Japanese+Baseball


 * Japanese Baseball**

Baseball is one of, if not, the most popular sport in Japan. Horace Wilson introduced it to Japan between 1867 and 1873. The first team, the Shinbashi Athletic Club Athletics, was founded in 1878 by Hiroshi Hiraoka. It is called 野球 (やきゅう; yakyū) in Japanese, combining the characters for "fielding" and "ball".

Nippon Professional Baseball is the MLB of Japan. The NPB started in 1920. It has two leagues; the Central and the Pacific. Each league consists of 6 teams. The Pacific League is made up of the Hawks, the Lions, the Marines, the Fighters, the Buffaloes, and the Golden Eagles. The Central League is made up of the Dragons, the Tigers, the Giants, the Swallows, the Carp, and the Bay Stars. The season is 144 games long, with a championship held in October. The rules are basically the same as the baseball here, with some minor changes. A smaller baseball, smaller strike zone, and smaller field are used. If the game is tied after the ninth, it is only held until the 12th due to the fear that fans might miss their last train. Games that go twelve innings and are still tied are recorded as ties. Also, a team cannot have more than four foreign players, almost as a way to keep play fair by not having tough competition from other countries.