Japanese Baseball is Awesome and You Need to Know More About it

[@WarPigs413]

As an American, I have lived in japan for 2 years because of the military. I’m a huge baseball fan and there was no better place to be than japan! Their respect for the game and culture around it is impressive and arguably the best in the world. Every baseball fan around the world needs to experience a game in japan. The electricity in the ballpark is unmatched and compares to a college football game!

[@Chad.1337]

my mom played in the minor league in tokyo while we lived at Yokota Air Base although i don't remember much because i was a toddler going to the games were a blast. (this was 1999-2004)

[@sunsun2181]

Thank you, liver666-san. I feel happy you like Japanese baseball.

[@gabrielvazquez1691]

And the great thing there is that the culture on the field they take it off the field. Something that a lot of the world is forgetting.

[@gabrielvazquez1691]

@MANCHESTER UNITED and that should influence the some of us feel about this game why?

[@cryisfree8860]

MANCHESTER UNITED Lol shut up. Soccer is BORING. Worse than American Football

[@hessunator]

Not only is Hideo Nomo the only ever player to throw a no-hitter at the Coors Field, he did it at the pre-humidor Coors Field against a juiced lineup that hit a.343 at Coors Field. The opposing pitchers that year had a 7.06 ERA there also. Ridiculous stuff.

[@chaytonmowrey4844]

wow. thank u for this info. actually incredible

[@bummer1912]

Jeepers!!!

[@MorrisChestbutt]

Sheesh

[@MrDevildog37]

Great stat!! Thanks for the share

[@Ian_Somnia]

wtf thats insane

[@SportStorm23]

I would love to experience a Japanese baseball game in person. Those crowds look super fun to be a part of.

[@MrDAZ3197]

SportStorm went to my first one over the summer and let me tell you that it was an AMAZING experience!

[@wingwaabuddha]

I have been everywhere and done everything... and nothing has compared to watching a Japanese baseball game....nothing. Can't explain it, you have to experience it

[@jimdouthat134]

my team went to japan to play in a tournament and OH MY GOSH the baseball is increbile

[@mk-vi5mx]

Marshalisepic III Don’t worry, it’s pretty safe I have started to going watching NPB games since I was 6 with my dad but never experienced problems ( I was born & raised in Japan)

[@anthonypang7927]

@@marshalisepic5062 way more unsafe in mlb

[@とくとく-d6h]

I’m Japanese Junior High School Student. Ichiro is the most famous baseball player in Japan. He could sure batting,defense,and laser throwing. I respect him eternally.

[@vikasyadav4972]

Hello, hope u r doing well, actually I am looking for any application or website to see japanese baseball scorecard in english language and player stats to play fantasy here in india, if you know any such app or website please tell me

[@FlatPlutoSociety]

He is one of the most beloved players in modern American baseball, not just by Seattle Mariners fans, but by everybody. We are so thankful to have had him play here for so many seasons

[@sidfujinari5959]

I was born and raised in Japan due to my dad being a US soldier of Japanese descent, my mother unable to return to the US in 1939 while visiting relatives. During the mid '60s through early '70's, I watched Japanese pro ball and my friend and I would go to the stadium early because we had alot of interaction with the players in the outfield during batting practice etc. Got many balls tossed to us then! My Japanese cousin went to Koshien to the semi finals. What a show!!

[@dankdill8286]

Wow! Semifinals at Koshien, that’s so cool!

[@jaytillman4278]

have you ever heard of a baseball team call Miyakawa?

[@wadejg_blaze0n213]

You still playing to this day?

[@Neotenico]

I went to an Orix Buffaloes game (on July 4th as a matter of fact) while I was studying abroad in Japan. The constant cheering and energy was so incredible. And the fans were unbelievably friendly. We had to be the only foreigners there (aside from a few American players) and every chant my friends and I started was immediately picked up by everybody in our section. They seemed thrilled to know that Americans were excited and impressed with their brand of baseball, and we were happy to see something so familiar yet so unique in a foreign country. It was incredible to feel that mutual bond with people from halfway around the world.

[@Neotenico]

Oh and the beer is actually somewhat modestly priced and Japanese macro beer is far better than American maco.

[@kelvinyoung8728]

I’ve been to Japan a few times and my greatest memories of my times there were attending the baseball games and your description is correct it’s baseball with a college football atmosphere. It’s never boring, they play the game faster, lots of fan interaction, cheerleaders 📣, and great sportsmanship by the fans for both teams! I was fortunate to see Ichiro’s rise to fame while there before he came to the MLB and he was by far a phenomenon. The best pure baseball player I have ever seen at that time. Thanks for the great video it brought back good memories and was very well done 👍

[@shounensociety]

what he said about high school baseball being so big in japan immediately made me think of the anime Ace of the Diamond or Daiya no A, which is an AMAZING show centered around a pitcher in a prestigious high school baseball team in Tokyo. anyone here seen it??

[@carmelopearman5721]

Check out star of the giants!

