Japanese players who have gone on to play in North America's [[Major League Baseball]] include [[Hideo Nomo]], [[Kazuhiro Sasaki]], [[Ichiro Suzuki]], [[Tadahito Iguchi]], [[Kenji Johjima]], [[Hideki Matsui]], [[So Taguchi]], [[Hideki Irabu]], [[Daisuke Matsuzaka]],[[Kazuo Matsui]], and [[Kosuke Fukudome]].
==League structure==
Nippon Professional Baseball consists of two leagues, the [[Central League]] and the [[Pacific League]]. There are also two secondary-level professional minor leagues, the [[Eastern League (Japanese baseball)|Eastern League]] and the [[Western League (Japanese baseball)|Western League]], that play shorter schedules.
The season starts in late March or early April and ends in October with two or three all star games in July. In recent decades, the two leagues each scheduled 130, 135 or 140 regular season games with the best teams from each league going on to play in the "Nippon Series" or [[Japan Series]].
===Similarities and differences to Major League Baseball===
[[Image:NPB.jpg|thumb|NPB ball.]]
Play in the [[Pacific League]] is similar to that in [[American League]] baseball, with the use of [[designated hitter]]s, unlike the [[Central League]]. Unlike North American baseball, Japanese baseball games may end in a tie. If the score is tied after 9 [[inning]]s of play, up to 3 additional innings will be played. If there is no winner after 12 innings, the game is declared a draw. Other differences from [[Major League Baseball|MLB]] are that the general play is less aggressive, there are fewer home runs, the [[strike zone]] is larger near the batter but smaller away from the batter, and the ball is slightly smaller and wound more tightly.
Unlike American pro teams, Japanese professional baseball teams are usually named after their corporate owners/sponsors rather than the cities or regions in which they play. This is because [[sports franchise|franchising]] does not have strong territorial requirements as in the Major Leagues; the teams used to locate in clustered metropolitan areas in Japan's center (Tokyo, Nagoya) and south (Osaka, Fukuoka) areas. The current trend is to include the place names as well as owners/sponsors in an attempt to gain support from the franchised communities (Currently only the Buffaloes and Giants do not include a place name). Mass media still tend to choose the sponsor names in abbreviations.
==Financial problems==
Financial problems hinder the league as a whole, but the problem is not a simple one to solve. It is believed that with the exception of the [[Yomiuri Giants]] and the [[Hanshin Tigers]], all teams are operating with considerable subsidies, often as much as [[Japanese yen|¥]]6 billion (about [[United States dollar|US$]]50 million), from their parent companies. A rise in the salaries of players is often blamed, but, from the start of the professional league, parent companies paid the difference as an advertisement. Most teams have never tried to improve their finances through constructive marketing. Until [[Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters|Nippon Ham Fighters]] moved to [[Hokkaidō]], there were six teams in [[Tokyo]] and its surrounding area and four teams in the [[Osaka]]–[[Kobe|Kōbe]] region before [[Nankai Hawks]] (now [[Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks]]) moved to [[Fukuoka, Fukuoka|Fukuoka]]. The market was flooded, but this was considered acceptable, as there were no professional team sports challenging baseball's popularity.
Until 1993, professional baseball was the only major-league team sport in Japan. In that year, the [[J. League]] professional [[soccer]] league was founded. The new soccer league placed teams across the country in prefecture capitals around the country rather than clustering them in and around Tokyo and the teams were named after their locations rather than after corporate sponsors. Some Japanese baseball teams responded to the success of the J. League by de-emphasizing the corporate sponsors in their marketing efforts and/or by relocating to outlying regions of the country.
The wave of players moving to Major League Baseball, which began with [[Hideo Nomo]] "retiring" from [[Kintetsu Buffaloes]], then signing with the [[Los Angeles Dodgers]], has also added to the financial problems. Attendance suffered as teams lost their most marketable players, while TV ratings declined as viewers tuned into broadcasts of Major League games.<ref>[http://www.time.com/time/asia/arts/article/0,9754,127023,00.html Letter from Japan: Go West, Young Man]</ref> To discourage players from leaving for the Major Leagues, or to at least compensate teams that lose players, Japanese baseball and MLB agreed on a [[posting system]] for players under contract. MLB teams wishing to negotiate with a player submit bids for a "posting fee", which the winning MLB team would pay the Japanese team if the player signs with the MLB team. [[Free agent]]s are not subject to the posting system, however.
