Western League (Japanese baseball)
Encyclopedia
The is one of the two minor leagues of Japanese professional baseball. The league is owned and managed by the Pacific League
.
, Hankyu Braves, Nankai Hawks
, Nagoya Dragons
, Nishitetsu Lions, Shochiku Robins
, and Sanyo Crowns. The league was initially completely separate from the workings of the NPB. The Sanyo Crowns were dissolved in 1952, and the Shochiku Robins
merged with the Taiyo Whales in 1953, to cut the number of teams down to five. The Kintetsu Pearls
joined in 1953, but the six teams of the Central League
decided to form their own minor league in 1954, and the Chunichi Dragons
and Hanshin Tigers
dropped out of the league to leave only four teams in the league.
The league decided to join the NPB in 1955, and the 14 minor league teams of the Central League
and Pacific League
were split up to create the Western League and Eastern League
. The new league consisted of the minor league teams of, the Hanshin Tigers
, Hankyu Braves, Nankai Hawks
, Chunichi Dragons
, Nishitetsu Lions, Kintetsu Pearls
, and Hiroshima Carp
. The Lions moved their franchise to Saitama
in 1979 to join the Eastern League, leaving six teams, and the Orix BlueWave and Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes
merged to become the Orix Buffaloes
in 2005, leaving five teams in the league.
The Hiroshima Carp
minor league affiliate was called the Hiroshima Greens, or Hiroshima Carp Greeners, before returning to their parent team's name in 1958. The same goes for the Hanshin Tigers
minor league team, which was called the Hanshin Jaguars until 1957. The Orix BlueWave minor league team was renamed the Surpass Kobe in 2000, and then the Surpass in 2005 as the Orix Buffaloes
minor league team, but the name was returned to the Orix Buffaloes in 2009.
Most of the Japanese minor league teams carry the same name, and use the same uniforms as their parent team, with the exception of the Yokohama BayStars (Shonan Searex), Orix Buffaloes (named Surpass until 2008, but currentry using Orix Buffaloes), and Saitama Seibu Lions (depends on the sponsored company, but currently using Saitama Seibu Lions) minor league teams.
Pacific League
The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues constituting Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship competes against the winner in the Central League for the annual Japan Series...
.
History
The league was created in 1952 as the Kansai Farm League, and contained the minor league teams of the seven professional teams that had their homefields in the western region of Japan. The original teams in the league were, the Osaka TigersHanshin Tigers
The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team based in Koshien, Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and are in the Central League. Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd., the subsidiary of Hankyu Hanshin Holdings Inc., owns the Hanshin Tigers directly...
, Hankyu Braves, Nankai Hawks
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
The are a Japanese baseball team based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture. The team was bought on January 28, 2005 by the SoftBank Corporation.The team was formerly known as the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks. In 1988, Daiei bought the team from Osaka's Nankai Electric Railway Co., and its headquarters were...
, Nagoya Dragons
Chunichi Dragons
The are a professional baseball team based in Nagoya, the chief city in the Chubu region of Japan. The team is in the Central League. They won the 2007 Japan Series and 2007 Asia Series.-History:...
, Nishitetsu Lions, Shochiku Robins
Yokohama BayStars
The are a professional baseball team in the Japanese Central League. Home field is the Yokohama Stadium, located in central Yokohama. The clubhouse is located near the stadium....
, and Sanyo Crowns. The league was initially completely separate from the workings of the NPB. The Sanyo Crowns were dissolved in 1952, and the Shochiku Robins
Yokohama BayStars
The are a professional baseball team in the Japanese Central League. Home field is the Yokohama Stadium, located in central Yokohama. The clubhouse is located near the stadium....
merged with the Taiyo Whales in 1953, to cut the number of teams down to five. The Kintetsu Pearls
Kintetsu Buffaloes
The was a Nippon Professional Baseball team based in Osaka, Japan, which were in the Pacific League. The team was owned by Kinki Nippon Railway Co. and later sold to the Orix Group, the owner of the Orix BlueWave baseball team, in 2004...
joined in 1953, but the six teams of the Central League
Central League
The or is one the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League in the annual Japan Series. It currently consists of six teams from around the country,The Central League...
decided to form their own minor league in 1954, and the Chunichi Dragons
Chunichi Dragons
The are a professional baseball team based in Nagoya, the chief city in the Chubu region of Japan. The team is in the Central League. They won the 2007 Japan Series and 2007 Asia Series.-History:...
and Hanshin Tigers
Hanshin Tigers
The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team based in Koshien, Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and are in the Central League. Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd., the subsidiary of Hankyu Hanshin Holdings Inc., owns the Hanshin Tigers directly...
dropped out of the league to leave only four teams in the league.