[@virendra-e05]

ofc 🎉

[@rozerenity]

You should watch Major anime aka the anime that inspired a lot of young aspiring baseball players including Shohei Ohtani. People even compared Shohei as the real life Shigeno Goro(protagonist) except Shohei is so much better than him. But their obsession with baseball is pretty much the same. Lol

[@shweeps]

10:31 That was one of the sickest picks ive ever seen.

[@Mockturtlesoup1]

Back when I was a kid, my dad would often get tickets from someone in his building to Hartford Whalers(NHL) games. Whenever they played the Bruins(my favorite team, as my father grew up in Boston so I was always a Boston sports fan), I swear there were more Bruins fans than Whalers fans.

[@gingerface1898]

6:29 lol that pitcher’s reaction after giving up a home run😂

[@LLHgames]

Been to 2 Japanese Baseball games, the first was a game that only finished 1-0 against the team I was supporting in the Tokyo Dome, not the best score line but the atmosphere was something else. 2 years later, I went to a stadium that is right next to the Olympic Stadium for a game that finished 7-4 and I’ll never forget how fun the crowd was, one of the teams fans all had little umbrellas and integrated them into their chants. Absolutely love J Baseball and, just like J League Football, beers in the stands is a winner as well!

[@hanxiao8070]

A Tokyo Swallows game at meiji jingu stadium?

[@LLHgames]

@@hanxiao8070 yeah I think that was them, they had the umbrellas, I was sat with the Tokyo Giants fans though, I was there as a neutral to see a good game, but did cheer with Giants fans. Plus the fellow sat next to me, went and got these green bean things for me and him, he never spoke English but he was very very kind. So much so that when they got a home run he gave me a hug 😂

[@hanxiao8070]

@@LLHgames That was pretty cool! I personally prefer the atmosphere at Meiji stadium over those modern Japanese domes. It's like Fenway park or Wrigley field of Japan

[@BlueRad90]

In Japan, the pitch selection is pretty much more diverse compared to MLB. In Japan, I think Forkballs or Splitters are quite common compared to MLB. There is also a Vertical Slider that breaks downward. And then there is a “Reverse Slider” pitch called Shootball (aka Shuuto) that breaks towards pitcher’s arm side.

[@MrYoshiEggs]

Taiwan, Netherlands, Italy, Korea, Australia, so many countries to do!

[@CAPAE]

I second Korea and Australia.

[@brianbethea3069]

Something covering the Finnish sport of Pesäpallo would be interesting too. It's like baseball's weird Finnish cousin.

[@Erlov71]

Mexico has 2 leagues. Summer and winter. Bartolo Colon is playing there this year.

[@Mythicalswr]

🇹🇼 Taiwan

[@cene5314]

Taiwan has great fans

[@thegreatestpitchermaddux4887]

Hi I’m baseball fan from Japan and thanks for the excellent summary of Japanese culture and baseball. Even from my view as Japanese, there’s new findings from this video. I love watching mlb and it’s always exciting to sightseeing US and going to the ballparks there. Culture, history and games are super interesting for me.

[@tylershep4220]

10:32 Holy shit dude look at that catch

[@DeidaraOfTheAkatsuki]

I wanna go watch Koshien. Baseball anime like Daiya no Ace (Ace of the diamond) really goes in-depth of high school training and life decisions you make when it comes to baseball. The hard work you do just to be eliminated by a power house school, knowing that 1 loss means the end of high school careers, and having coaches find colleges to take you in is too much to the point quitting seems like a good option especially with 10+ hours of training. And going to a powerhouse school can end it success or failure. The same 8 players play every game unless performance or injury, you can tell with 2-8 corespondent to position on the field. The teams ace the #1 jersey is held in high regard and 11-20 are backups and extra pitching. But I’m gonna highlight the ace, the ace at a young age is told he should always be on the field because he carries weight to the jersey. To the point major injury’s mental and physical can’t stop them they are training to make sure they pitch all 9 innings to make the team win and anything else is their fault because they control the game and the 3rd years (basically seniors in US high school) it’s their last time playing so they don’t want to lose to keep them together because after that who knows what happens to their careers

[@栗栖が萌じゃない]

Lmao, I recommend you watch Major (anime/manga) it has 6 seasons (season 2 and 3 is basically diamond no ace, but its even better).

[@CJSmith30]

Ace of diamond got me in baseball

[@falihsaukhan5365]

its nice but big windup was better

[@栗栖が萌じゃない]

@@falihsaukhan5365 nah m8, it's gey (literally)

[@ellenkhaybonon1343]

2shizukasensei88 I think Major and Diamond no ace are both distinct. I’ve seen Major way back when I was a kid and watched it again after diamond no ace. They’re different in ways that I’m just so glad I get to read/watch such an amazing story. With diamond no ace, I can’t help but read/watch it again and again because the way the characters were developed makes it so rewarding to see it over and over. With Major, the approach focused more on Goro’s strength/life as a picture, his dream and overall career (I find so amazing how far he’d come, I dunno if we’d get to see that with daiya no ace) while in Diamond no ace, I got to see more of baseball and the importance of each position. Urgh I love both haha the stories are just so good, there’s something in the other story that you’d find in the other one (vice versa) they’re both fulfilling. Major will keep you on edge knowing Goro might end up hurting himself again and then Daiya no ace always got me doubting the writing and thinking Sawamura might fail again. And now I have Koshien as a place to visit in Japan. 💕