When the [[Boston Red Sox]] signed [[Daisuke Matsuzaka]] in 2006, he became the most expensive trans-Pacific transfer ever. While details remain undisclosed, several sources cite Matsuzaka as having received a guaranteed $52 million for a six-year contract (with elevator clauses potentially bringing the value up to $60 million), in addition to the $51.1 million [[posting system|posting fee]] that the Red Sox paid his former team, [[Saitama Seibu Lions|Seibu Lions]], to release him.
On [[September 18]], [[2004]], professional baseball players went on a two-day strike, the first [[Strike action|strike]] in the history of the league, to protest the proposed merger between the [[Orix BlueWave]] and the Osaka [[Kintetsu Buffaloes]] 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 [[September 23]], [[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 [[Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles]] began play in the [[2005]] season.
==History==
Prior to [[1950 in baseball|1950]], [[professional baseball in Japan]] was the [[Japanese Baseball League]]. Before the 1950 season, the team owners reorganized into the NPB.
From 1973 to 1982, the Pacific League employed a split season with the first half winner playing against the second half winner in a mini-playoff to determine its champion. Then in 2004, the Pacific League played five fewer games than the Central League teams during the regular season and used a new playoff format to determine its champion. The teams in third and second place played in a best two of three series (all at the second place team's home ground) with the winner of that series going on to play the first place team in a best 3 of 5 format at its home ground. In the end, the Seibu Lions finished in second place, defeated Nippon Ham 2 games to 1, went on to take 3 of 5 games in Fukuoka against the Daiei Hawks and then defeated the Chunichi Dragons in the Japan Series, 4 games to 3, capping off their grueling playoff drive with a well-earned championship. The System was proved successful when Pacific League's team continues to win the Japan Series in the following two seasons, until this playoff system was applied to both leagues as the "Climax Series" starting in 2007, which Chunichi Dragons from Central League beat Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters from Pacific League in Japan Series.
The two leagues began interleague play in 2005, with each team playing two 3-game series (one home, one away) against each of the six teams in the other league. This was reduced to two 2-game series in 2007. All interleague play games are played in a 7-week span near the middle of the season. Currently Pacific League's team won all the interleague titles.
==Current NPB teams==
===Central League===
{|class=wikitable
!Team
!City
!Stadium
!Capacity
|-
|'''[[Chunichi Dragons]]'''
|[[Nagoya]], [[Aichi Prefecture|Aichi]]
|[[Nagoya Dome]]
|40,500
|-
|'''[[Hanshin Tigers]]'''
|[[Nishinomiya]], [[Hyōgo Prefecture|Hyōgo]]
|[[Kōshien Stadium]]
|46,229
|-
|'''[[Hiroshima Toyo Carp]]'''
|[[Hiroshima]], [[Hiroshima Prefecture|Hiroshima]]
|[[Hiroshima Municipal Stadium]]
|32,000
|-
|'''[[Tokyo Yakult Swallows]]'''
|[[Tokyo]]
|[[Meiji-Jingu Stadium]]
|37,933
|-
|'''[[Yokohama BayStars]]'''
|[[Yokohama]], [[Kanagawa Prefecture|Kanagawa]]
|[[Yokohama Stadium]]
|30,000
|-
|'''[[Yomiuri Giants]]'''
|[[Tokyo]]
|[[Tokyo Dome]]
|45,000
|}
===Pacific League===
{|class=wikitable
!Team
!City
!Stadium
!Capacity
|-
|'''[[Chiba Lotte Marines]]'''
|[[Chiba, Chiba|Chiba]], [[Chiba Prefecture|Chiba]]
|[[Chiba Marine Stadium]]
|30,000
|-
|'''[[Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks]]'''
|[[Fukuoka, Fukuoka|Fukuoka]], [[Fukuoka Prefecture|Fukuoka]]
|[[Fukuoka Yahoo! Japan Dome]]
|35,773
|-
|'''[[Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters]]'''
|[[Sapporo]], [[Hokkaidō]]
|[[Sapporo Dome]]
|42,831
|-
|'''[[Orix Buffaloes]]'''
|[[Osaka]] and [[Kobe]], [[Hyōgo Prefecture|Hyōgo]]
|[[Osaka Dome]]
|36,477
|-
|'''[[Saitama Seibu Lions]]'''
|[[Tokorozawa]], [[Saitama Prefecture|Saitama]]
|[[Seibu Dome]]
|35,655
|-
|'''[[Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles]]'''
|[[Sendai]], [[Miyagi Prefecture|Miyagi]]
|[[Miyagi Baseball Stadium]]
|23,000
|}
==Defunct Japanese baseball teams==
Former Japanese Baseball League teams:
*[[Nagoya Golden Dolphins]] (merged with [[Tsubasa]] in [[1940]], Tsubasa later became [[Nishitetsu]].)
