Yokohama DeNA BayStars
| Yokohama DeNA BayStars | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| League |
Nippon Professional Baseball (1950–present)
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| Ballpark | Yokohama Stadium (1978–present) | ||||
| Year established | 1950 | ||||
| Central League pennants | 2 (1960, 1998) | ||||
| Japan Series championships | 2 (1960, 1998) | ||||
| Former name(s) |
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| Former ballparks |
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| Colors |
Blue, White | ||||
| Retired numbers | 100 | ||||
| Ownership | DeNA Co., Ltd. | ||||
| Manager | Alex Ramírez | ||||
| General Manager | Shigeru Takada | ||||
The Yokohama DeNA BayStars (横浜DeNAベイスターズ Yokohama Dī-Enu-Ē Beisutāzu) are a professional baseball team in the Japanese Central League. Their home field is Yokohama Stadium, located in central Yokohama. The clubhouse is located near the stadium. The team has been known by several names since becoming a professional team in 1950. It adopted its current name in 2011 when the club was purchased by software company DeNA.
The minor league team shares the same name and uniform as the parent team and plays in the Eastern League. The minor league home field is Yokosuka Stadium, located in Yokosuka, Kanagawa.
History
Origin (1930s-1949)
The team began as the Taiyo Fishing Company, an amateur team currently affiliated with the Maruha Corporation (presently Maruha Nichiro). The team began to appear in national tournaments in the 1930s and won the National Sports Festival in 1948, giving it national recognition. In the 1949 off-season, the Japanese professional baseball league drastically expanded itself and many players from the Taiyo amateur team were recruited to join the professional leagues. The owner of the Taiyo company decided to join the newly expanded Central League, which was established in 1950. The team's first professional incarnation was as the Maruha Team. The franchise was based in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi.
Taiyo Whales (1950–1952)
The team name was changed to the Taiyō Whales (大洋ホエールズ Taiyō Hoeeruzu) shortly after the start of the 1950 season. The Whales received several veteran players from the Yomiuri Giants to compensate for their lack of players, but ended up in the bottom half of the standings each year.
In 1951, there was talk of merging with the Hiroshima Carp, which had experienced serious financial problems but the merging never occurred due to massive protests from Hiroshima citizens.
Taiyo Shochiku Robins (1953) and Yo-Sho Robins (1954)
In 1952, it was decided that teams ending the season with a winning percentage below .300 would be disbanded or merged with other teams. The Shochiku Robins fell into this category, and were merged with the Taiyo Whales to become the Taiyō-Shochiku Robins (大洋松竹ロビンス Taiyō Shōchiku Robinsu) in January, 1953. However, the team's re-organization was not completed in time for the 1953 season, and the team ended up continuing its offices in both Shimonoseki and Kyoto. Home games took place in Osaka for geographical reasons, and the team's finances were managed by both the Taiyo and Shochiku companies until the franchise was officially transferred to Osaka in 1954 to become the Yō-Shō Robins (洋松ロビンス Yō-Shō Robinsu).
The Shochiku Robins had won the 1950 Central League championship before being merged.
Taiyo Whales (1955–1977)
The Shochiku company discontinued its support in December, 1954, and the team name returned to the Taiyo Whales. The franchise moved to Kawasaki, Kanagawa, and obtained an exclusive home field, (Kawasaki Stadium), but ended up in last place six years in a row from 1954–1959.
In 1960, the team recruited Osamu Mihara, who had been manager of the Nishitetsu Lions the previous year. Mihara led the team to its first pennant in 1960, and swept the Pacific League champions in the Japanese championship series. The team had been in last place the previous year.
However, this success did not last long, and the team quickly fell back into last place in 1961. The Whales made a comeback in 1962, but trailed four games behind the Hanshin Tigers to end up in second place. They lost the league championship again to the Tigers in 1964, only one game (.008 winning percentage) away from first place.
The team produced countless star players during the 1970s, but rarely ended the season above the .500 mark. The small Kawasaki Stadium made the Whales one of the most offensively productive teams in Japanese baseball history, but a weak pitching staff, and lack of financial support put the team out of serious contention.