[@stonerabbit344]

My introduction to Japanese baseball came by way of my son who was living in Japan with his future wife. He would send me video tapes of Japanese baseball games every now and again. I became quite a fan of their game. The people who attend these games really put the “fan” back in fanatic. The crowds are loud and emotional; the noise is constant. There are bands in the stands, cheering sections, drummers, and the ever-present banners waving. Some stadiums have no grass infields which make grounders lively and difficult to field. Pitchers who are not doing well are pulled -- right now, and not left in the game to see if they’ll improve over the next few innings, unlike the MLB practice. Yeah, North Americans should get to know more about the Japanese game. I would like to see a North American TV network pick up the occasional Japanese baseball game, or perhaps the Japanese championship series.

Plus, no boring pipe organs - only the people and its energy.

[@elchris8788]

D.R. baseball is a religion there. I went to a game during the 2013 WBC with Dominican Republic vs Italy and those guys get loud. I tweeted Nicaragua it's few but there's history.

[@emichael2732]

El Chris Ayy Nicaragua🇳🇮

[@Pedicrap]

El Chris a couple of things both D.R. and Japan have in common as well...cheerleaders!

[@robertm4050]

Last year there were 102 players from the DR and 6 from Japan even though Japan has a population 10X bigger.

[@Pedicrap]

Robert M I really never understood that. Japan do very well in Little League and other amateur competitions. However when it comes to having professional players in the MLB not so much. Other than owning there players for a long time before becoming free agents, why they don’t come over? Something happens where they dominate one field and not the other. 🤷🏽‍♂️

[@robertm4050]

@@Pedicrap The weather is better for playing baseball year round. Even in the US, areas that have better weather tend to produce more talent. Also the financial opportunities in DR compared to Japan force more people from DR to push to become MLB players. Also the leagues in Asia can pay reasonable salaries to the players, not so much in the DR.

[@conpton1]

Nomo, Ichiro, and Otani. These three are special to Japanese baseball fans.

[@jakestar121]

Who here after Japan won that epic WBC??? 🇯🇵🇯🇵🇯🇵

[@jonathankessels3534]

Me lol

[@blakeverdon4492]

As an American who lived in Japan for almost half my life, I will forever regret not going to see a Japanese baseball game. Baseball is one of my favorite sports and I absolutely love the culture around the game in Japan.

[@cazmaestro]

Wait, if you like baseball so much and you lived there, how come you didn't go?

[@blakeverdon4492]

@cazmaestro Well, I was pretty young at the time, so I couldn't exactly on my own, and I didn't realize baseball was as big in Japan as it is. If I had known, I definitely would have tried to catch a game, but I didn't find out about the Japanese baseball scene until a few years after moving back to the states. _Also, three years ago, "half my life" wasn't as long as it is now so the ratio has changed a bit lol_

[@Bullwine]

I will say that if you're ever in Japan at the time of Summer Koshien, see if you can find your way to Hanshin Koshien Stadium. Waited SIX hours in line, with the cheapest tickets only at 500 yen (the equivalent of less than $5!). It was worth the wait. The tickets get you in for all the days games, of which there were four when I went, but was only able to see the 2nd and 3rd before I decided to head back to my hotel. The High Schools have their own student sections, marching bands, etc., almost like a college basketball game. And at the end of the day, some fans will put up tents and everything to sleep in their place in line so they can be the first ones in the very next morning. It's absolutely insane, but I love it. I also did see Daisuke Matsuzaka pitch for Chunichi Dragons vs. the Baystars......he was pulled after 0.1 IP and 6ER. Edit: IS THAT A MOTHERFUCKING JOJO REFERENCE

[@superninja252]

i watch the Koshien tournaments every yeaar and they aare indeed amazing to watch

[@DreamChasersInc]

As someone who teaches Japanese language and culture, I deeply appreciate the amount of respect and research that went into this. Baseball is definitely one of the special sports for folks in Japan, and it's great to see a light shined on the stuff that makes it tick Also the Yomiuri Giants are a bunch of CHUMPS

[@david_babarian_6976]

Ya'll should watch an anime called "Diamond no Ace" its a really good anime about baseball.

[@passionseeker9721]

came here right after i finished watching it

[@CJSmith30]

That got me in baseball lol

[@JD260A9]

Diamond no Ace is powerful.

[@carlosmelo6220]

the anime Major is amazing too.

[@rooseveltbrentwood9654]

try the anime “Big Pitch”

[@mk-vi5mx]

Really enjoyed the video. Thanks! I was born/raised in Japan now live in USA, so I have been to many NPB games and some MLB games. I love both leagues! But maybe You can experience more carnival-like atmosphere at NPB games. My first attending of NPB game was age 6 and it was super fan even I didn’t know the rule at that time. Especially singing songs for each players with other fans is the part I love. If someone interested to watching NPB games, Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters games on 2016 are pretty exciting. That was the year LAA player Shohei Ohtani won 11games/1.86 ERA as a pitcher, 22HR/.322BA as a batter.