*[[Nishitetsu]] (dissolved in [[1943]].)
*[[Yamato (baseball team)|Yamato]] (dissolved in [[1944]].)
Former Central League teams:
*[[Nishi Nippon Pirates]] (merged with the [[Nishitetsu Clippers]] in [[1951]], now the [[Seibu Lions]].)
*[[Shochiku Robins]] (merged with [[Taiyō Whales]] [[1952]], now the [[Yokohama BayStars]].)
Former Pacific League teams:
*[[Takahashi Unions]] (merged with the [[Daiei Stars]] in [[1956]], the Stars later became the [[Daiei Unions]].)
*[[Daiei Unions]] (merged with [[Mainichi Orions]] [[1957]], now the [[Chiba Lotte Marines]].)
*[[Kintetsu Buffaloes|Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes]] (merged with the [[Orix BlueWave]] after the [[2004]] season to form the [[Orix Buffaloes]].)
*[[Orix BlueWave]] (merged with the [[Kintetsu Buffaloes|Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes]] after the [[2004]] season to form the [[Orix Buffaloes]])
==Records==
{{Cleanup|date=September 2006}}
===Single Season Batting===
{| class="wikitable" style="clear: both;"
|-
!|Player
!|
!|Year
|-
| colspan="3" align="center"|'''Batting Average'''
|-
|[[Randy Bass]]
|.389
|1986
|-
|[[Ichiro Suzuki]]
|.387
|2000
|-
|Ichiro Suzuki
|.385
|1994
|-
| colspan="3" align="center"|'''Home Runs'''
|-
|[[Sadaharu Oh]]
|55
|1964
|-
|[[Tuffy Rhodes]]
|55
|2001
|-
|[[Alex Cabrera]]
|55
|2002
|-
|[[Randy Bass]]
|54
|1985
|-
| colspan="3" align="center"|'''RBIs'''
|-
|Makoto Kozuru
|161
|1950
|-
|[[Robert Rose (baseball)|Robert Rose]]
|153
|1999
|-
|[[Hiromitsu Ochiai]]
|146
|1985
|-
| colspan="3" align="center"|'''Stolen Bases'''
|-
|[[Yutaka Fukumoto]]
|106
|1972
|-
| colspan="3" align="center"|'''Strikeouts'''
|-
|[[Ralph Bryant]]
|204
|1993
|-
|Ralph Bryant
|198
|1990
|-
|Ralph Bryant
|187
|1989
|-
|Ralph Bryant
|176
|1992
|-
|[[Orestes Destrade]]
|165
|1990
|}
===Single Season Pitching===
{| class="wikitable" style="clear: both;"
|-
!|Player
!|
!|Year
|-
| colspan="3" align="center"|'''ERA'''
|-
|[[Hideo Fujimoto]]
|0.73
|1943
|-
|[[Masaru Kageura]]
|0.79
|1936 fall
|-
|[[Eiji Sawamura]]
|0.81
|1937 spring
|-
| colspan="3" align="center"|'''Wins'''
|-
|[[Victor Starffin]]
|42
|1942
|-
|[[Kazuhisa Inao]]
|42
|1961
|-
|Jiro Noguchi
|40
|1942
|-
| colspan="3" align="center"|'''Strikeouts'''
|-
|[[Yutaka Enatsu]]
|401
|1968
|-
|Kazuhisa Inao
|353
|1961
|}
===Career Batting===
{| class="wikitable" style="clear: both;"
|-
!|Player
!|
!|Year
|-
| colspan="3" align="center"|'''Batting Average'''
|-
|[[Leron Lee]]
|.320
|1977–1987
|-
|Tsutomu Wakamatsu
|.31918
|1971–1989
|-
|Isao Harimoto
|.31915
|1959–1981
|-
| colspan="3" align="center"|'''Home Runs'''
|-
|Sadaharu Oh
|868
|1959–1980
|-
| colspan="3" align="center"|'''RBIs'''
|-
|Sadaharu Oh
|2170
|-
| colspan="3" align="center"|'''Stolen Bases'''
|-
|Yutaka Fukumoto
|1065
|1969–1988
|-
| colspan="3" align="center"|'''Strikeouts'''
|-
|[[Koji Akiyama]]
|1712
|}
*Ichiro Suzuki hit .353 for his Japanese career (1993–2000), but did not have enough at-bats to qualify for career leadership.
