The are a professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

team in Japan's

Pacific League The , or , or the , due to sponsorship reasons, is one of the two professional baseball leagues constituting Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship competes against the winner in the Central League for the a ...

based in

Chiba City is the capital city of Chiba Prefecture, Japan. It sits about east of the centre of Tokyo on Tokyo Bay. The city became a government-designated city in 1992. In March 2025, its population was 983,045, with a population density of 3,617 people ...

, Chiba Prefecture, in the

Kantō region The is a geography, geographical region of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. In a common definition, the region includes the Greater Tokyo Area and encompasses seven prefectures of Japan, prefectures: Chiba Prefecture, Chiba, Gunma Prefe ...

, and owned by Lotte Holdings Co., Ltd. The Marines were a founding member of the Pacific League in as the Mainichi Orions when the

Japanese Baseball League The was a professional baseball league in Japan which operated from 1936 to 1949, before reorganizing in 1950 as Nippon Professional Baseball. The league's dominant team was Tokyo Kyojin (renamed the Yomiuri Giants in 1947), which won nine le ...

reorganized into

Nippon Professional Baseball is a professional baseball league and the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning simply ''Professional Baseball''; outside of Japan, NPB is often referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league ...

, where they won the inaugural

1950 Japan Series The 1950 Japan Series was the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) championship series for the 1950 season. It was the first Japan Series and featured the Pacific League champions, the Mainichi Orions, against the Central League champions, the Shoch ...

. Since 1992, the Marines' home

ballpark A ballpark, or baseball park, is a type of sports venue where baseball is played. The playing field is divided into two field sections called the infield and the outfield. The infield is an area whose dimensions are rigidly defined in part ba ...

has been

ZOZO Marine Stadium (official name: ) is an outdoor baseball stadium in Chiba City, Chiba, Japan. It opened in 1990, with a capacity of about 30,000 spectators. It is primarily used for baseball games, and is the home field of the Chiba Lotte Marines. It is also u ...

, located in the Mihama Ward of Chiba, seating 30,118 people. The "Marines" name originates from the name of the team's home stadium, which is officially named ''Chiba Marine Stadium'', because the stadium is located right on the water. Through 2024, the franchise's all-time record is 4874-4844-405 (.502).

History

The Marines franchise began in 1950 as the Mainichi Orions, an inaugural member of the

, and were owned by the

Mainichi Shimbun The is one of the major newspapers in Japan, published by In addition to the ''Mainichi Shimbun'', which is printed twice a day in several local editions, Mainichi also operates an English-language news website called , and publishes a bilin ...

newspaper. The Orions were named after the constellation of the same name. The Marines won the inaugural

Japan Series The Japan Series ( , officially the Japan Championship Series, ), also the Nippon Series, is the annual championship series in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top baseball league in Japan. It is a best-of-seven series between the winning cl ...

1950 Events January * January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed. * January 5 – 1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash, Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 ...

. In 1958, the team was merged with the

Daiei Unions The were a Japanese professional baseball team that was founded in 1946, and played in various incarnations until 1957, when it merged with another team. Overall, the franchise only had three winning seasons, never rising higher than third place. ...

and renamed the Daimai Orions, to reflect that both Daiei and Mainichi had a 50% stake in the team, with control being given to Daiei Film president

Masaichi Nagata was a Japanese businessman and served as president of Daiei Film. The self-proclaimed creator of Gamera, he produced the kaiju's second film ''Gamera vs. Barugon'', with the remainder of the Gamera#Films, Showa ''Gamera'' films produced instead ...

. In 1964 they became the Tokyo Orions, and the Lotte Orions in 1969. The franchise was slow to replicate its initial success: the Orions made the Japan Series in

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Janu ...

and

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 1970 Tonghai earthquake, Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli ...

, only to lose both years. The team played in central Tokyo until 1972. From 1973 to 1977 the Lotte Orions played in the northern Japanese city of

Sendai is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Miyagi Prefecture and the largest city in the Tōhoku region. , the city had a population of 1,098,335 in 539,698 households, making it the List of cities in Japan, twelfth most populated city in Japan. ...

. In

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...

, they beat the

Chunichi Dragons The are a professional baseball team based in Nagoya, the chief city in the Chūbu region of Japan. The team plays in the Central League of Nippon Professional Baseball. They have won the Central League pennant nine times (most recently in 2011 ...

