START OF TIMELINE
1872: Horace Wilson first introduces Baseball in Japan to his students at Tokyo Imperial University.
See page for author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
1878: Shimbashi Athletic Club becomes the first organized baseball club in Japan. It was formed by Hiraoka Hiroshi for the Shimbashi Factory Company.
銀座「二見館」, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
1896: The Ichiko High School baseball team defeats YC&AC (Yokohama Cricket & Athletic Club) twice. This caused competition between groups with the YC&AC calling the USS Olympia to play against the high school team, winning the game for the foreigners. This series of games is iconic in Japan as it was a major success against the foreigner opponents.
National Museum of the U.S. Navy, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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1908: The first tour of American Players in Japan happened in 1908, with the A.J. Reach Company creating the “Oriental Tour” to take baseball all across the Asian Continent. Team was mainly composed of players from the Pacific Coast League along with other lesser leagued players. All together the team won 17 games while in Japan.
『早稲田』（早稲田大学出版部、1909年）, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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1920-1934: Different professional baseball teams started to pop up across Japan but did not gain traction until The Great Japan Tokyo Baseball Club formed in 1934. The team was made up of all-star members from other Baseball teams and eventually became the Yomiuri Tokyo Giants, a team that still competes today.
『日本の野球史』（広瀬謙三、日本野球史刊行会、1964年）, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
1934: While other U.S. Baseball tours had occurred before this, the tournament was the first to include the Japanese All-Star Team. It was watched by half a million Japanese citizens, who welcomed the American All-Star Team, which was made up of famous players like Babe Ruth and other professional league stars.
『アサヒグラフ』 1951年新年号, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
1935: The Dai Nippon Baseball Club toured the United States and Canada in 1935. The team was the forerunners of the Tokyo Giants and was comprised of members like Shigeru Mizuhara.
ベースボール・マガジン社（Baseball Magazine Co. Ltd), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
1936: The first organized professional baseball league is formed in Japan, named the “Japan Baseball League” and ran from 1936-1949.
shiori.k on Flickr (Original version) UCinternational (Crop), CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
1939-1945: Because of World War II, Japan saw many limited season with the split season being combined in 1939 into 96 games instead of the usual 104. In 1940 they went back to 104 games; in 1941 it was lowered to 84 games; in 1942 it was raised back up to 104; in 1943 it was lowered to 84; in 1944 it was lowered to 35 games; and finally in 1945 no games were played.
Robert Ross Smith, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
1949: Lefty O’Doul tours Japan with the San Francisco Seals as a way to bridge the gap between nations after World War II. Half a million people showed up to the 10 games played between the teams.
See page for author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
1950s: Japan split their baseball league into the Pacific League and the Central League, being inspired by the U.S. MLB system for how to organize the separate leagues. Each league had seven teams in them and would end the season with a world series between the two league champions.
Immanuel Giel, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
1951: Lefty O’Doul leads an American All-Star Team to Japan through an All-Star tour with prominent baseball stars like Joe DiMaggio. This is a notable tour because it was the first time that a Japanese Professional Team beat an American Professional Team.
『アサヒグラフ』 1951年新年号, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
1953: Lefty O’Doul Returns again with the New York Giants on a trip to Japan. This trip was notable because it was the first time that an entire MLB Team went to Japan, and the team was accompanied by Joe DiMaggio’s new wife and famous actress, Marilyn Monroe.
See page for author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
1962: Japan takes place in the Little League World Series for the first time. The event was originally called the National Little League Tournament but has since been changed.
Senior Airman David Owsianka, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
1964-1965: Masanori Murakami is the first Japanese player to play for a United States Team. He played for the San Francisco Giants from 1964 to 1965.
See page for author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
1995-2008: Hideo Nomo played for multiple different MLB teams and is widely seen as one of the best Japanese players to join the league. He played for the Lost Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, Milwaukee Brewers, Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, and Kansas City Royals.
Ryosuke Yagi, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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2001-2019: Ichiro Suzuki joins the MLB and has one of the most successful runs out of any Japanese Player. He played for the Seattle Mariners, New York Yankees, and the Miami Marlins.
D. Benjamin Miller , Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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2007: The Japan Region is created for Japanese Little League Teams. It was created so that the winner of the Japanese Championship would get an automatic berth into the Little League World Series.
Senior Airman David Owsianka, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
2009-2021: The Japan Women’s Baseball League is established, with it being originally called the Girls Professional Baseball League until 2012. It was the highest form of competition for Women’s Baseball in Japan until it was indefinitely canceled in 2021 due to lack of viewership and sponsorship.
Sakuraikubuki, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
2012-Today: Yu Darvish joins MLB and becomes one of the top Japanese Players to join the league. He has played for the Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, and Sand Diego Padres.
D. Benjamin Miller , Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
2018-Today: Shohei Ohtani joins the MLB and wins the 2018 Rookie of the Year and 2021 MVP awards. He was the featured player on the cover for MLB the Show 2022, becoming the first Japanese player to make the cover of the popular video games series. In 2024 he was signed to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Mogami Kariya, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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2023: Japan wins the World Baseball Classics, being the first time that the team has beat the United States since 2006. The championship had star players Shohei Ohtani face off against Mike Trout, with Ohtani striking out his MLB teammate trout to close out the game for Japan.
User ilovemypit on Flickr, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
END OF TIMELINE