The Yomiuri Giants are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Bunkyo,Tokyo,they are one of two professional baseball teams based in Tokyo,the other being the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. They have played their home games in the Tokyo Dome since its opening in 1988. The team's owner is Yomiuri Shimbun Holdings,Japan's largest media conglomerate which also owns two newspapers and the Nippon Television Network.
The Tokyo Yakult Swallows are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Shinjuku,Tokyo,they are one of two professional baseball teams based in Tokyo,the other being the Yomiuri Giants. They have won 8 Central League championships and 6 Japan Series championships. Since 1964,they play their games at Meiji Jingu Stadium.
The Central League or Ce League is one of the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League in the annual Japan Series. It currently consists of six teams from around the country. Unlike the Pacific League,designated hitters are not used during Central League home games.
Roberto Antonio Petagine Hernandez is a retired professional baseball player of Italian descent. His Major League Baseball career includes brief stints with the Houston Astros (1994),San Diego Padres (1995),New York Mets,Cincinnati Reds (1998),Boston Red Sox (2005),and Seattle Mariners (2006);but he is best known for his success in the Japanese Central League between 1999 and 2004 where,as a member of the Yakult Swallows (1999–2002) and Yomiuri Giants (2003–2004),he was among Nippon Professional Baseball's premier offensive players.
James Robert Horner is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball and the Nippon Professional Baseball league as a third baseman and first baseman from 1978 to 1988,most prominently as a member of the Atlanta Braves where he was named the 1978 National League (NL) Rookie of the Year and was a member of the 1982 National League All-Star team.
Larry Alton Parrish is an American former professional baseball player,coach and manager. He played in Major League Baseball and the Nippon Professional Baseball league as a third baseman from 1974 to 1990,most prominently as a member of the Montreal Expos and the Texas Rangers.
Glenn Earl Davis is a former Major League Baseball (MLB) first baseman who played for the Houston Astros and Baltimore Orioles from 1984 to 1993 and finished in the top ten in National League MVP balloting three times.
Atsuya Furuta is a Japanese former baseball player and player-manager for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows professional baseball club in the Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Drafted in the 2nd round in 1990,Furuta became a leader for the Swallows as a catcher and became the first player-manager in Japanese baseball in 29 years,since Katsuya Nomura in 1977. In addition to his skills on the field,he is also known for leading a successful two-day strike in 2004 as the head of the Japanese baseball players union.
Mark Edward Smith is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles,Pittsburgh Pirates,Florida Marlins,Montreal Expos,and Milwaukee Brewers. Smith also played for the Yakult Swallows of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB),and the Hanwha Eagles of the KBO League.
Wladimir Ramon Balentien,nicknamed "Coco",is a Curaçaoan-Dutch professional baseball outfielder who is currently a free agent. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners and Cincinnati Reds,and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows and Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.
James Joseph Paciorek is an American former professional baseball player. He played first base,third base,and outfield for the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He also played with the Yokohama Taiyo Whales and Hanshin Tigers in the Japanese Central League.
Alcides Escobar,is a Venezuelan professional baseball infielder for the Leones de Yucatán of the Mexican League. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Milwaukee Brewers,Kansas City Royals and Washington Nationals,and the Tokyo Yakult Swallows of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
Hayato Sakamoto is a Japanese professional baseball shortstop with the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
Takashi Toritani is a Japanese professional baseball player for the Chiba Lotte Marines of the Nippon Professional Baseball(NPB). He previously played with the Hanshin Tigers.
Tomoaki Kanemoto is a Japanese former professional baseball outfielder and manager. In his career as a player he spent 11 years with the Hiroshima Carp before moving to the Hanshin Tigers in 2003,where he spent another 10 years. He holds the world record for consecutive games played without missing an inning and consecutive innings.
Michael Wayne Reinbach was a corner outfielder and designated hitter in Major League Baseball who played for the Baltimore Orioles in its 1974 season. Listed at 6' 2",195 lb.,Reinbach batted left handed and threw right handed. He was born in San Diego,California.
Katsumi Hirosawa is a former Nippon Professional Baseball player. A slugger who divided his time between infield and the outfield,Hirosawa played for the Yakult Swallows,the Yomiuri Giants,and the Hanshin Tigers. Hirosawa was a four-time Central League Best Nine Award-winner,an eight-time NPB All-Star,and twice led the Central League in RBI.
American expatriate baseball players in Japan have been a feature of the Japanese professional leagues since 1934. American expatriate players began to steadily find spots on Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) rosters in the 1960s. More than 600 Americans have played NPB,although very few last more than a single season in Japan.
The 2015 Japan Series was the 66th edition of Nippon Professional Baseball's postseason championship series. The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks,champions of the Pacific League,played the Tokyo Yakult Swallows,champions of the Central League. The Hawks were the defending Japan Series champions,having beaten the Hanshin Tigers in 2014. The series was sponsored by the Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) and was officially known as the SMBC Nippon Series 2015.
Takahiro Kumagai is a Japanese professional baseball infielder,playing for the Hanshin Tigers in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball.