, becoming the first Pacific League team to win the Series in ten years, as the

Yomiuri Giants The are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, they are one of two professional baseball teams based in Tokyo, the other being the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. They h ...

had claimed the prior nine titles behind the Oh–

Nagashima was a series of fortresses and fortifications controlled by the Ikkō-ikki, a sect of warrior monks in Japan's Sengoku period who opposed samurai rule. It was attacked and destroyed by Oda Nobunaga in the 1570s. This, combined with the surrender ...

attack. After beating the Dragons, their owners, Lotte Holdings, decided to hold their victory parade in Tokyo, which shocked fans in Sendai. This eventually caused their attendance there to crash, going from sold-out games in 1973, to only about 2,000–3,000 attendees for their last few years in Sendai. In 1977, the Orions signed

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

player

Leron Lee Leron Lee (born March 4, 1948) is an American former professional baseball left fielder. He played eight seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Dodgers, Cleveland Indians and San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). He then pl ...

, who ended up playing for the team for eleven seasons, compiling a .320 career batting average and slugging 283 home runs with 912 career RBI. From his retirement to early 2018 (when surpassed by

Norichika Aoki is a Japanese former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers, Kansas City Royals, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, Houston Astros, Toronto Blue Jays, and New York Mets, and in ...

), Lee held the Japanese record for career batting average (players with more than 4,000

at bat In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens upon completion of his turn at bat, ...

s). In 1978, Lee invited younger brother

Leon Lee Leon Lee (born December 4, 1952) is an American former professional baseball player and manager, primarily known for his career in Japan. He played first base, third base, and catcher during his career, batting and throwing right-handed. Lee had a ...

to play in Japan, and the brothers formed a feared cleanup for the Orions for five seasons — in 1980, Leron had 33 home runs, 90 RBI, and a batting average of .358; while Leon slugged 41 home runs and drove in 116 runs, with a batting average of .340. In 1978 the team returned to the Tokyo area, settling in Kawasaki's Kawasaki Stadium, at one time home to the Taiyo Whales (today's

Yokohama DeNA Baystars The are a professional baseball team in the Japanese Central League. Their home field is Yokohama Stadium, located in central Yokohama. The team has been known by several names since becoming a professional team in 1950. It adopted its current n ...

). In 1992, the team moved to

's Chiba Marine Stadium on the eastern shore of

Tokyo Bay is a bay located in the southern Kantō region of Japan spanning the coasts of Tokyo, Kanagawa Prefecture, and Chiba Prefecture, on the southern coast of the island of Honshu. Tokyo Bay is connected to the Pacific Ocean by the Uraga Channel. Th ...

. They held a fan vote for a new name for the team; the name "Dolphins" won, while another popular choice was "Pirates". However, the name "Dolphins" was thrown out because though an unrelated team named the Nagoya Golden Dolphins (later known as Nagoya Kinko) was long defunct, the letter "D" in broadcasts was already taken by the Dragons; while "Pirates" was disregarded because the Chiba Pirates name was used by a team in a baseball manga, and since the team in that manga is terrible, executives didn't want the team to be associated by a team that was supposed to be awful, supported by the fact that by then, the Orions had finished their 6th consecutive losing season, finishing in 6th in 3 of the last 4 seasons, alongside the fact that they were unsure if they could even use it to begin with, due to Japanese copyright laws. "Marines" was ultimately chosen because the team believed it meant "heroes of the sea" (and because the letter "M" was available), yielding the club name Chiba Lotte Marines. Originally, the club used pink, blue, and white on their logo, which included a pirate ship, with a seagull below it, and a wave pattern to reflect the ocean currents off Chiba's coast. In 1995, this was changed to the logo's current design, while dropping pink and blue in favor of red, black and white (with red being dropped in 2019). The current logo's design features a baseball in the background with a seagull soaring, with the club's name around the circle. The team failed to reach the Japan Series again until

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

. The Marines started the 2005 season in first place behind American manager

Bobby Valentine Robert John Valentine (born May 13, 1950), nicknamed "Bobby V", is an American former professional baseball player and manager. He also served as the athletic director at Sacred Heart University. Valentine played for the Los Angeles Dodgers (19 ...

