He really said we’re jumping right into this

42:26 RIP Rickey.

I chose to support this team based on some shirt I found in a vintage store in Tokyo, I might regret what I have picked 😅

What are the different eras of NPB? I’m trying to learn more about the players and I want to put their stats into the historical context of the environment they played in?

Shōriki, the first owner of Yomiuri TV and newspaper company, was an agent of cia.

New to the channel, and I'm glad to have found it! I'm currently going through the Yakuza series, and I'm hearing a lot of familiar music. Might we expect a Tatsuo Shinada video at some point?

13:19 bro looks like Beat Takeshi

Sugano 👀

So if Suguru Egawa if is the “Enemy of the People” in NPB who is the MLB counterpart as the “Enemy of the People”?

callin someone "a [blank] merchant" never fails to crack me up

In modern terms the firing of Sawamura was someone buying the Dodgers and either releasing or trading Shohei Ohtani.

Reminder: do that vid on Dong-Won Choi

You mentioned Earl Whitehiill was on the Nationals, not the senators. 7:30

Eye opening. Terrific video. Thank you.

Sublimely enlightening video! Is there info anywhere for HR+ single season leaders in MLB history? Thanks!

It's impressive how much footage you found for all the players that played in the 40s. You put some much effort in this video.

I like Ikenaga's delivery. I can definitely see why batters had trouble against him. 7:37

What you forgot, as a Marines fan, Sasaki pitched 8 more perfect ininngs in his start after his perfect game and was pulled due to a high pitch count. His talent is off the charts and he will prove himself in MLB when he gets there.

YAKUZA REFERENCE?!

1:07:00 - 1:08:27 Why sports isn’t perfect escapism, and why it can still teach something

25:57 That's such a close call, even at 0.25× speed. Doesn't help that it's 2005 broadcast footage, so everything's super grainy and you can't tell exactly when the runner's foot hits the bag. EDIT: Yeah, that second angle leaves no ambiguity though

Randy Bass was my childhood hero. As a Denver Bears fan I will always have a special place in heart for this monster of a player.

Dammit now you have me looking for a Swallows card of Barnette

Randy Bass was my childhood hero. He was a monster on the Denver Bears in 79 & 80

Today marks the 20th anniversery of when the Kintetsu Buffaloes went extinct sadly.

Excellent program.

Love the vid Gaijin, one question where do you get the stats like FIP-, WAR, and ERA- cuz I can’t find them on fangraphs or baseball reference

I hope Kensuke Kondoh joins this list eventually.

Hi, what does the baseball abbreviation "BE" stand for? Never seen it before watching this video. Thx.

Hideki Matsui was one of my favorite players growing up. I had no idea how great he was in Japan. I'm also glad to see Kazuo Matsui had a good career in Japan. Kaz Matsui was the first player I got a jersey of.

I started paying attention to the NPB 2 weeks ago thanks to Pro Baseball Spirits 2024-2025. Now, I'm a huge fan. I've watched this video 8 times already. You did an absolutely incredible job on this video and deserve way more subscribers/views.

Terrific!!

Great job with the history here. Makes me think of my grandpa. Played ball in Mexico, came to the US for better opportunities, joined the Army and fought in Africa and Europe. Just a bunch of dudes who shared a love for baseball but had to fight due to circumstances beyond their control.

"Eiji" was my dad's middle name - it means "second son"

Do you have a video discussing the reasons you alluded to for Japan entering the War? Curious to hear your analysis.

Kintetsu Buffaloes walked so that Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles would live. The most recent defunct, well-established team in the NPB

There will never be another Randy Bass.

WONDERFUL vid THANKYOU

Only 4 foreigners allowed? So, systemic racism. Meanwhile, Americans need to be remind of MLB's distant history of racism every season.

@38:20 nice to hear Tilson Brito's name in the KBO section.

Immediate like for the great content overall, and for the inclusion of Persona 3 music In the background for this video

I'm certainly not an authority on the subject, but I haven't seen anything about any players being found guilty of war crimes. Matsutaro Shoriki came close during his time with the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department when they were rounding up suspected Japanese Communists in the 1920s. From what I've read most of the players who served had to be drafted or forced into service. The IJA also "shanghaied" foreign born Japanese players who happened to be in country visiting family, playing, or attending university. Hawaii born Tadashi "Bozo" Wakabayashi was a victim of that policy.

Thanks for posting yet another great vid. Your research is always top notch and I learn something new with each upload. I often think of Sawamura as Japan's Smoky Joe Wood. A heartbreaking example of what could have been.

other notable player is Nagoya(today's Dragons) pitcher Shinichi Ishimaru who has last no hitter record of Imperial Japan era professional baseball league in October 1943 and the only professional base ball player who died as Kamikaze pilot in May 1945 at age 22.

Thanks for sharing this

Amazing video thank you

This was beautiful. Thanks for making it! Also it was cool to hear about your education background.

I appreciate your… shall we say sympathetic worldview. My late father was also a political science major so I definitely understand from whence you are coming from.

all these peoples potentials wasted cause of stupid wars man. tragic