The league decided to join the NPB in 1955, and the 14 minor league teams of the Central League
Central League
The or is one the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League in the annual Japan Series. It currently consists of six teams from around the country,The Central League...
and Pacific League
Pacific League
The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues constituting Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship competes against the winner in the Central League for the annual Japan Series...
were split up to create the Western League and Eastern League
Eastern League (Japanese baseball)
The is one of the two minor leagues of Japanese professional baseball. The league is owned and managed by the Central League.-History:The league was created in 1955, and contained the minor league teams of the seven professional teams that had their homefields in the Eastern region of Japan...
. The new league consisted of the minor league teams of, the Hanshin Tigers
Hanshin Tigers
The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team based in Koshien, Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and are in the Central League. Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd., the subsidiary of Hankyu Hanshin Holdings Inc., owns the Hanshin Tigers directly...
, Hankyu Braves, Nankai Hawks
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
The are a Japanese baseball team based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture. The team was bought on January 28, 2005 by the SoftBank Corporation.The team was formerly known as the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks. In 1988, Daiei bought the team from Osaka's Nankai Electric Railway Co., and its headquarters were...
, Chunichi Dragons
Chunichi Dragons
The are a professional baseball team based in Nagoya, the chief city in the Chubu region of Japan. The team is in the Central League. They won the 2007 Japan Series and 2007 Asia Series.-History:...
, Nishitetsu Lions, Kintetsu Pearls
Kintetsu Buffaloes
The was a Nippon Professional Baseball team based in Osaka, Japan, which were in the Pacific League. The team was owned by Kinki Nippon Railway Co. and later sold to the Orix Group, the owner of the Orix BlueWave baseball team, in 2004...
, and Hiroshima Carp
Hiroshima Toyo Carp
The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Central League. The team is primarily owned by the Matsuda family, led by , who is a descendant of Mazda founder Jujiro Matsuda. Mazda is the largest single shareholder , which is less than the portion owned by the Matsuda family . Because of that,...
. The Lions moved their franchise to Saitama
Saitama Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Saitama.This prefecture is part of the Greater Tokyo Area, and most of Saitama's cities can be described as suburbs of Tokyo, to which a large amount of residents commute each day.- History...
in 1979 to join the Eastern League, leaving six teams, and the Orix BlueWave and Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes
Kintetsu Buffaloes
The was a Nippon Professional Baseball team based in Osaka, Japan, which were in the Pacific League. The team was owned by Kinki Nippon Railway Co. and later sold to the Orix Group, the owner of the Orix BlueWave baseball team, in 2004...
merged to become the Orix Buffaloes
Orix Buffaloes
The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team based in Osaka and Kobe, Japan. They play in the Pacific League. The team is owned by the Orix Group, a leading diversified financial services company based in Tokyo....
in 2005, leaving five teams in the league.
The Hiroshima Carp
Hiroshima Toyo Carp
The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Central League. The team is primarily owned by the Matsuda family, led by , who is a descendant of Mazda founder Jujiro Matsuda. Mazda is the largest single shareholder , which is less than the portion owned by the Matsuda family . Because of that,...
minor league affiliate was called the Hiroshima Greens, or Hiroshima Carp Greeners, before returning to their parent team's name in 1958. The same goes for the Hanshin Tigers
Hanshin Tigers
The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team based in Koshien, Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and are in the Central League. Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd., the subsidiary of Hankyu Hanshin Holdings Inc., owns the Hanshin Tigers directly...
minor league team, which was called the Hanshin Jaguars until 1957. The Orix BlueWave minor league team was renamed the Surpass Kobe in 2000, and then the Surpass in 2005 as the Orix Buffaloes
Orix Buffaloes
The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team based in Osaka and Kobe, Japan. They play in the Pacific League. The team is owned by the Orix Group, a leading diversified financial services company based in Tokyo....
minor league team, but the name was returned to the Orix Buffaloes in 2009.