, who had returned after having managed the team to a 2nd place finish in

1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...

behind the

Orix BlueWave , styled as ORIX, is a Japanese diversified financial services group headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, and Osaka, Japan. ORIX offers leasing, lending, rentals, life insurance, real estate financing and development, venture capital, investment an ...

, but struggles between him and general manager

Tatsuro Hirooka Tatsuro Hirooka (広岡達朗, ''Hirooka Tatsurō'' born February 9, 1932) is a Japanese retired professional baseball player and manager. Hirooka played his entire career, from 1954 to 1966, for the Yomiuri Giants. He was awarded the Central ...

had him leave after that lone season, but fell behind the

Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks The are a Japanese professional baseball team based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture. They compete in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) as a member of the Pacific League. Founded on February 22, 1938, as the Nankai Club, being the first Kansai t ...

as the year progressed. Under the playoff format of the time, the preliminary five-game playoff round, prior to the Japan Series, saw the teams with the best first and second half records face off. The Marines defeated the Hawks three games to two in the Pacific League championship, winning the rubber match despite entering the eighth inning trailing, 2–1. The Marines thus qualified for the

, the first time they had reached the tournament since 1974, a 31-year drought. In a one-sided series, the Marines swept the

Hanshin Tigers The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team playing in the Central League. The team is based in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, next to their main stadium, Hanshin Koshien Stadium. The Tigers are owned by Hanshin Electric Railway Co., ...

in four games, scoring ten runs in each of the first three games. The apparent ease with which the Marines defeated the Tigers added fuel to the ongoing debate concerning the need for a

playoff The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

system in the

Central League The or , also known as the for sponsorship reasons, is one of the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League i ...

, which was finally added in 2007 (see

Climax Series The is the current annual playoff system implemented by Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). It determines which team from the Central League (CL) and from the Pacific League (PL) will advance to compete for the championship in the Japan ...

). The Marines went on to defeat South Korea's

Samsung Lions The Samsung Lions () are a South Korean professional baseball team founded in 1982. They are based in the southeastern city of Daegu and are members of the KBO League. Their home stadium is Daegu Samsung Lions Park. They have won the Korean Cha ...

in the final round of the

Konami Cup The Asia Series was an international club baseball competition, contested by the champions of all four professional leagues associated with the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC)—Australian Baseball League (ABL), Chinese Professi ...

Championships. In

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

, the Marines clinched third place on the last day of the season to earn a berth into the Climax Series. They went on to become the first third place team to ever win the Climax Series, and faced off with the

in the 2010 Japan Series. The Marines defeated the Dragons in seven games, composed of four wins, two losses, and one tie, winning their second Japan Series in under ten years. In

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

, the Marines clinched third place to clinch a berth in the Climax Series and faced the

Saitama Seibu Lions The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based north of Tokyo in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture. Before 1979, they were based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture, in Kyushu. The team is owned by a subsidiary of Seibu Railway ...

in the first stage. They defeated the Lions in 3 games to move onto the final stage. They would lose to the

Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles The , often shortened as the , are a baseball team based in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. It has played in Nippon Professional Baseball's Pacific League since the team's formation in November 2004. The team is owned by the Internet shopping ...

in 5 games, who would go on and defeat the

in 7 games to win their first (and still only) Japan Series title. They would make it back in the playoffs in 2015. They defeated the

Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters The are a Japanese professional Baseball in Japan, baseball team based in Kitahiroshima, Hokkaido, Kitahiroshima, Hokkaidō, in the Sapporo metropolitan area. They compete in the Pacific League of Nippon Professional Baseball, playing the major ...

in 3 games in the first round, then got swept by the

, who received a one game advantage for having the best record in the Pacific League. The following season, they returned to the playoffs. They would make a much earlier exit, as they were swept by the Hawks in 2 games in the first stage. It would not be until 2020 when they returned to the playoffs. The Hawks, with a 1 game advantage, would sweep them again in the first stage. They bounced back the following year by defeating the Eagles in 2 games in the first stage, including a tie in the second game which allowed them to advance as they had the better record at 67-57-19, while the Eagles had a 66-62-15 record. They got swept by the

Orix Buffaloes The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team formed as a result of the 2004 Nippon Professional Baseball realignment by the merger of the Orix BlueWave of Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes of Osaka, Osaka Prefecture ...

in the final stage in 3 games, however a tie in the third game and Orix having the better record at 70-55-18, allowed the Buffaloes to advance. On April 10, 2022,

Rōki Sasaki , nicknamed , is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Chiba Lotte Marines. He made his NPB debut in 2021 for ...

threw a

perfect game Perfect game may refer to: Sports * Perfect game (baseball), a complete-game win by a pitcher allowing no baserunners * Perfect game (bowling), a 300 game, 12 consecutive strikes in the same game * Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League, New Yo ...