===Career Pitching===
{| class="wikitable" style="clear: both;"
|-
!|Player
!|
!|Year
|-
| colspan="3" align="center"|'''ERA'''
|-
|Hideo Fujimoto
|1.90
|1942–1955
|-
| colspan="3" align="center"|'''Wins'''
|-
|[[Masaichi Kaneda]]
|400
|1950–1969
|-
|Tetsuya Yoneda
|350
|1956–1977
|-
|Masaaki Koyama
|320
|1953–1973
|-
|Keishi Suzuki
|317
|1966–1985
|-
|Takehiko Bessho
|310
|1942–1960
|-
|Victor Starffin
|303
|1936–1955
|-
| colspan="3" align="center"|'''Strikeouts'''
|-
|Masaichi Kaneda
|4490
|}
===Perfect games===
{|class=wikitable
!Date!!Pitcher (Club)!!Score!!Opponent!!Ballpark
|-
|[[June 28]], [[1950 in baseball|1950]]||[[Hideo Fujimoto]] ([[Yomiuri Giants]])||4–0||[[Nippon Professional Baseball#Defunct Japanese baseball teams|Nishi-Nippon Pirates]]||[[Aomori Stadium]]
|-
|[[June 19]], [[1955 in baseball|1955]]||[[Fumio Takechi]] ([[Orix Buffaloes|Kintetsu Pearls]])||1–0||[[Nippon Professional Baseball#Defunct Japanese baseball teams|Daiei Stars]]||[[Ōsaka Stadium]]
|-
|[[September 19]], [[1956 in baseball|1956]]||[[Yoshitomo Miyaji]] ([[Tokyo Yakult Swallows|Kokutetsu Swallows]])||6–0||[[Hiroshima Toyo Carp|Hiroshima Carp]]||[[Kanazawa Stadium]]
|-
|[[August 21]], [[1957 in baseball|1957]]||[[Masaichi Kaneda]] ([[Tokyo Yakult Swallows|Kokutetsu Swallows]])||1–0||[[Chunichi Dragons]]||[[Chunichi Stadium]]
|-
|[[July 19]], [[1958 in baseball|1958]]||[[Sadao Nishimura]] ([[Seibu Lions|Nishitetsu Lions]])||1–0||[[Hokkaidō Nippon Ham Fighters|Toei Flyers]]||[[Komazawa Stadium]]
|-
|[[August 11]], [[1960 in baseball|1960]]||[[Gentaro Shimada]] ([[Yokohama BayStars|Taiyō Whales]])||1–0||[[Hanshin Tigers|Ōsaka Tigers]]||[[Kawasaki Stadium]]
|-
|[[June 20]], [[1961 in baseball|1961]]||[[Yoshimi Moritaki]] ([[Tokyo Yakult Swallows|Kokutetsu Swallows]])||1–0||[[Chunichi Dragons]]||[[Korakuen Stadium]]
|-
|[[May 1]], [[1966 in baseball|1966]]||[[Yoshiro Sasaki]] ([[Yokohama BayStars|Taiyō Whales]])||1–0||[[Hiroshima Toyo Carp|Hiroshima Carp]]||[[Hiroshima Municipal Stadium]]
|-
|[[May 12]], [[1966 in baseball|1966]]||[[Tsutomu Tanaka]] ([[Seibu Lions|Nishitetsu Lions]])||2–0||[[Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks|Nankai Hawks]]||[[Heiwadai Stadium]]
|-
|[[September 14]], [[1968 in baseball|1968]]||[[Yoshiro Sotokoba]] ([[Hiroshima Toyo Carp]])||2–0||[[Yokohama BayStars|Taiyō Whales]]||[[Hiroshima Municipal Stadium]]
|-
|[[October 6]], [[1970 in baseball|1970]]||[[Koichiro Sasaki]] ([[Orix Buffaloes|Kintetsu Buffaloes]])||3–0||[[Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks|Nankai Hawks]]||[[Ōsaka Stadium]]
|-
|[[August 21]], [[1971 in baseball|1971]]||[[Yoshimasa Takahashi]] ([[Hokkaidō Nippon Ham Fighters|Toei Flyers]])||4–0||[[Seibu Lions|Nishitetsu Lions]]||[[Korakuen Stadium]]
|-
|[[October 10]], [[1973 in baseball|1973]]||[[Soroku Yagisawa]] ([[Chiba Lotte Marines|Lotte Orions]])||1–0||[[Seibu Lions|Taiheiyo Club Lions]]||[[Fullcast Stadium Miyagi|Miyagi Stadium]]
|-
|[[August 31]], [[1978 in baseball|1978]]||[[Yutaro Imai]] ([[Orix Buffaloes|Hankyu Braves]])||5–0||[[Chiba Lotte Marines|Lotte Orions]]||[[Fullcast Stadium Miyagi|Miyagi Stadium]]
