Articles
An index of our articles on NPB history, records, and data analysis. Browse by category, or start with the latest and most popular pieces.
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Latest articles
Who Built Hanshin's 2020 "Divine Draft" - The Scouts Behind Each Pick and the Manager Who Pushed for the Late Rounds
A look at the nine players Hanshin selected at the October 26, 2020 draft, through their scouts and the words of manager Akihiro Yano. Under chief scout Shunji Hatayama, area scouts covered their own players, and the manager pushed for the fifth, sixth and eighth rounds. Counting titles together with MVP and Rookie of the Year awards, Shoki Murakami and Takumu Nakano won eight between them from 2021 to 2025.
The Arrest and Resignation of Manager Shinnosuke Abe in 2026 - The Non-Indictment and the Club's Request for His Return
Yomiuri manager Shinnosuke Abe was arrested on suspicion of assault on May 25, 2026, and resigned the next day. On June 15 prosecutors decided not to indict him, and on October 11 the club was reported to have asked him to return. This article sets out the quick first response and the unexplained return request from news reports and club statements.
Yomiuri's Grooming Rules and the Nameless Uniform - The "Be Gentlemen" Precept and the "FOR THE TEAM" Explanation
Dyed hair, long hair and facial hair are reported to be banned as a rule at Yomiuri, and from the 2023 season player names were removed from the back of its game uniforms. Both rules are explained through founder Matsutaro Shoriki's precept that the Yomiuri Giants must always be gentlemen and through the spirit of "FOR THE TEAM," with no published text and no reason that can be checked. Drawing on press reports and the club's own announcement, this article reads what the two rules are and how the club has explained them.
Yomiuri and COVID-19 - The "Slightly Positive" Explanation of 2020 and the Six Games Postponed by the 2022 Cluster
In June 2020, the Yomiuri Giants announced the PCR positives of Hayato Sakamoto and Takumi Oshiro as "slightly positive," a non-medical term, and the expert who had used it explained five days later. In July 2022, 81 people tested positive in 12 days and six games against Chunichi and DeNA were postponed. A look at how the club and the rules explained both.
2026 Hanshin Tigers Back-to-Back Central League Titles - The First Repeat Since 1950 and Teruaki Sato's Triple Crown
In 2026 the Hanshin Tigers won back-to-back Central League titles for the first time since the two-league system began. From a losing interleague record to the October 3 clinch, Teruaki Sato's Triple Crown, three starters' pitching titles and four straight Climax Series losses to DeNA.
How Yomiuri Picks Its Managers - The Homegrown-Only Custom, the 2015 Request to Active Player Yoshinobu Takahashi to Manage, and the Failed Approach to Senichi Hoshino in 2005
Since 1943, every Yomiuri manager has been a former Yomiuri player. The 2005 approach to an outsider, Senichi Hoshino, collapsed amid opposition from club alumni and threatening letters. In 2015 the club settled on its star Yoshinobu Takahashi, still an active player, as manager the same day Tatsunori Hara announced his exit, and Takahashi retired to take the job. This article traces the custom and the two decisions through club statements and first-hand accounts.
Koutaro Ohtake - From the Active-Player Draft to Four Straight Years With an ERA in the 2s
Koutaro Ohtake won 10 games in five years with SoftBank, then moved to Hanshin in the first active-player draft in 2022 and won 39 games over four years with an ERA in the 2s every year. A look at his feelings on draft day, Akinobu Okada's advice and his four years of results.
Hanshin Tigers in the Community - From Elementary School Lessons to Player Donations
Since 2018, the Hanshin Tigers have sent their academy coaches into elementary school PE classes. This article traces the club's work outside the ballpark, from player school visits and special lessons in Nishinomiya to donations by individual players.
Sawamura's Acupuncture and Long Thoracic Nerve Palsy in 2017 - Yomiuri's Apology Six Months Later and Its Reply to Nine Acupuncture Associations
On February 27, 2017, Takuichi Sawamura received acupuncture from a Yomiuri club trainer for discomfort in his right shoulder and was later diagnosed by several doctors with long thoracic nerve palsy. The club president, GM and trainer apologized six months later, on September 9. Answering an open letter from nine acupuncture associations, the club listed both the possibility that acupuncture was the cause and the possibility of another external factor.
A Chronicle of Yomiuri Player and Manager Misconduct and Penalties, 1948 to 2000 - From the Bessho Poaching Case to the Sugiyama Arrest
From the poaching of Akira Bessho in 1948 and manager Osamu Mihara's blow in 1949, through the death of Toshihiko Yuguchi in 1973, Masumi Kuwata in 1990 and Balvino Gálvez in 1998, to the arrest of Naoki Sugiyama in 2000: six cases involving Yomiuri players and managers, set out in one chronicle with the penalties imposed by the league and the club, including the three kinds of penalty and the players the club brought back afterwards.
Popular Articles
NPB Future Outlook - Japanese Baseball's Challenges and Possibilities Toward 2030
NPB faces record attendance alongside population decline and MLB talent drain. Examining expansion to 16 teams, universal DH, pitch clocks, and international market development toward 2030.
Hanshin Farm in Amagasaki - The Minor League Nurturing Tiger Futures
Introducing Hanshin Tigers farm system in Amagasaki and players who developed from minor to major league success.
Swallows Small Market Strategy - Competing with Limited Resources
How the Tokyo Yakult Swallows have maintained competitiveness despite limited financial resources compared to rivals like the Yomiuri, examining their draft strategy, player development, and data-driven approach.
Fighters Innovation Culture - Nippon-Ham's Progressive Management
A detailed examination of the Nippon-Ham Fighters' progressive management, from the 2004 Hokkaido relocation to the 2023 ES CON Field opening, analyzing how the franchise became NPB's most innovative organization.
Shinjiro Hiyama the Pinch-Hit God - The Clutch Performer Who Electrified Koshien
Tracing the story of shinjiro hiyama the pinch-hit god - the clutch performer who electrified koshien, from from regular to pinch-hit specialist to hiyama's ..
COVID Impact on NPB - How the Pandemic Changed Baseball
Analyzing the structural changes COVID-19 brought to NPB, including the three-month delayed opening in 2020, spectatorless games, and the 120-game shortened season, along with the new fan culture that emerged.
Parent Companies and Team Management - Corporate Logic Driving NPB
Analyzing how NPB parent companies influence team operations and how corporate strategy connects to team performance.
Opening Day Traditions - Evolution of NPB Opening Ceremonies
From the 1959 Emperor's Game and General Douglas MacArthur's 1951 ceremonial first pitch to fireworks, drone shows, and projection mapping. Traces how the ceremonies and ceremonial first pitch productions of NPB's Opening Day have changed with the times.