Teams
The league contains the minor league affiliates of five Japanese professional teams (minor league homefield shown in parentheses):- Chunichi DragonsChunichi DragonsThe are a professional baseball team based in Nagoya, the chief city in the Chubu region of Japan. The team is in the Central League. They won the 2007 Japan Series and 2007 Asia Series.-History:...
(Nagoya, AichiNagoya, Aichiis the third-largest incorporated city and the fourth most populous urban area in Japan.Located on the Pacific coast in the Chūbu region on central Honshu, it is the capital of Aichi Prefecture and is one of Japan's major ports along with those of Tokyo, Osaka, Kobe, Yokohama, Chiba, and Moji...
) - Hanshin TigersHanshin TigersThe are a Nippon Professional Baseball team based in Koshien, Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and are in the Central League. Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd., the subsidiary of Hankyu Hanshin Holdings Inc., owns the Hanshin Tigers directly...
(Nishinomiya, HyogoNishinomiya, Hyogois a city located in Hyōgo, Japan, between the cities of Ōsaka and Kōbe. On April 1, 2005, the city of Nishinomiya celebrated its 80th anniversary. It is best known as the home of Kōshien Stadium, where the Hanshin Tigers baseball team plays home games and where Japan's annual high school baseball...
) - Orix BuffaloesOrix BuffaloesThe are a Nippon Professional Baseball team based in Osaka and Kobe, Japan. They play in the Pacific League. The team is owned by the Orix Group, a leading diversified financial services company based in Tokyo....
(Kobe, Hyogo) - Hiroshima Toyo CarpHiroshima Toyo CarpThe are a professional baseball team in Japan's Central League. The team is primarily owned by the Matsuda family, led by , who is a descendant of Mazda founder Jujiro Matsuda. Mazda is the largest single shareholder , which is less than the portion owned by the Matsuda family . Because of that,...
(Iwakuni, YamaguchiIwakuni, Yamaguchiis a city located in Yamaguchi, Japan.On March 20, 2006, the old city of Iwakuni absorbed the towns of Kuga, Mikawa, Miwa, Nishiki, Shūtō and Yū, and the village of Hongō, all from Kuga District, to form the new, expanded city of Iwakuni.- History :...
) - Fukuoka SoftBank HawksFukuoka SoftBank HawksThe are a Japanese baseball team based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture. The team was bought on January 28, 2005 by the SoftBank Corporation.The team was formerly known as the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks. In 1988, Daiei bought the team from Osaka's Nankai Electric Railway Co., and its headquarters were...
(Fukuoka, FukuokaFukuoka, Fukuokais the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture and is situated on the northern shore of the island of Kyushu in Japan.Voted number 14 in a 2010 poll of the World's Most Livable Cities, Fukuoka is praised for its green spaces in a metropolitan setting. It is the most populous city in Kyushu, followed by...
)
Most of the Japanese minor league teams carry the same name, and use the same uniforms as their parent team, with the exception of the Yokohama BayStars (Shonan Searex), Orix Buffaloes (named Surpass until 2008, but currentry using Orix Buffaloes), and Saitama Seibu Lions (depends on the sponsored company, but currently using Saitama Seibu Lions) minor league teams.
See also
- Eastern LeagueEastern League (Japanese baseball)The is one of the two minor leagues of Japanese professional baseball. The league is owned and managed by the Central League.-History:The league was created in 1955, and contained the minor league teams of the seven professional teams that had their homefields in the Eastern region of Japan...
- Central LeagueCentral LeagueThe or is one the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League in the annual Japan Series. It currently consists of six teams from around the country,The Central League...
- Pacific LeaguePacific LeagueThe or is one of the two professional baseball leagues constituting Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship competes against the winner in the Central League for the annual Japan Series...