An ejection in NPB is one of baseball's most dramatic moments. Thrown caps, kicked dirt, uprooted bases. The history of ejections reveals NPB's fiery temperament and produces statistics that few fans ever see.
NPB night games start at 6 PM as standard. Why not 5 PM or 7 PM? The answer involves a complex interplay of commuter schedules, last-train constraints, broadcast programming, and stadium-area food and beverage economics.
In NPB, a game tied after 12 innings ends in a draw. In most professional baseball leagues worldwide, ties either do not exist or are extraordinarily rare. Why does Japan alone tolerate baseball without a winner?
NPB 경기는 약 3시간 동안 진행된다. 그 시간 동안 선수들은 더그아웃 뒤에서 무엇을 먹을까? 주먹밥에서 에너지 젤까지, NPB 더그아웃의 식사 문화는 스포츠 영양학의 발전과 함께 극적으로 변화해 왔다.
NPB 구장에서는 7회초 공격 전에 제트 풍선이 하늘을 가득 채운다. 이「럭키 세븐」전통은 어디에서 시작되었으며, MLB의 세븐스 이닝 스트레치와는 어떤 관계가 있을까?
In NPB's past, striking out was considered shameful. Batters who made contact were praised; those who struck out frequently were labeled 'rough.' Today, hitters who swing hard without fear of strikeouts are celebrated. When and why did this value reversal occur?
When an NPB batter steps to the plate, a personal theme song fills the stadium. When did this walk-up music tradition begin, and what do players' song choices reveal about their personalities?
The term 'southpaw' for a left-handed pitcher is used in NPB as commonly as in MLB, but why does 'south paw' mean left hand? The answer lies in a surprising fact about 19th-century American ballpark orientation.
NPB 한 경기에서 소모되는 야구공의 수는 대부분의 팬이 예상하는 것보다 훨씬 많다. 파울볼, 먼지, 흠집, 홈런 등으로 공이 경기에서 빠져나간다. 이 기사는 경기 공의 공장에서 최종 목적지까지의 일생을 추적한다.
NPB allows players to wear numbers 0 and 00, treating them as distinct uniform numbers. Why does zero exist in a numbering system that typically starts at one, and what motivates players to choose it?
NPB history includes rare instances of players with identical names on the same team. How did teams handle scoreboard displays, record-keeping, and fan confusion when names collided?
Baseball scoreboards display R, H, and E: Runs, Hits, and Errors. Why these three statistics, and why in this order? The answer reflects 19th-century baseball philosophy about what matters most in the game.
NPB's rain-shortened games award victory to the team leading after five complete innings. This rule means weather can decide outcomes that nine innings might have reversed. Who has been saved by rain, and who has been robbed?
Baseball is the only major sport where spitting is a visible and tolerated behavior. Why? The answer involves chewing tobacco, sunflower seeds, and the unique temporal structure of a sport built around waiting.
A strikeout that isn't an out. The uncaught third strike rule is so complex that even experienced players struggle to explain its conditions correctly. Why does this rule exist, and what are its exact requirements?
The baseball infield is called a 'diamond,' yet the shape formed by the bases is a square. Why is a square called a diamond? The answer involves a simple but profound shift in perspective.
만루 볼넷은 타자가 방망이를 한 번도 휘두르지 않고 타점을 기록하게 해준다. 무투구 고의사구 제도 도입 이후, 타석에 서지도 않고 타점을 올리는 경우까지 발생하고 있다. 이 글에서는 만루 볼넷을 둘러싼 모순적인 통계 기록을 살펴본다.
인간에게 주로 쓰는 손이 있듯이 주시안(우세안)도 있다. 오른눈이 주시안인 타자가 좌타석에 서면 주시안이 투수를 향하게 된다. 이것이 NPB에 좌타자가 많은 이유를 설명할 수 있을까?
In no other major sport does the home team always attack last. Why does baseball assign the home team to bat in the bottom of each inning, and does batting second actually confer a measurable advantage?
7점 차로 뒤지고 있을 때 누군가는 던져야 한다. 패전 처리 투수의 역할은 결코 승리로 이어지지 않지만 팀 운영상 필수적이다. 왜 이 잔혹한 포지션이 존재하며, 패배가 확정된 경기에서 던진다는 것은 어떤 것일까?
Why nine innings? Soccer has 90 minutes, basketball has 48. Is there a rationale behind baseball's nine? Early baseball wasn't always nine innings. Tracing the evolution reveals a surprising path to the number we take for granted.
For decades, Central League pitchers stepped into the batter's box as a matter of course. With universal DH under discussion, the sight of a pitcher batting may soon vanish from NPB entirely.
In MLB, number 42 is retired across all teams in honor of Jackie Robinson. In NPB, it's just another number. Why the stark difference, and what does it reveal about how each league relates to its history?
The baseball bench is called a 'dugout,' literally meaning 'dug out.' Why is baseball the only sport where the team bench sits below field level? The answer involves spectator sightlines, player safety, and 19th-century stadium design.