By 1976, the team had been planning on moving from Kawasaki to Yokohama, and support from the mayor of Yokohama allowed the team to gain financial support from the Kokudo Company. 55% of the team's share was retained by Taiyo, and the other 45% went to Kokudo.
Yokohama Taiyo Whales (1978–1992)
The team moved to Yokohama Stadium in central Yokohama. The team name was changed to the Yokohama Taiyō Whales (横浜大洋ホエールズ Yokohama Taiyō Hoeeruzu) to reflect the team`s new home town. The Kokudo Company sold its shares of the team to the Nippon Broadcasting System and TBS. The Nippon Broadcasting System obtained 30% of the shares, and TBS bought 15%, while Taiyo kept its 55%. The team enjoyed far more popularity during this period than in previous years, but continued to post only meager results in the standings, with their best placing being in 1979, when they finished second behind the Hiroshima Toyo Carp.
Yokohama BayStars (1993–2011)
In November, 1992, Taiyo changed its name to the Maruha Corporation, and renamed the team as the Yokohama BayStars (横浜ベイスターズ Yokohama Beisutāzu). The BayStars were the last Japanese professional baseball team to not include the name of the parent company into the team name.
Originally, the team was going to be renamed the Yokohama Whales, but new restrictions on whaling convinced the company to drop the original name. Some superstitious fans had believed that dead whales put a curse onto the team (the Maruha Corporation was famous for its whale meat products), preventing the Whales from winning championships. In his visit to the United States, Japanese Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa remarked to former president Bill Clinton (who had proposed international restriction on whaling) that the Maruha Corporation's decision was reflective of Japan's change in attitude towards whaling.
The BayStars remained a non-contender during the early 1990s, but gradually assembled the players that would contribute to the team's championship in 1998. Akihiko Ohya became manager in 1996, and almost caught up to the Yakult Swallows in 1997, ending in second place. Hiroshi Gondo (a pitching coach the previous year) became manager in 1998, and the BayStars won their first league championship in 38 years in 1998, defeating the Seibu Lions to win the Japanese championship series. The team's consistent hitting, impeccable defense, (players from the BayStars won five golden glove awards in 1998) and solid pitching staff (rounded by closer Kazuhiro Sasaki) contributed to an epic 1998 season. The BayStars' offense in the '98 season became known as the "Machine Gun Offense" because of the quick succession of hits the Yokohama batters would get (mostly singles), and no game was ever over until the final out was recorded.
The team dropped to third place in 1999 despite having the best offense in Japan and also setting a league record for team batting average at .294, and has not been in serious contention for the championship ever since. In 2001, the Maruha Corporation sold its remaining shares to TBS, giving TBS full control of the team's finances. Akihiko Ohya returned in 2007 after leaving the team in 1997. In 2009 the team finished in the bottom of the league despite having a few young stars on the team like slugger Shuichi Murata and league batting champion Seiichi Uchikawa, and also having the pitching of Daisuke Miura and the signing of foreign star Ryan Glynn.
On May 18, 2009, The Baystars management announced that it has fired Ohya and appointed Tomio Tashiro as acting manager.
Yokohama DeNA BayStars (2012–present)
In 2011, the franchise was acquired by mobile game company DeNA. The name was changed to reflect this, and they changed their mascot from Hosshey to Starman, who wore the new jersey.
