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[B188]Baseball In The 1950s

by Jonathon Hardcastle, Jon

The exact date that baseball was introduced in Japan is not known, but it is attributed to American professor Horace Wilson sometime between 1867 and 1912. The Japanese people were immediately intrigued by western baseball, seeing psychological similarities between baseball and their native sports of sumo and martial arts.

In the 1930s, a team of famous American baseball players including Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig toured Japan and played games against Japanese college players. Even though the Americans won every game they played, the series helped build interest in baseball throughout Japan. The first Japanese professional team was formed in 1934.

During the years of World War II, as more men joined the military, baseball fell into disfavor and many baseball fields were turned into ammunition dumps or used to grow food crops. However, after Japan was defeated, Allied commanders assisting in the rebuilding of Japan turned to baseball to boost morale and build stronger ties with the west.

In 1950, the Japanese league took on the form it still holds today; two leagues of six teams each. The introduction of television in 1955 brought baseball to a wider audience in Japan as it did in the United States.

There are a few differences in the style and rules of play between modern American and Japanese baseball. The ball used in Japanese baseball is smaller and lighter than the ball used in American baseball. Also, unlike American teams, Japanese teams are only allowed four foreign players per team, two position players and two pitchers.

Stylistically, Japanese coaches focus more on the fundamentals of bunting, base running and fielding whereas American baseball has come to rely heavily on pitching talent and long ball hitting. Because of these differences, Japanese baseball games typically have closer and lower final scores than American baseball games.

In recent years, Japanese baseball teams have been hit hard by players defecting to American teams. The Japanese league and Major League Baseball have an agreement requiring the payment of fees by American teams wanting to recruit Japanese players, but the rules do not apply to free agents. Japanese people today are far more likely to watch an American team on television than they are a Japanese team. Players like Ichiro Suzuki are wildly popular in Japan and are considered national heroes.

The popularity of the game baseball has crossed continents as far as the East Asian island of Japan. The exact date cannot be traced on when it really started as a sport in Japan, the estimated era that it got into the mentality of the Japanese was during the Meiji Era which was said to occur during the timeline of 1867 to 1912. This era served as Japan's modernization period. The people adapted many western concepts from clothing, lifestyle and even sports. The game was called Yakkyu by the Japanese which meant “field ball”.

Baseball as a sport easily made it into the hearts of the Japanese because there is this psychological similarity of the ball game to the native sports of Japan namely sumo and the martial arts. If analyzed carefully baseball is a basic one on one battle between the pitcher and the batter which is very similar to how the sport of sumo and martial arts focus on the same aspects. Baseball requires timing, speed and precision, so does the native Japanese sports.

As the country developed into a modern Japan, so did the popularity of baseball. It started off in schools and made its way to become leagues in the country. But the journey was not that easy. As we know, Japan is considered to be one of the most closely knit countries in terms of culture and religion. Many criticized the sport in the early part of the twentieth century saying that it leads to mental pressure and other negative aspects concerning the human body.

Matsutara Shoriki, an owner of a famous newspaper in Japan was in favor of the sport and was more influential than the other critics. He sponsored a game which brought famous players like Babe Ruth and Jimmy Fox to play against Japan's College league. The Americans won which inspired the fans. This event led to the formation of the first professional Japanese Baseball team known as the Great Tokyo baseball club in December 1934. Shoriki was named as the father of Japanese baseball.

It was in 1936 that the first baseball league of Japan was formed the Japan Pro-Baseball League (PBL).

When war broke out in Japan, the country suffered great physical damages, the people however used baseball to boost up the morale when it resumed on the 1950s. The game was even made more popular within this decade with the help of television. It opened the doors to a more diverse audience in the country.

Today as we see it in cable sports channels, baseball still is considered as one of the favorite past time of the Japanese. Some Japanese players are even made part of US teams.

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Both Jonathon Hardcastle & Victor Nunn are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Jonathon Hardcastle has sinced written about articles on various topics from Advertising Guide, Careers and Job Hunting and Cooking Tips. Jonathon Hardcastle writes articles on many topics including , , and. Jonathon Hardcastle's top article generates over 368000 views. to your Favourites.

Victor Nunn has sinced written about articles on various topics from Computers and The Internet, Japan Car and Recreation and Sports. Victor Nunn writes about ,. Victor Nunn's top article generates over 18100 views. to your Favourites.