, NPB's first in 28 years and the 16th in NPB history. Sasaki tied an existing NPB record by

striking out ''Striking Out'' is an Television in the Republic of Ireland, Irish television legal drama television series, broadcast on RTÉ, that first aired on 1 January 2017, based on ''The Good Wife'' by Robert King (writer), Robert and Michelle King. Prod ...

19 batters, and setting a new record by striking out 13 consecutive batters. It didn't do much to help the season, as the Marines finished in 5th place with a 69-73-1 record, and Tadahito Iguchi would be let go after that season, replaced by Masato Yoshii. The Marines would edge out the Hawks and Eagles in a close playoff race in 2023, finishing 2nd with a 70-68-5 record. They would defeat the Hawks in 3 games in the first stage, but lost in 5 games to the Buffaloes in the final stage, who also had a 1-win advantage for having the best record in Pacific League. That season would be the last for ZOZO Marine Stadium public address announcer Emi Taniho. Originally, she was given a farewell ceremony on October 7, 2023, her supposed last home game, which included many former Marines players, but she was given extended duty, as the Marines were appearing to make a run for the Climax Series. That game was also her 2,100th game announcing. Her actual last day with the team was on December 20.

Current roster

Notable former players

Benny Agbayani Benny Peter Agbayani, Jr. (; born December 28, 1971) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Mets, Colorado Rockies, Boston Red Sox, and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) ...

(also known as "Benny") *

Hiromitsu Ochiai is a Japanese former professional baseball manager and player. He is former manager of the Chunichi Dragons in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball. He is considered to be one of the most important players in the history of Japanese baseball, win ...

Alfredo Despaigne Alfredo Despaigne Rodríguez (born June 17, 1986) is a Cuban professional baseball outfielder for the Alazanes de Granma of the Cuban National Series. He has previously played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Chiba Lotte Marines and ...

Mike Diaz Michael Anthony Diaz (born April 15, 1960) is an American former professional baseball player. He played all or part of four seasons in Major League Baseball between 1983 and 1988, for the Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago White Sox. H ...

* Jose Fernández *

Julio Franco Julio César Franco Robles (born August 23, 1958)Franco's birth date is in question. Many of his early bios and cards have his birthday listed in 1954, and on the roster of the Quintana Roo Tigres, his birthday is listed in 1961. is a Dominic ...

Matt Franco Matthew Neil Franco (born August 19, 1969) is an American former professional baseball player who played first base in the major leagues from 1995 to 2003, and in Nippon Professional Baseball from 2004 to 2006. Early career Franco grew up in W ...

Mel Hall Melvin Hall Jr. (born September 16, 1960) is an American former professional baseball player who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1981 to 1992 with the Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians, and New York Yankees, and in 1996 with the San Fra ...

Isao Harimoto is a Korean-Japanese former Nippon Professional Baseball player and holder of the record for most hits in the Japanese professional leagues. An ethnic Korean, his birth name is Jang Hun (). Harimoto has spent his life as a resident of Japan and a ...

Baek In-chun Baek In-chun (born November 27, 1943) is a retired Korean professional baseball catcher, outfielder, player-manager and manager. Baek spent most of his career playing in Nippon Professional Baseball. He finished his career in Korea with the KBO L ...

Pete Incaviglia Peter Joseph Incaviglia (born April 2, 1964) is an American professional baseball coach and former left fielder who is currently the manager for the Cleburne Railroaders of the American Association of Professional Baseball. He played in Major L ...

Hideki Irabu was a Japanese professional baseball player of American and Japanese mixed ancestry. He played professionally in both Japan and the United States. Irabu played for the Lotte Orions / Chiba Lotte Marines and Hanshin Tigers of Nippon Professiona ...