보크는 야구에서 가장 이해하기 어려운 규칙이다. 공인야구규칙에는 13가지 보크 조건이 나열되어 있지만, 심판마다 해석이 다르고 선수조차 정확히 설명하기 어렵다. 왜 보크는 이토록 모호한 것일까?
In English, 'strike' means 'to hit.' Yet in baseball, a pitch the batter doesn't swing at can also be called a strike. Why does a word meaning 'hit' describe a pitch that wasn't hit? The paradox traces to the umpire's evolving role in early baseball.
구원 투수의 워밍업 구역을 'bullpen'이라고 부르는데, 직역하면 '황소의 우리'다. 왜일까? 담배 광고, 투우, 감옥과 관련된 세 가지 경쟁 이론이 가능한 답을 제시한다.
NPB 시구식에서 타자는 항상 헛스윙을 한다. 아무리 치기 좋은 공이 와도 배트는 허공만 가른다. 이 불문율은 언제 생겨났으며, 어떤 예의가 담겨 있는 것일까?
Left-handed pitchers and batters are common. Left-handed catchers are virtually nonexistent in both NPB and MLB. Why is catching the one position reserved exclusively for right-handers?
NPB 경기는 약 3 시간 동안 진행되지만, 공이 실제로 인플레이 상태에 있는 누적 시간은 놀라울 정도로 짧다. 나머지 시간은 무엇으로 채워지는가? 숫자가 야구의 유명한「간」의 진정한 본질을 밝혀준다.
야구 선수들이 쓰는 챙 달린 모자는 세계에서 가장 보편적인 모자 형태가 되었다. 그런데 야구는 왜 이 특정 디자인을 채택했을까? 자외선 차단, 팀 정체성, 그리고 패션이 야구 모자의 기원 이야기 속에서 하나로 만난다.
The winning pitcher must pitch at least five innings. But this rule distributes wins without regard to actual contribution. A starter can earn a win after allowing 10 runs in five innings while another gets nothing for 4.2 scoreless innings.
After two strikes, a batter can foul off pitches indefinitely without striking out. Why? The answer involves a time when fouls didn't count as strikes at all, and the current rule is a historical compromise.
9명의 수비수 중 8명은 홈 플레이트를 향한다. 오직 포수만이 반대 방향, 즉 투수 쪽을 바라보며 홈 플레이트 뒤 관중과 같은 시점을 공유한다. 이 역방향 배치가 포수를 야구에서 가장 독특한 포지션으로 만든다.
타율 3할은 일류 타자의 증표다. 하지만 3할이란 10번 타석에 서서 7번은 범타를 치는 것이다. 70% 실패하는 사람을 「천재」라고 부르는 스포츠는 야구뿐이다. 왜 야구만이 이토록 높은 실패율을 전제로 성립하는 것일까?
Soccer players run 10-13 km per game. How far do baseball players run? The answer is surprisingly little, but the gap between the most and least active positions is wider than you'd expect.
NPB holds formal retirement games for veteran players, complete with bouquets, victory laps, and tearful speeches. But this ceremony barely exists in MLB or European soccer. The retirement game is a uniquely Japanese baseball ritual.
한 이닝이 세 명의 타자가 순서대로 아웃되며 끝나는 경우는 얼마나 자주 발생할까? 「아무 일도 일어나지 않는」 빈도는 야구의 동과 정 사이에 숨겨진 리듬 구조를 드러낸다.
오늘날 NPB는 연장전을 12회로 제한하지만, 과거에는 제한이 없거나 18회까지 허용되던 시대가 있었다. 6시간을 넘긴 경기, 자정을 넘겨 이어진 사투. 이 글은 NPB 역사상 가장 긴 경기들과 그것이 요구한 인간 한계의 인내력을 되돌아본다.
Soccer managers wear suits. NBA coaches wear suits. NFL coaches wear team gear. But baseball managers wear the same uniform as their 20-year-old players. A 60-year-old in the same outfit as a 20-year-old is, objectively, strange. Why does only baseball do this?
When a batter hits a ground ball and sprints to first, they run without watching where the ball went. Baseball is the only sport where players run away from their own play. Why? The answer is built into the field's geometry.
Watch a baseball game from above and you'll notice players spend a disproportionate amount of time facing left. Right-handed batters face left, runners circle counterclockwise, and fielders orient leftward tracking batted balls. Baseball is structurally a leftward-facing sport.
Most people imagine retired NPB players becoming commentators or coaches. But with roughly 100 players released annually, only a fraction land those roles. What do the majority actually do after baseball?
The distance between bases is 90 feet (27.43 meters), unchanged since the 1840s. One meter longer and infield hits would vanish. One meter shorter and ground-ball outs would nearly disappear. Ninety feet is the miraculous equilibrium where human running speed and throwing speed are perfectly balanced.
Baseball players wear a glove on only one hand. Two gloves would make catching easier, so why not? 'Because you need to throw' is only half the answer. The real reason is embedded in baseball's fundamental motion design.
An NPB game lasts about three hours. During that time, outfielders handle the ball shockingly few times. Left and right fielders may touch the ball only a handful of times per game. The data reveals which position spends the most time waiting.