Baseball in Japan is commonly known as « yakyu ». The Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) is the country’s most popular competition and is similar to Major League Baseball in North America. Like its North American counterpart, it is supported by affiliated and independent leagues. The NPB season runs from April to August and features two leagues, the Central and Pacific, each with six teams. Since 1949, Japanese teams have competed within a single league. The NPB is the second-largest baseball event in the world after MLB. Each team plays 144 regular-season games: 24 against each team in their own league and four against each team in the other league.
The top three teams from each league qualify for the playoffs. In each league, the regular-season champion advances directly to the finals. The second- and third-place teams face off in the « wild-card » round, best-of-three series. The winner then meets the regular-season champion in a best-of-seven series, with the latter having a one-game advantage. The regular-season champion needs three wins to advance, while their opponent needs four. The champions of both leagues then compete in the « Japan Series », also a best-of-seven series.
Several French players have competed in Japan’s professional circuit. The first was Arnaud Fau (1996-1998), followed by Jamel Boutagra in the same era. Others include Hanvi, Lemestre, and Matthieu Brelle-Andrade. Another major event in Japanese baseball is the Koshien, a high school competition that we will cover in a future article. Pictured in Hanshin Tigers uniforms: Boutagra, Lemestre, and Brelle-Andrade. In the Los Angeles Angels uniform: Shohei Ohtani, the most popular Japanese player in MLB today. Number 99, Fred Hanvi, for the Tokyo Bambataa.
Vincent Picard.