* Kazuya Fukuura (retired in 2019) *

Masaaki Kitaru is a former Japanese professional baseball player. Career He was born in Chōshi, Chiba, Japan, and graduated from Choshi Commercial High School in 1965. He started his professional career with the Lotte Orions The are a professional base ...

* Kiyoshi Hatsushiba *

Masahide Kobayashi is a former professional baseball pitcher and pitching coach. From to , Kobayashi played in the Nippon Professional Baseball league for the Chiba Lotte Marines. From to , he played for Major League Baseball's Cleveland Indians. He was ...

Tsuyoshi Nishioka is a Japanese former professional baseball infielder. He played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Chiba Lotte Marines and Hanshin Tigers, as well as Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins. Nishioka played in the 200 ...

* Satoru Komiyama (retired in 2009) *

Bill Madlock Bill "Mad Dog" Madlock, Jr. (born January 12, 1951) is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a third baseman from 1973 to 1987. Madlock is notable for being a four-time National League ...

( Derrek's father) *

( Derrek's uncle) *

Choji Murata Choji Murata (村田兆治, 27 November 1949 – 11 November 2022) was a Japanese Nippon Professional Baseball pitcher. He played for the Tokyo/Lotte Orions over the period 1968 to 1990. Murata led the Pacific League in Earned run average in ...

(elected to

Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame The , commonly known outside of Japan as the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame, is a hall of fame and museum in Tokyo dedicated to professional baseball, with a prominent focus on professional baseball in Japan. The Hall is intended to honor and co ...

in 2005) *

Jim Lefebvre James Kenneth Lefebvre ( ; born January 7, 1942) is an American former professional infielder, coach, and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). He was signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers as an amateur free agent in 1962. Baseball career Playing ...

* Darryl Motley * Bill R.W. Murphy *

Yuhei Nakaushiro is a former Japanese professional baseball pitcher. He played for the Chiba Lotte Marines and Yokohama DeNA BayStars. Career Chiba Lotte Marines selected him with the second selection in the 2011 NPB draft. On 1 March 2016, Nakaushiro agreed ...

* Katsuo So *

Kazuhiro Yamauchi was a Japanese baseball player and manager. He played for the Mainichi Orions, the Hanshin Tigers and the Hiroshima Toyo Carp over the span of an 18 season-long career (1952–1970). Yamauchi was the first Japanese professional baseball player ...

Akihito Igarashi Akihito (born 23 December 1933) is a member of the Imperial House of Japan who reigned as the 125th emperor of Japan from 1989 until his abdication in 2019. The era of his rule was named the Heisei era, Heisei being an expression of achiev ...

Michiyo Arito is a Japanese former professional baseball third baseman in Nippon Professional Baseball. He played his entire career for the Lotte Orions The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based in Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture, ...

* Saburo Omura (also known as "Saburo", retired in 2016) *

Tomohiro Kuroki Tomohiro "Johnny" Kuroki (黒木知宏, born December 13, 1973, in Hyūga, Miyazaki, Japan) is a former Nippon Professional Baseball pitcher. Career Kuroki's debut in the NPB marked the beginning of a distinguished career, characterized by h ...

(also known as "Johnny Kuroki") *

Katsuya Nomura was a Japanese Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) catcher and manager. During his over 26-season playing career mostly spent with the Nankai Hawks (now the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks), he became one of NPB's greatest offensive catchers. He was award ...

Tomoya Satozaki is a former Japanese professional baseball player. He played his entire career with the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball. He played for Japan national baseball team, Japan in the 2006 World Baseball Classic, and made ...

(retired in 2014) *

Dan Serafini Daniel Joseph Serafini (born January 25, 1974) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins, Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds, and ...

Lee Seung-yuop Lee Seung-yuop (born 18 August 1976) is a retired baseball player and the current manager of the Doosan Bears. He spent most of his career with the Samsung Lions of the KBO League. At the age of 26, he became the youngest professional baseball ...

Naoyuki Shimizu , nicknamed "Nao", is a former professional baseball player from Kyoto, Japan. He is a starting pitcher for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars. Career He attended Hōtoku Gakuen High School. He joined the Japanese Olympic baseball team for the 2004 Sum ...

