JapanBall

07/24/2025

Congratulations to Shugo Maki of the DeNA BayStars on winning the 2025 NPB Home Run Derby, successfully doing so in front of his home fans at Yokohama Stadium! He defeated Kotaro Kiyomiya of the Nippon-Ham Fighters in the third and final round of the derby.

Meanwhile, the Pacific League won both All-Star Games against the Central League this year by scores of 5-1 and 10-7. Yuma Tongu was the Game 1 MVP and Kotaro Kiyomiya earned the honors for Game 2. The regular season will resume on Saturday!

07/23/2025

New video on how Samurai Japan might look at the 2026 World Baseball Classic!

Yuri Karasawa (https://x.com/yakyucosmo) reviews Samurai Japan's 2026 Dream Team roster by Shawn Spradling (https://x.com/Shawn_Spradling).00:00 - Introducti...

07/23/2025

Today would have been Joe Stanka's
94th birthday.

Born in Hammon, Oklahoma, Stanka became the first non-Japanese pitcher to win the MVP award in NPB history in 1964, leading the Nankai Hawks to a championship. Noted for his large, 6-foot-6 frame, Stanka played in NPB for seven seasons from 1960 to 1966, becoming one of the most beloved pitchers in Japan. He finished his career with a 100-72 record and a 3.03 ERA, tying him with rival Gene Bacque for most career wins by a foreigner. He passed away on October 15, 2018, at the age of 87.

Credit to Robert Whiting for details on Stanka's life.

07/22/2025

From Auburn to Saitama: Trey Wingenter is a Strikeout Machine.

Our profile and exclusive interview with the Seibu Lions reliever!

An exclusive interview with the Seibu Lions relief pitcher (Photo received from Trey Wingenter) Only one pitcher in Nippon Professional Baseball is striking out over 40% of the batters he faces this season. Taisei? Raidel Martinez? Shinya Matsuyama? Kazuki Sugiyama? Good guesses, but wrong. It’s T...

07/21/2025

NPB Newsletter: Here Come the Dragons!

Teruaki Sato extended his NPB-leading home run total to 24 (Photo: Baseball Post) This week in Japanese baseball: the Hanshin Tigers extended their Central League lead to 9.5 games, Teruaki Sato crushed three more dingers, Kensuke Kondoh reached the 100-homer milestone, Marek Chlup made history as t...

07/20/2025

August 5 will mark the start of the 107th Summer High School Baseball Championship: Koshien.

Ema Ryan Yamazaki's 2019 film, "Koshien: Japan’s Field of Dreams," describes it as a combination of the Super Bowl (for the national popularity and significance of the title) and NCAA basketball’s “March Madness” (for its intense, single-elimination format).

But her film, which features greats who played in the tournament like Shohei Ohtani, isn't only about baseball. It's a dramatic tale of the fighting spirit, harmony, tradition, and discipline that are the bedrock of Japanese culture, and how they fit into modern society.

Our review of the film: https://japanball.com/articles-features/chatter-up/koshien-japans-field-of-dreams-ema-ryan-yamazaki/

Our interview with Ema: https://japanball.com/articles-features/chatter-up/ema-ryan-yamazaki-koshien-japans-field-of-dreams/

Our article on the Koshien experience: https://japanball.com/articles-features/international-travel/japanball-tour-guest-memoirs/my-experience-at-the-koshien-high-school-championship-tournament/

07/17/2025

is holding the 🇮🇪⚾ Irish Heritage Awards!

Do you know a talented high school baseball or softball player? The Irish Baseball & Softball Heritage Awards, presented by the Ancient Order of Hibernians, recognize excellence on the field, in the classroom, and in the community. Please share the flyer below with the family of any high school player who deserves recognition for their accomplishments!

Here is the application form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1_zOk7JF40FzbDBSIz4wk3CAumtZcQ0gm2Ko4NzzIHZQ/preview

07/17/2025

Congrats to the 3 Japanese MLB All-Stars this year: Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani, and Yusei Kikuchi ✨

07/14/2025

NPB Newsletter: Unstoppable Teruaki Sato Keeps Tigers Rolling 🐅

Teruaki Sato extended his NPB-leading home run total to 24 (Photo: Baseball Post) This week in Japanese baseball: the Hanshin Tigers extended their Central League lead to 9.5 games, Teruaki Sato crushed three more dingers, Kensuke Kondoh reached the 100-homer milestone, Marek Chlup made history as t...

07/13/2025

Beautiful weather in San Francisco last night to see the series opener between the Giants and Dodgers! Ohtani crushed his 32nd homer of the year and became the first Japanese-born player to have a splash hit. Jung Hoo Lee went 3 for 4 with a triple and 3 ribbies. The Dodgers fought back from an 8-2 deficit but the Giants won the game, 8-7!

07/12/2025

New video on our channel discussing the recent NPB signings of Oscar Gonzalez, Luke Voit, Mike Ford, Michael Chavis, and J.D. Davis!

Yuri Karasawa (https://x.com/yakyucosmo) discusses five new foreign signings in Nippon Professional Baseball: Oscar Gonzalez, Luke Voit, Mike Ford, Michael C...

07/11/2025

On this day in 1992, Ichiro Suzuki made his NPB debut with the Orix Blue Wave as a defensive replacement. He struggled in his first two seasons, hitting just .226 with one home run in 83 games.

But he broke out two years later with an incredible .385/.445/.550 slash line, setting the single-season NPB hit record at the time with 210 en route to the Pacific League batting title and MVP. The rest is history.

By the time he retired in 2019 at the ripe old age of 45, he had totaled 3,604 games, 4,367 hits, 2,078 runs, 235 home runs, and 708 stolen bases with a .322 AVG and .807 OPS between NPB and MLB. He remains involved in baseball through various avenues on both sides of the Pacific, inspiring the next generation of stars. He was inducted into the Japanese Baseball and National Baseball Hall of Fames in 2025.