In October 2015 Alex Ramírez, a former BayStars player and the only foreign-born player to have 2,000 hits in Japanese baseball, was named as manager for the 2016 season. He replaced Kiyoshi Nakahata, who resigned at the end of the 2015 to take responsibility for the club's poor performance.[1]
Season-by-season records
| Year | Team Name | Place | Manager |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Taiyo Whales | 5th | Tairiku Watanabe (渡辺大陸) |
| 1951 | Taiyo Whales | 6th | Haruyasu Nakajima (中島治康) Giichi Arima (有馬義一) |
| 1952 | Taiyo Whales | 4th | Tokuro Konishi (小西得郎) |
| 1953 | Taiyo Shochiku Robins | 5th | |
| 1954 | Yosho Robins | 6th | Takeo Nagasawa (永沢武夫) |
| 1955 | Taiyo Whales | 6th | Isamu Fujii (藤井勇) |
| 1956 | Taiyo Whales | 6th | Masami Sakohata (迫畑正巳) |
| 1957 | Taiyo Whales | 6th | |
| 1958 | Taiyo Whales | 6th | |
| 1959 | Taiyo Whales | 6th | Shigeo Mori (森茂雄) |
| 1960 | Taiyo Whales | 1st (Won Japan Series) | Osamu Mihara (三原脩) |
| 1961 | Taiyo Whales | 6th | |
| 1962 | Taiyo Whales | 2nd | |
| 1963 | Taiyo Whales | 5th | |
| 1964 | Taiyo Whales | 2nd | |
| 1965 | Taiyo Whales | 4th | |
| 1966 | Taiyo Whales | 5th | |
| 1967 | Taiyo Whales | 4th | |
| 1968 | Taiyo Whales | 5th | Kaoru Betto (別当薫) |
| 1969 | Taiyo Whales | 3rd | |
| 1970 | Taiyo Whales | 3rd | |
| 1971 | Taiyo Whales | 3rd | |
| 1972 | Taiyo Whales | 5th | |
| 1973 | Taiyo Whales | 5th | |
| 1974 | Taiyo Whales | 5th | |
| 1975 | Taiyo Whales | 5th | Noboru Akiyama (秋山登) |
| 1976 | Taiyo Whales | 6th | |
| 1977 | Taiyo Whales | 6th | Kaoru Betto |
| 1978 | Yokohama Taiyo Whales | 4th | |
| 1979 | Yokohama Taiyo Whales | 2nd | |
| 1980 | Yokohama Taiyo Whales | 4th | Kiyoshi Doi (土井淳) |
| 1981 | Yokohama Taiyo Whales | 6th | |
| 1982 | Yokohama Taiyo Whales | 5th | Junzo Sekine (関根潤三) |
| 1983 | Yokohama Taiyo Whales | 3rd | |
| 1984 | Yokohama Taiyo Whales | 6th | |
| 1985 | Yokohama Taiyo Whales | 4th | Sadao Kondoh (近藤貞雄) |
| 1986 | Yokohama Taiyo Whales | 4th | |
| 1987 | Yokohama Taiyo Whales | 5th | Takeshi Koba (古葉竹識) |
| 1988 | Yokohama Taiyo Whales | 4th | |
| 1989 | Yokohama Taiyo Whales | 6th | |
| 1990 | Yokohama Taiyo Whales | 3rd | Yutaka Sudoh (須藤豊) |
| 1991 | Yokohama Taiyo Whales | 5th | |
| 1992 | Yokohama Taiyo Whales | 5th | Yutaka Sudoh Akira Ejiri (江尻亮) |
| 1993 | Yokohama Baystars | 5th | Akihito Kondoh (近藤貞雄) |
| 1994 | Yokohama Baystars | 6th | |
| 1995 | Yokohama Baystars | 4th | |
| 1996 | Yokohama Baystars | 5th | Akihiko Ohya (大矢明彦) |
| 1997 | Yokohama Baystars | 2nd | |
| 1998 | Yokohama Baystars | 1st (won Japan Series) | Hiroshi Gondoh (権藤博) |
| 1999 | Yokohama Baystars | 3rd | |
| 2000 | Yokohama Baystars | 3rd | |
| 2001 | Yokohama Baystars | 3rd | Masaaki Mori (森祇晶) |
| 2002 | Yokohama Baystars | 6th | |
| 2003 | Yokohama Baystars | 6th | Daisuke Yamashita (山下大輔) |
| 2004 | Yokohama Baystars | 6th | |
| 2005 | Yokohama Baystars | 3rd | Kazuhiko Ushijima (牛島和彦) |
| 2006 | Yokohama Baystars | 6th | |
| 2007 | Yokohama Baystars | 4th | Akihiko Ohya |
| 2008 | Yokohama Baystars | 6th | |