[@MikeE_wf]

9:22 holy shit. so that's why the anime "ace of the daimond" shows high school teens doing insane training over baseball in highschool.

[@tylersmith1515]

tfw you think its just an over the top anime training arc but it actually mirrors real life practices

[@Jhanzey]

when I was in the military I went to a NPB game in Tokyo and it was without a doubt my favorite sports moment. the atmosphere in the Tokyo Dome was nothing short of electric, and id highly recommend any baseball fan who finds themselves in Japan to check out a game. super respectful fans, and tickets to even the most popular games can be had at the gate for the equivalent of 10 USD

[@sgaxnikolaix661]

I love Japanese Baseball. My team is the Chunichi Dragons because there style is much close to Dodgers. Really check it out

[@user-sn6mx5xh4c]

Me too！！

[@avery.a5948]

Where can you watch Japanese baseball in the states?

[@MooseTheMoose]

Yah, cuz our nemesis, the Yomuiri Giants mirror the SF Giants… so we mirrored the Dodgers

[@moistpeanut5986]

I was at the 2009 WBC Japan v Korea game at Dodger stadium. All the years ive been in that stadium I had never seen the crowd so fired up and passionate.

[@leahakikoi_]

I went to a baseball game in Sendai last year and it was amazing!! The cheers, the chanting, the banners, the whole experience was something I'll never forget and I"m so glad I made the drive up. I also went to a high school playoff game in my city and it was insane how many emotions the players and even the classmates watching the game had. I can't imagine what it would've been like actually going to Koshien

[@brownjoshua7]

Dude watching Japanese baseball games are a must for anyone that travels there. One of the coolest experiences I had while living there.

[@ricardovaldez6716]

I’ve faced some Japanese guys my freshman year, those were the nicest guys I’ve ever played baseball with

[@superninja252]

11:26 some players can play on the Shakaijin Bseball (社会人 野球) after highschool, it can also be translated as a Industrial League (since most of teams are made of workers of one or more companies), they have 2/3 tournaments a year, and the best players tend go play in NPB (same draft system that japanese college and high schoolers have to endure) consider Shakaijin (社会人) as AA or A, since NPB have its own AAA (Farm Leagues)

[@leo-windrider]

Basically independent ball with teams owned by companies. If the players contribute enough they get a job in the company after retirement.

[@superninja252]

@@leo-windrider not indepedent ball, beacuse there is also already a indepedent ball in Japan, with 2 indie leagues, BCL and Shikoku Island League (think that second as the Cape Cod League but more profissional based), some already work half perioid and then on the another peroid they pratice

[@chianele]

@@leo-windrider Japan also has independent ball. Shakaijin Baseball is different in the sense that players are actually employed as workforce for the company, so in the day time, particularly the morning, they work as an office worker (clerk / salesman etc.) while after work they practice. Some even have a full time job and practise in their leisure time/weekends.

@@chianele Salarymen-players - not a bad combo.

[@ZangXR.]

Thanks for the love everyone, I look forward to working with the boys at SRS in the future. I don't have any content on youtube, but I do stream stuff like Battlefront 2, Madden, OSRS and Dota 2 on twitch @ twitch.tv/zang4978. Shoutout to the weebs who watched this and lmk who your waifu is down below, mine is Lust from FMAB EDIT: Since there's a lot of traction in the comments about the screwball/shuuto, allow me to clarify. The origins of the screwball are unclear and difficult to trace which is stated by MLB. Carl Hubbell and Christy Matthewson brought the pitch to fame in the US, but it is primarily seen from Japanese pitchers in the majors today. My verbiage of "it was created" wasn't entirely correct but I was generalizing the 2 of them together in that they are most commonly found in Japanese Baseball. The reason it's still even used today is because Japanese pitchers frequently use it in their repertoire. The shuuto is also classified as a reverse slider (what a screwball is) with a downward break to. The shuuto is described with various types of breaks from all different kinds of sources, but the most common trait of it is that it is thrown with the arm speed of a fastball, has a spin like a bullet and breaks down and to the right.

[@philipgeiger8877]

@Zach you should do Israel or the Netherlands or Italy in the future

[@vamp9713]

Hana, Prison School

[@hbuhgdcufcufc3493]

The sad thing about Japanese HS baseball is that there is no JV team you only have the koushienn tournament so if you lose in your first game all your hard work you’ve done up until then is just gone that’s why you see so many hs players cry when they lose a game bc it’s most likely that they’ll never play ball ever again. Also since there’s only a “varsity” team, there are A LOT of kids who practice their butt off and buy their jerseys only to never wear them ever in their hs career. It’s really emotional when you watch the hs baseball games

[@jaypainespotter]

Great job Zach

[@pilotamurorei]

the bi-annual High school baseball tournament is played at a SINGLE stadium, Koushien, the home of the Hanshin tigers. You say you like it but cant even state that simple fact? I dont even care about high school baseball, especially because Saitou Yuuki bombed like a little bitch once he went pro.

