Steve Gann
Sandra 1Fried Octopus and Yakyu
May 6th 2009 00:02
The long running baseball series "This Week In Baseball" is highlighting the popularity of baseball in Japan this week. Few probably realize how huge of a following baseball has become in the island country. The winners of the only two World Baseball Classics even hosted the 2008 Major League season opener between the Red Sox and As. How has America's game become such a focal point so far away from it's creation?
Japan’s love for America’s game goes back over 100 years. Baseball in Japan is called yakyu, the Japanese word for field ball. Baseball was first introduced in Japan by an American professor named Horace Wilson in 1872 with the first formal team being formed in 1878. The first professional league would appear in 1920 with the current Nippon league being around since 1950.
Like their American counterparts, the Nippon league is divided into two divisions, the Central and the Pacific divisions. Each division consists of six teams named after corporations rather than cities. Like the American League in the U.S., the Pacific league employs a designated hitter while the Central more closely resembles the senior National League in making pitchers bat.
Baseball rules are similar with the league beginning in April and ending in October. The season consists of 140 games ending with the Japanese Championship Series in October. The Central League leads with thirty-three series titles compared to the Pacific’s twenty-four. The Yomiuri Giants, Japan’s equivalent to the New York Yankees, have won twenty titles.
The major differences between the Major and Nippon leagues is that a smaller ball is used Japan and that ties are allowed if the game is not decided in twelve innings. Other differences include that teams are only allowed to sign four foreign players to their rosters. This is to protect local players from having to compete with American players and to help control rising salary concerns. Because of the loss of many of the best Japanese players to MLB, Nippon league teams have had to greatly increase salaries to keep players at home. This is causing a financial hardship on many teams as ten of the twelve teams have been losing money for their corporate sponsors.
Attending games in Japan might look more like a football game to baseball fans in the U.S. Japanese fans sing songs, blast trumpets, and make as much noise as possible with noise makers to cheer on their team and to distract their opponents.
The food offered at many stadiums might also intrigue foreign fans. While you can still have hot dogs and pizza, other choices may be confusing or just downright distasteful. You might find sushi, udon (a hot noodle soup), okonomiyaki (Japanese vegetable pancakes), takoyaki (okonomiyaki that has been rounded into balls and are eaten with a toothpick), and of course the now famous fried octopus balls.
Thirty-Four Japanese players have achieved success in the Major League after first playing in Japan. There has also been a long history of US players who have gotten their start or extended their careers in Japan. To date over six hundred Major League players have spent time in a Japanese uniform. Cy Young and Rookie Of The Year winner, Don Newcombe was the first big time player to sign a contract with a Japanese team. He signed with the Chunichi Dragons in 1962. Former major leaguers Randy Bass and Alex Cabrera were both successful and own or share batting records in Japan after falling short in the Major league. Cecil Fielder and David Ortiz played in Japan but were both able to return to the US for successful careers.
Every other year a team from the US visits Japan to “barnstorm” the island country. The list of players includes some of the greats like Gehrig, Ruth, and Cobb. What started as a friendly cultural trade-off culminated into this year’s season opener. I would love to see a team from Japan travel here to play in a big league stadium. Maybe next year the Nippon league will decide to have their opening game here.
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