| 2009 | Yokohama Baystars | 6th | Akihiko Ohya Tomio Tashiro (田代富雄) |
| 2010 | Yokohama Baystars | 6th | Takao Obana (尾花高夫) |
| 2011 | Yokohama Baystars | 6th | |
| 2012 | Yokohama DeNA BayStars | 6th | Kiyoshi Nakahata (中畑清) |
| 2013 | Yokohama DeNA BayStars | 5th | |
| 2014 | Yokohama DeNA BayStars | 5th | |
| 2015 | Yokohama DeNA BayStars | 6th |
2015 roster
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Former players
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Makoto Matsubara – 1B (松原誠: 1962-80) - Masaji Hiramatsu – P (平松政次: 1967-84)
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John Sipin – 2B (ジョン・シピン: 1972-77) - Akio Saito – P (斉藤明夫: 1977-93)
- Kazuhiko Endoh – P (遠藤一彦: 1978–1992)
- Kaname Yashiki – CF (屋鋪要: 1978–1993)
- Yutaka Takagi - 2B, SS (高木豊: 1981–1993)
- Jim Tracy – OF (ジム・トレイシー: 1983–1984)
- Leon Lee – 3B (レオン・リー: 1983–1985)
- Hirokazu Katoh – LF (加藤博一: 1983–1990)
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Carlos Ponce – 1B (カルロス・ポンセ: 1986–1990) - Jim Paciorek – 1B, LF (ジム・パチョレック: 1988–1991)
- Tatsuya Shindoh – SS, 3B (進藤達哉: 1988–2000)
- Hiroki Nomura – P (野村弘樹: 1988–2002)
- Motonobu Tanishige – C (谷繁元信: 1989–2001)
- Takuro Ishii – SS, 3B, P (石井琢朗: 1989–2008)
- Kazuhiro Sasaki – P (佐々木主浩: 1990–1999, 2004–2005)
- Takashi Saito – P (斎藤隆: 1992–2005)
- Glenn Braggs – RF (グレン・グラッグス: 1993–1996)
- Robert Rose – 2B (ロバート・ローズ: 1993–2000)
- Takahiro Saeki – 1B,OF(佐伯貴弘: 1993–2010)
- Tomokazu Ohka – P (大家友和: 1994–1998,2010–2011)
- Norihiro Komada – 1B (駒田徳広: 1994–2000)
- Toshio Haru – CF (波留敏夫: 1994–2001)
- Ryoji Aikawa – C (相川亮二:1995–2008)
- Takeo Kawamura – P (川村丈夫:1997–2008)
- Atsushi Kizuka – P (木塚敦志:2000–2010)
- Hitoshi Taneda – 2B (種田仁:2001–2007)
- Seiichi Uchikawa – 1B,OF (内川聖一:2001–2010)
- Shuichi Murata – 3B (村田修一: 2003–2011)
- Yuki Yoshimura – RF (吉村裕基: 2003–2012)
- Tyrone Woods – 1B (タイロン・ウッズ:2003–2004)
- Ken Kadokura – P (門倉健:2004–2006)
- Kazuya Fujita – 2B,SS (藤田一也: 2005–2012)
- Marc Kroon – P (マーク・クルーン: 2005–2007)
- Stephen Randolph – P (スティーブン・ランドルフ: 2009–2010,2011)
- Brett Harper – 1B (ブレット・ハーパー: 2010–2011)
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Tony Blanco – 1B (トニ・ブランコ: 2013–2014) -
Wang jingchao – IF (王jingchao: 2009–2010)
Retired numbers
None
MLB Players
Active: None
Former:
- Tomo Ohka (1999–2009)
- Takashi Saito (2006–2012)
- Kazuhiro Sasaki (2000–2005)
- Denney Tomori (2005)
Mascots
_in_2010.08.08.JPG)
They have been represented by various star-themed characters such as:
- Hosshey 1993–2012
- DB.Starman 2012~
- DB Kirara (DB Starman`s daughter) 2012~
- DB.Rider 2012~
See also
- Tokyo Broadcasting System Holdings, Inc.
- Maruha Nichiro Holdings, Inc.
References
- ↑ "BayStars name Ramirez as new manager". 19 October 2015. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
- ↑ http://bis.npb.or.jp/teams/yearly_db.html
- ↑ "Mascot Profiles". Retrieved 20 November 2015.
External links
Media related to Yokohama BayStars at Wikimedia Commons- (Japanese) Yokohama BayStars official website
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