On August 20, 2021, Nippon-Ham traded Sho Nakata, suspended for violence against a teammate, to Yomiuri for nothing. The suspension ended after nine days, and Yomiuri registered him the next day. In 2023 he left on an opt-out, with no compensation.
Brawls were once common in NPB. Retaliatory hit-by-pitches, assaults on umpires, and bench-clearing melees. This article explores how the league addressed violence and why brawls have declined.
PL Gakuen's baseball team won seven combined Koshien championships and produced the legendary KK duo of Kiyohara and Kuwata. However, repeated revelations of violence and bullying within the team led to its effective abolition in 2016.
In Japanese professional baseball, acts such as managers and coaches hitting, kicking, and verbally abusing players were long tolerated as part of coaching.