Rules for Japanese Baseball

Before the first professional league was established in Japan during 1936, baseball had been played there for more than a half-century. It was introduced to Japan by American teachers and professors during the 1870s. The game evolved much differently than it did in the United States. It was used to teach and it was played as if it were one of the martial arts in which players strengthened themselves physically and mentally. Today, the game resembles the American game but has a few distinct differences.

  1. The Teams

    • The original Japan Professional League included teams that were sponsored by newspapers trying to boost readership or train lines trying to increase the number of passengers. Today, Japan has two major leagues with six teams in each league. The Central League has Yomiuri, Yakult, Chunichi, Hiroshima, Hanshin and Yokohama while the Pacific League has Nippon Ham, SoftBank, Seibu, Rakuten, Lotte and Orix. Japan also has two minor leagues. The Western and Eastern Leagues each have six teams.

    Designated Playing Days

    • Baseball teams play six days a week in Japan, with Monday the usual designated off day for all teams. The teams play with a six-man starting pitching rotation, with pitchers designated to start on specific days of the week. This allows fans to have a good idea of which starting pitcher will play on a particular day.

    Some Things are Smaller

    • The Japanese baseball, at times, has been found to be a fraction of an inch smaller than its American counterpart, because the yarn usually is wound more tightly. Players believe that the tighter winding of the yarn also gives the Japanese ball a harder texture. The rulebook strike zone is the same, but some umpires seem to narrow the "inside" portion of the zone nearest the batter. It has been claimed that Japanese umpires, who don't receive any special training, call more strikes on pitches that are not in the strike zone and more balls on pitches in the strike zone than their American counterparts.

    Foreigners on Team Rosters

    • Four non-Japanese players are allowed on each team's 25-man roster, but the roster cannot have more than three foreign position players or three pitchers. For example, a team can have three foreign position players and one pitcher, or any other combination totaling four players. Foreign players mostly come from the U.S., Korea and Taiwan.

    Tie Games

    • Ties are permitted. In the Pacific League, when a game reaches 12 innings without a winner, the match is ruled a tie. Central League games usually play 15 innings to decide a winner. However, if a Central League game remains tied, it must be resumed on a later date.

    Schedule

    • Teams play a 135-game schedule. Games begin during April and end during October. Two and sometimes three all-star games are held during July. After the season is over, the top team from each league meets in the championship, the Japan Series.