I’ve posted a lot on here about Japanese baseball players but little on the game of baseball in Japan.  But just what differences exist between MLB and Japanese Professional Baseball? The game itself is not as different as you think.  There are two leagues, one employing a DH (the Pacific League), the other having the pitcher bat (the Central League).  Teams represent a certain geographic area.  There are “faces” of a franchise that garner more admiration (and subsequently, cash).  But the presentation of the game is sure to turn a few heads.  Here are some key differences between the two:

1.) Small ball! – This one is pretty obvious and is usually the topic of conversation on American television or radio programs when referencing Japanese baseball.  In Japan, less emphasis is placed on home runs with players and managers instead focusing on small ball: walks, sac flys, stolen bases, bunts, and solid fielding.  Many credit Japan’s small ball approach with their win of the 2006 World Baseball Classic.  This does not mean that there are no big home run hitters in Japan, however, most of the them are foreign players, like Alex Cabrera or Tuffy Rhodes.  For a consistently good Japanese home run hitter, look up Yomiuri Giants star Michihiro Ogasawara.

2.) Ties are a possibility in Japanese baseball – In Major League Baseball, if it takes 20 innings and two days to break a tie, so be it.  You will never see a tie game in the Majors except under the most extreme of circumstances.  Ties in Japan are uncommon, but not completely impossible.  There is a rule in Japan that after 15 innings if the game remains tied, it will end as a tie.  This rule does not apply to the playoffs, of course.

3.) Hit a batter, tip your cap – In Japan, if a pitcher hits a batter, it is customary for the pitcher to tip his cap as the batter takes a base.  This is a sign of respect and proof that the pitcher did not intend to injure the hitter.  There are really no intentional hit batsmen or retaliatory pitches in Japanese baseball.  Good thing Roger Clemens never played in Japan.  He probably would have been deported.

4.) Six man rotations – Japanese baseball teams employ six man rotations.  Doing so gives the pitcher extra preparation (they only pitch once a week if there is an off day) and keeps their arms “fresh”.  I use quotations because the definition of fresh is highly volatile.  Many starters in Japan throw over 100 pitches on every occasion.  Daisuke Matsuzaka and Hiroki Kuroda, starters who have moved to MLB, have received extra care from trainers to ensure that the one day less of rest does not adversely affect their performance.

5.) The Japan Series is not the last series for the champs – The Asia Series, or officially, the Konami Cup, is a new playoff series that started in 2005.  Each November, the champions of Japanese Professional Baseball, Korean Professional Baseball, the Taiwan Baseball League and the Chinese Professional League play each other head to head.  The top two teams advance to a championship round and the best team is considered the champion of baseball in Asia.  Japan has won every year, with the Chiba Lotte Marines in 2005, the Nippon Ham Fighters in 2006 and the Chunichi Dragons in 2007.

6.) Team names contain the company that owns them - The Boston Red Sox.  The New York Yankees.  The Philapdelphia Phillies.  American baseball clubs are named after the city or state that they represent (unless you’re the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, in which case you have a stupid name).  Japanese clubs are named after the company that owns them.  Yomiuri is not the city in which the Giants play.  The Giants are a Tokyo-based franchise but are owned by the Yomiuri Newspaper and hence are named after them.  The Seibu Lions are from Saitama but are named after the Seibu Department Stores.  The Nippon Ham Fighters are from Hokkaido but are named after the meat company.  The Softbank Hawks are from Fukuoka but are named after the joint bank and cell phone company.  Only one team does not have a company listed in their name: the Yokohama Bay Stars, even though they are owned by TBS, a television station.

7.) Fan Cheering Sections – If you do ever manage to see a Japanese baseball game on TV, you will notice that there is almost constant singing and cheering.  This comes from the designated “cheering sections” for the two teams playing.  Fans sitting in these sections learn cheers for each individual player on their favorite team and sing them at each at-bat.  There are usually two or three people leading a section, complete with drums and a trumpet to maintain a beat and to alert the fans as to what cheer they will sing next.  What is most unusual is that the cheering occurs only in this section, with every other part of the stadium relatively quiet.

8.) FIght Songs – Every team has a fight song.  You can’t call yourself a diehard fan if you don’t know your teams song! Often sung during the 7th or 8th inning at the home team’s stadium, these songs are meant to inflict pride and give the home team extra strength to get the win.  These songs are even available at karaoke centers for any fan to sing.  The most famous fight song is the Hanshin Tigers’, with such lyrics as:

Powerful hits and skillful pitches achieved a thousand times
Trained with every discipline here at Koshien
Crowned with constant victory, glorious, matchless feats
Always proud, invincible “Hanshin Tigers”

(Source: http://everything2.com/e2node/Hanshin%2520Tigers)

9.) Food – Hungry at the ballpark? How about a nice hot dog and a soda? Or a juicy burger? How about breaded pork with curry and rice or fried octopus balls? Food at Japanese ballparks ranges from your standard hot dog to a complete obento, a boxed meal that usually has a main dish like sushi or curry, rice, Japanese pickles, and a small portion of cabbage.  The unfortunate part? You have to get out of your seat to buy any of it.  Don’t fret yet, because in Japan, there are…

10.) Beer Girls!! – While you do have to get up to buy food at the ballpark, you don’t have to move a muscle for drinks.  Baseball stadiums employ beer girls who walk around the park with about a keg of beer on their back that is constantly kept cool.  They pour your beer straight from the tap and hand it to you in your seat.  The best part? It’s twofold.  There is no strict beer licensing at ballparks like in America, meaning you can get three or four different choices of what to have.  Also, tipping is not customary in Japan, so no scrambling to find a dollar in quarters in your wallet or purse.  The bad part? It’s expensive, with higher end beers like Asahi Super Dry sometimes costing $9 or $10.