|-
|[[May 18]], [[1994 in baseball|1994]]||[[Hiromi Makihara]] ([[Yomiuri Giants]])||6–0||[[Hiroshima Toyo Carp]]||[[Fukuoka Dome]]
|-
|[[November 1]], [[2007 in baseball|2007]]||[[Daisuke Yamai]] and [[Hitoki Iwase]] ([[Chunichi Dragons]])||1–0†||[[Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters]]||[[Nagoya Dome]]
|}
* †: 5th game of [[Nippon Series]]; In NPB, no-hitters or perfect games achieved by multiple pitchers in one game are considered unofficial.
==See also==
*[[Professional baseball in Japan]]
*[[Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame]]
*[[List of Japanese baseball players]]
*[[List of Japanese players in Major League Baseball]]
*[[Shikoku Island League]] (Regional semi-professional league)
*[[Baseball in Japan]]
*[[High school baseball in Japan]]
*[[Baseball in Cuba]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
==Books==
*{{cite book
| last = Fitts
| first = Robert K.
| authorlink =
| year = 2005
| title = Remembering Japanese Baseball: An Oral History of the Game
| publisher = Southern Illinois University Press
| location =
| id = ISBN 0809326302
}}
*{{cite book
| last = Johnson
| first = Daniel
| authorlink =
| year = 2006
| title = Japanese Baseball: A Statistical Handbook
| publisher = McFarland & Company
| location =
| id = ISBN 0786428414
}}
*{{cite book
| last = Whiting
| first = Robert
| authorlink =
| year = 2005
| title = The Samurai Way of Baseball: The Impact of Ichiro and the New Wave from Japan
| publisher = Grand Central Publishing
| location =
| id = ISBN 0446694037
}}
*{{cite book
| last = Whiting
| first = Robert
| authorlink =
| year = 1990
| title = You Gotta Have Wa
| publisher = Vintage
| location =
| id = ISBN 067972947X
}}
==External links==
* [http://english.baseball-museum.or.jp/index.html Japan Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum]
* [http://baseballguru.com/jalbright/stats.html Japanese Baseball Data Archive at ''The Baseball Guru'']
* [http://japanesebaseball.com/players/index.jsp List of players at ''Japanese Baseball'']
* {{ja icon}} [http://www.npb.or.jp/ Official Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) Site (.jp)]
<!-- * [http://www.npb-bis.com/ Official NPB Statistics (.jp)] -->
* [http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/news/mlb_news.jsp?ymd=20021106&content_id=171406&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp MLB history of Puro Yakyū page]
*[http://www.japanbaseballdaily.com Japan Baseball Daily]
{{Nippon Professional Baseball}}
{{Professional Baseball}}
[[Category:Asian baseball leagues]]
[[Category:Baseball in Japan]]
[[Category:History of baseball]]
[[Category:Nippon Professional Baseball| ]]
[[Category:Professional sports leagues]]
[[de:Baseball in Japan]]
[[es:Liga Japonesa de Béisbol Profesional]]
[[fr:Championnat du Japon de baseball]]
[[ko:일본의 프로 야구]]
[[ja:日本プロ野球]]
[[pt:Nippon Professional Baseball]]
[[fi:Nippon Professional Baseball]]
[[zh:日本棒球]]