[@sootchh4055]

10:51 That's Ichiro batting as a 17 year-old, in case you want to know.

[@jayvader9023]

i can tell with the way he drifts off of the plate when he hits

[@junglejim2290]

lol no its not. no chance

[@shawneric3340]

@Ryu Sato あいこーだいめーでん

[@Biscuit553598]

I love Japanese baseball. I respect the way they play and love how the fans are so In to It. It’s on my bucket list to see a game In Japan.

[@md.shabibalmamun7033]

I only knew that baseball is only popular in the US, until I started watching anime and knew how worshipped it is also in Japan.

[@kasuga_sam]

Japanese Baseball is really something else, y’all! I went to a game in September. Two less than average teams for the year, dome 2/3 full, but no spirit gone for both teams. It’s really something you need to experience, because videos don’t do it justice!

[@CSLucasEpic]

Japanese and Korean baseball is freaking amazing. Cuban Baseball has been in decline for the last decade, but watching their games is still great. Probably the most defensive Baseball I've seen has been from Cuban league games.

[@TheOMAR617]

The government fault 🤷🏽‍♂️

[@izzdin6228]

Defensive baseball? Wow they also share that sorta emphasis on being defensive in boxing too. What's with Cuba and producing top notch defense style athletes?

[@sheastadium2008]

Wow really? Why is that? Is it not the tope sport no more? The same thing happened in Puerto Rico with Baseball, but extremely more DRASTIC

[@protocetus499]

​@@TheOMAR617 thats not goverment fault, but because football become more and more popular

[@protocetus499]

​@@sheastadium2008 because football is getting more popular

[@shiggityx2]

I was lucky enough to watch the Nippon Ham Fighters play in Sapporo. Amazing experience. The coordinated cheers and bento lunches were wonderful.

[@SpaceEchoesJess]

great video. as someone that loves both baseball and the little I've experienced of Japanese culture, this video is a great primer for the MPB curious like myself

[@stevenqirkle]

I live in Japan and just joined a local softball team and I gotta say I’m pretty excited for it.

[@Dreadlock1227]

I went to a Yomiuri Giants game at the Tokyo Dome last year and it was one of the coolest sports experiences I’ve ever had, it was a completely different atmosphere than any other baseball game I’ve ever been to. Going to a game in Japan should definitely be on any baseball fan’s bucketlist!

[@apenvose]

Hanshin Tigers! I was set to leave for Japan next week, but due to COVID my trip was canceled. I was so excited to go to a NPB game.

[@AlohaBiatch]

10:12 i am Japanese. You touched on some good points. Baseball is known even in Japan for having extremely strict and sometimes abusives coaches. It’s almost like the military, all the kids have to shave their head as well (watch Koshien or high school baseball and you will see). This has damaged I think baseball in Japan for kids, because nowadays soccer is becoming more popular than baseball, because they are not as insanely strict.

[@sayrasss]

Their passion for the game is so beautiful, I really hope I can one day witness a game in Japan

[@themongooser7199]

My dad was in the Air Force growing up and I lived on the island of Okinawa during high school. In 1996, the Orix Blue Waves and the Tokyo Nippon Hamfighters came to Okinawa and play a game at the baseball stadium in Ginowan. This was the only Japanese pro game I ever saw as they rarely came to Okinawa. It just happened that Ichiro was playing in this game, before any Americans knew who he was. Tons of fans had their #51 signs and they went crazy every time he came up to bat. We were sitting there wondering who this guy was(this was before the Internet existed). A few years later when he came to play in Seattle, I realized it was him because of all the signs I saw on the clips on sports center.

[@frankthespank]

It warms my heart when I see how Japan shows so much respect for our national pastime. Japan shows more respect for baseball than our own people do. How many times have you heard idiots say “duhh I watch baseball until football season starts hurrr durrrrr!”. Ugh... Anyways, THANK YOU Japan, you are great people and your country and culture are beautiful.

[@mk-vi5mx]

frankthespank thank you America to create wonderful game we all enjoy! ありがとう！ From a Japanese who loves both NPB and MLB baseball

[@anthonypang7927]

Beaning and drilling players are not really a thing in japan either If you hit a batter, you tip your cap to indicate it was an accident

[@carlnilssonyoung8961]

Good video. About The high school tournaments, spring is not the regular season as the summer as play off. There is a third path to npb after high school, except being drafted directly, or go to university league, many players rather go to amateur corporational league which is in fact semi pro level. After 1 to 3 years they enter the npb draft again.

[@invertedhell2215]

If anyone watching this video likes baseball but is also interested in anime, I recommend watching Ace of the Diamond it is a story about a young baseball pitcher leaving his home and friends to go to a powerful baseball team he was invited to in Tokyo called Seidou it is a long anime though, but it is really interesting so if you are into both things, you should try it.

[@alex-or7dl]

There is just something about foreign fans that you don’t really get with Americans… they just have so much more passion man. Look at soccer, they get so fucking hype like their life depends on it. The chants give me chills

[@rudyflores5540]

The only thing I know before watching about Japanese baseball is that the fields are smaller, the balls are different, ichiro and ohtani came from there, and the crowds are WAY cooler

[@anthonypang7927]

All the teams used to use different balls from a local manufacturer so at times for example, yakult swallows had a small field so to compensate for that they got their supplier to have deader baseballs Now its all uniformed

[@施宇洋-m4c]

Well as for baseball fields' size, most of them in Japan are following the size recommended by rules and the outfield wall are even taller then those for MLB Even those ballparks considered as "small" like Meiji Shrine (12,589 m2), Yokohama (12,472 m2) and Tokyo Dome (12,447 m2) are even bigger then some MLB ballparks (for example, Angels Stadium 12,274 m2, Minute Maid Park 11,881 m2, Yankee Stadium 11,908 m2)

[@dogo_cascara2138]

For you guys to have an idea of how big baseball is in japan, there exist a junior baseball league in Brazil, solely brought up by Japanese families. We perform all the rituals that they practice back in japan, and even refer to positions and plays by their Japanized names (first base is firsto, second base is secando, short stop is shoto and so on). They even sold anime at the tournaments!

[@MezzoForte4]

Ain't nobody gonna talk about that insane catch at 10:32?!?!

[@Dwaggy]

I responded to that as "HOLY SHIT" and covered my mouth, yes this is epic.

[@Miko0219]

it looks something straight out of an anime

[@hl8216]

9:23 tsutsugoh also made some remark in his press conference pointing out that kids quit baseball because of depression caused by forced unpractical and unnecessary worshipping of coaches and managers at their team it's a major problem at japan right now

[@RicciChoi1109]

H L The most major problem is still Japan’s aging population with an extraordinary low birth rate...

[@shingshongshamalama]

@@RicciChoi1109 Nah their biggest problem is definitely still the rising right-wing nationalism in their government. Also historical revisionism in school textbooks. Also really shitty women's rights and LGBT laws.

[@radiocalico9124]

@@shingshongshamalama nerd

[@theyoshi202]

@Radio Calico but he’s right

[@ΔΓςΗΞΜΨώθΓκζ]

@@shingshongshamalama yeah more like ultranationalist . and about historical textbook only less than 5% of schools in japan use censored text book the japans teachers union refuse use that book which is they have strong ties with left wing party in here japan.

[@reeseseater12]

Something I love about Japan baseball you don’t see in the US is the outfield play, or how they rob home runs. I’ve seen videos of Japanese outfielders climb the walls to rob home runs. I just think that’s awesome and would like to see that in the ML

[@andorerolents1600]

The crowds have fun and make every minute worth!

[@vamp9713]

Zach (Zack?) is a man of culture. Good addition. Also, Japanese baseball is great, had a fantastic time watching games in Japan. Great video! In addition, thank you so much for bringing up the abysmal work culture in Japan. It’s something that needs to change. The work culture in Japan is awful for all those involved, just check their country suicide rates.

[@superninja252]

they had trying to change but without kill its tradition, Koshien tournaments are putting weekly pitch limit from this year and the way little leagers are trained changed from the last yew years

[@vamp9713]

superninja252 that’s good to hear. I hope it prevents kids from throwing their arms out while they’re young from overworking it.

[@leaguemaskthaamumugod7552]

vamp9 man of culture doesn’t know Puerto Rico isn’t a country

[@vamp9713]

LeagueMask ThaAmumuGod Puerto Rico is a weird place when it comes to international events. While it is a territory of the US, Puerto Rico gets its own representatives in international events like the olympics. So if he was talking about representatives of Puerto Rico it’s more understandable to call it its own country, even though it technically isn’t.

[@bobathy5710]

Making it too koshien for players is like an actual dream. Imagine finally succeeding in your dream you’ve been working hard for your whole life. Times that by 10 and you got how much Japanese baseball players (who want too be there) strive too make it there

[@asport6540]

Im from germany and because of diamond no ace i fell in love with baseball 🤙🏻

[@Codey323]

“Baseball in Japan is built on mutual respect.” As a Hanshin fan, I strongly disagree. Just listen to our team song parody for the Giants.

[@Leon_der_Luftige]

Any recommendations for japanese teams to follow?

[@Codey323]

Neon Leon current top teams for central and pacific leagues are DeNA Baystars (Yokohama) and Softbank Eagles (Fukuoka). Both teams are insanely popular and have solid rosters. I follow the central league more closely because my team is there, so I recommend following the Hanshin Tigers (Osaka) as they’re known for doing stuff like dumping a colonel sanders statue in a river after winning the equivalent of the World Series.

[@Leon_der_Luftige]

Kousan Ok thanks. It seemed to me the Carp are cool just because of the fans and their cool stadium with the backwall allowing climbing and really spectacular homerun denials. ^^ I'm not the kinda guy who wants to be fan of the most successful teams as its just boring and frankly a bit cheap if you are not from the city the team is stationed at. Are there any teams most people don't like for some reason in Japan? In other words teams you really want to avoid for getting funny looks wearing their cap?

[@meucanal9582]

@@Codey323 Are the Yakult Swallows a good team?

[@taichi1214s]

@@meucanal9582 They are financially poor, more of an underdog, but a fun team to watch. They are good at producing talented players. Aoki is back from MLB and you should follow Yamada and Murakami who may go to MLB in the future. (from Swallows fan)

[@carmelopearman5721]

The point about youth baseball in Japan made me emotional because that’s exactly what happened to me. Growing up in Japan I loved the sport to an obsession but came to hate it playing for a youth team over there- too much practice and too much studying for what should be a fun elementary school little legate experience.

[@tmmylczrn]

I can remember the day I discovered "Major" back in 3rd grade. that anime hook me into baseball. Gotta love Japan.

[@Spangooli]

I'll be moving to japan for a few years pretty soon, and one of the first things i wanna do is go to a ball game. nothing like a day at the ballpark, no matter where you are.

[@TheTakahashiKid]

Thanks for covering this! You nailed it that the games are more similar to watching a college basketball or football game. Small correction: Yomiuri not Yomimuri.

[@madethecut]

My notifications are on SRS ;)

[@HufflepuffBaseball42313]

OH MY GOD ITS MADE THE CUT

[@madethecut]

@@HufflepuffBaseball42313 Have a great day!

[@HufflepuffBaseball42313]

@@madethecut thank you

[@finnm1370]

MTC!!!

[@carlosc8064]

Ichiro was already a legend in Japan before he joined the MLB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@UltimaKeyMaster]

US high school football: One team farting around getting stomped for an entire season Japanese high school baseball: Those sports anime being way over the top aren't so weird, that's REAL.

[@joeshang3574]

"With the olympics coming to Tokyo this year..." Ya about that

[@susboy7927]

I think Japan would smoke teams

[@breguera77]

Went to my first Japanese baseball game last week! Hiroshima Toyo Carp vs the Chunichi Dragons. Awesome experience although somewhat subdued because of covid. Still had a great time

[@versaleyang]

"Olympics in Japan this summer" Well, about that...

[@rjakobi]

I'm really thinking we need to do Australia as soon as possible, but I agree that Cuba should be the next stop for this.

[@billyfox7089]

Great work on Japanese baseball! Anyone else as curious about Australia as I am (and why the Twins have had so many players from Down Under)?

[@GamingGalore64]

Colorado Rockies fan here! I actually lived in Southern Japan for a year in high school, on weekends I used to take the train into town to see the SoftBank Hawks play in Fukuoka. That was a year they made it to the playoffs and I remember throughout all of October and November the Hawks theme song was playing EVERYWHERE in the city. Their stadium, the Yahoo Dome, also has really cool adjustable cup holders on the seat so you can drink without using your hands. People rag on Japanese baseball but, imo, I think you could merge the MLB and NPB and the Japanese teams would absolutely be competitive.

[@finnm1370]

GamingGalore64 they should do a 7 game series with the world series winner and the NPB champion to decide the world champion

[@GamingGalore64]

_ F I 100% agree

[@Pleasemakeamove]

My brother was stationed in South Korea a couple years ago and he went to a few games there and said that they where ridiculously pumped up. Chanting, cheering and singing.

[@omegablack80214]

And yet, not a single mention of the God-King of Japanese baseball himself, Sadaharu Oh.

[@anthonypang7927]

@DA BOUL BLACKLUNGZ he does have 868 to his name, shigeo nagashima is more popular because sadaharu oh despite his greatness is ethnic chinese and is not a japanese citizen despite being born and raised in japan, nagashima is "pure" japanese Oh's koshien story is stuff of legend btw, nagashima never played in the koshien tournament which bothers him to this day

[@anthonypang7927]

@DA BOUL BLACKLUNGZ oh was pitching for waseda high school in koshien and developed blisters, he couldnt pitch so his father got the train to osaka from tokyo (no shinkansen back then) and applied an ointment, he was the winning pitcher the next day and this cemented his status as a national hero before he even became a pro His arm was great for high school but nowhere near strong enough for pros His father wanted him to be a doctor iirc, so he wasnt that thrilled at his son pursuing baseball. There are countless great koshien moments, daisuke araki and koji ohta who were both high school stars, they never became mega stars or that much professionally but they were the most popular and i still saw ohta in commercials not that long ago Couple of years ago i met kona takahashi who took maebashi to the high school title, they are a no name school really, unlike your likes of osaka toin, waseda, pl gakuen, chiben wakayama, koryo, yokohama high, meiden etc Yuki saito would still sell out stadiums because of his high school feats despite being nothing but a run of the mill player in npb

[@SkullArrs]

Awesome video! Was searching something like for so long. Informative a give a nice overview ! Could be really cool to do another video who goes deeper into the japanese highschool baseball topic. It's really interesting and gather so much about the vision of the game in Japan imo. Keep up the good work!

[@fujitofusan]

japan takes everything things seriously and earnestly, even little tiny things! mad respect!

[@jblank2215]

Ive been going to baseball games for almost 35 years and the most fun game I ever went to was the World Baseball Classic championship game between Japan and South Korea at dodger stadium. The crowd was electric.

[@bxmbb]

Zach did a great job for this being his first commentary

[@willdroke9119]

I love Ichiro. Growing up a Mariners fan, I couldn't help but shed a tear during his last game in Tokyo.

[@outtaherebaseball3205]

This is gonna be such an awesome series! Cuba is my pick for the next one

[@itslife1399]

I honestly want to play in the Nippon League first before MLB because my high school had the same atmosphere like their high school games. Of course we had 8,000 fans, but they are cheering the whole game(for a reg season game) banging on drums and great baseball. We played at the hooks stadium and we filled it up. Miss those days. I feel like if I get an opportunity to go and play in Japan or Korea(Japan first) I'll take it.

[@WhereIsHeist]

Great video. I've had the chance to see NPB in person, it's as good as you depicted here! Do Korean Baseball and a whole video of their bat flips!

[@thsudy]

going to a Japanese game is pretty fun. the fans are very passionate not just for baseball but for every sport. also i dont think i've ever seen a brawl between fans. oh and they have some fun attractions around the stadiums

[@a761506]

You guys should cover the leagues in Korea & Taiwan. Definitely Cuba next.

[@jaypainespotter]

KBO is amazing

[@cheef825]

TW league is back on the upswing now, awesome to see

[@sjp35productions6]

@@jaypainespotter Never knew the KBO existed until I started umpiring Hanmi Baseball in SoCal.

[@MWKRider]

I am fortunate enough to have been able to see a few Japanese baseball games in person during a few of my trips to Japan but my most notable one was my first time back in 2015. It was a Hanshin Tigers game at Koshien Stadium. It was hot, it was humid but god damn was it exhilarating. From the chants, to the 7th inning balloon launch(literally everyone has tube shaped balloons and launch them in the air at the same time). Probably the best baseball experience I have ever had the pleasure of having. Hell the fact that the crowd after the game helps clean up the entire stadium stands is something I wish we did back here in the west. If you ever get the chance to experience a Japanese game, I highly recommend it. Its honestly unforgettable.

[@Razzy1312]

I used to have a bad gambling problem and would be up into the wee hours of the night betting on random international sports and watching the games through stream feeds. NPL baseball is great and I love the crowds at their games. I also love how they embrace the fun of baseball while the MLB takes itself too seriously sometimes and has these stupid "unwritten rules" that punish players for trying to have a bit of fun. In the NPL bat flipping is encouraged and no one gets butthurt and decides to hit a batter or the umpire doesn't throw anyone out or start calling unfairly.

[@slycordinator]

I live in Korea. When I lived in Pohang, they had a baseball stadium, but no actual team. Every once-in-a-while, they would host games of Daegu vs Busan, the two biggest cities in the combined Gyeongsang province. Since it wasn't a regular, real stadium (literally just a field and the bleachers), they didn't have concession stands. So, it was an interesting experience being at a baseball game and having delivery fried chicken. Incidentally, Korean fried chicken is the shit and surprising how many shops they have for it literally everywhere. Like, at that time I lived in a tiny suburb (apartment literally surrounded by makeshift farms) and down the street from my place was a corner with 4 chicken places, 3 or 4 coffee shops, and a few more along with pizza shops kitty corner to those.

[@leviiniguez8767]

I can’t be the only person who wants the Tokyo Dome to be in MLB The Show!!

[@lochnessmonster5149]

I used to walk to the baseball complex outside Camp Lester on Okinawa and watch the kids play. They played/trained from the time they got out of school until the sun went down, every single day. They played 4-5 hours a day, 6 days a week.

[@ChymicalWeddings]

The Japanese excell at most ever thing they do, I love their fountain pens with urushi lacquering.

[@JOSHHARRIS-v3w]

The enthusiasm in the commentators voices is amazing. If I’m not mistaken it’s not just a baseball thing but a cultural thing for spectacles in Japan.

[@jacquesmesrine3244]

If I was Japanese playing baseball in high school, I would work beyond 100% if I had some kawaii cheerleaders supporting me! Baseball is indeed yuge in Japan and has given the MLB so many great players. I've been seeing Ohtani since his debut in the Angels and looking forward to seeing him break records!😄❤🇯🇵

[@kicka11]

It is amazing how few people play this around the world. Really is a minuscule sport globally. This is an excellent video.

[@ElectionAnalysisOfficial]

A preseason game in Japan is like the equivalent of a playoff game in the United States 8:22 is that shohei ohtain correct me if I’m wrong

[@AuraHero]

I went to a game in Japan a few years back. The atmosphere is unlike anything you see in the states.

[@germanportela5788]

Love the video. This series has got me excited. Think you will do a video on Cuba in the future?

[@StarkRavingSports]

Thanks so much! If enough people vote for Cuba we’ll do it in the next episode. Sooner or later though, we’ll definitely visit there!

[@dpo1168]

As a Tigers fan I’d like to thank you for making me relive one of the most painful sports memories right at the start.