(traded to

Yokohama BayStars The are a professional baseball team in the Japanese Central League. Their home field is Yokohama Stadium, located in central Yokohama. The team has been known by several names since becoming a professional team in 1950. It adopted its current ...

in 2009) * Kim Tae-kyun *

Norifumi Nishimura is a former Nippon Professional Baseball player and current manager. Nishimura spent the entirety of his 16-year playing career with the Chiba Lotte Marines. After retiring, he coached for the team until being named the successor to former Marine ...

Shunsuke Watanabe is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher. His Submarine (baseball), submarine pitching form was noted during the 2006 World Baseball Classic. Amateur career Watanabe began baseball at age 6, and began throwing underhanded during midd ...

* Julio Zuleta * Frank Bolick * Derrick May *

Rick Short Richard Ryan Short (born December 6, 1972) is an American former professional baseball second baseman who currently serves as the minor league field coordinator for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for th ...

Brian Sikorski Brian Patrick Sikorski (born July 27, 1974) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Playing career Although Sikorski made his MLB debut in , he didn't play another game in the big leagues until . He played professional baseball in ...

* José Castillo * Chen Kuan-yu * Chen Wei-Yin *

Luis Cruz Luis Alfonso Cruz (born February 10, 1984) is a Mexican former professional baseball infielder who is currently a radio broadcaster for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Milwauke ...

Toshihide Narimoto Toshihide is a masculine Japanese given name. Written forms Toshihide can be written using different combinations of kanji characters. Here are some examples: *敏英, "agile, hero" *敏秀, "agile, excellence" *敏栄, "agile, prosperous" *� ...

Makoto Kosaka , nicknamed "Kosa", is a former Nippon Professional Baseball infielder and the current coach of the Chiba Lotte Marines The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based in Chiba, Chiba, Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture, in th ...

* Koichi Hori *

Adeiny Hechavarria Adeiny Hechavarría Barrera (born April 15, 1989) is a Cuban professional baseball shortstop for the Olmecas de Tabasco of the Mexican League. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, Miami Marlins, Ta ...

Leonys Martín Leonys Martín Tápanes (born March 6, 1988), nicknamed "Ikadi", is a Cuban-American professional baseball center fielder for the Sultanes de Monterrey of the Mexican League. He signed with the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers in 2011, an ...

* Hiroyuki Yamazaki * Yukinaga Maeda *

Kazuhiko Ushijima is a former Nippon Professional Baseball is a professional baseball league and the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning simply ''Professional Baseball''; outside of Japan, NPB is often referred to as " ...

Tadahito Iguchi , nicknamed "Gucci", is a Japanese people, Japanese served professional baseball second baseman and former Manager (baseball), manager of the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). As a member of the Chicago White Sox in 200 ...

* Hideaki Takazawa *

Kihachi Enomoto Kihachi Enomoto (榎本喜八 ''Enomoto Kihachi'', December 5, 1936 – March 14, 2012) was a Japanese former Nippon Professional Baseball first baseman. He batted and threw left-handed. In an illustrious career, Enomoto was a 12-time NPB All-St ...

* Luis Perdomo *

Eric Hillman John Eric Hillman (born April 27, 1966) is an American former Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball pitcher. Hillman played high school ball at Homewood-Flossmoor in suburban Chicago, and then collegiately at Eastern Illinois U ...

* Roki Sasaki

MLB players

Active: * Roki Sasaki (2025–) *

Dallas Keuchel Dallas Keuchel (, ; born January 1, 1988) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Atlanta Braves, Chicago White Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks, T ...

(2012–2024) Former: *

Hirokazu Sawamura is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He has previously played in NPB for the Yomiuri Giants, and in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox. Listed at and , h ...

(2021–2022) Retired: *

(1997–2002) *

Masato Yoshii , nicknamed "Oiyan", is a retired Japanese professional baseball player, former pitching coach and current manager for the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He pitched in Major League Baseball from 1998 to 2002. Career ...

(1998–2002) * Satoru Komiyama (2002) *

(2005–2008) *

(2008–2009) *

(2011–2012) * Ryohei Tanaka (2009–2011) *

Yasuhiko Yabuta is a Japanese former baseball pitcher. Yabuta made his professional debut with the Marines in 1996, and spent 12 years with the organization. He competed in the 2006 World Baseball Classic and struck out Alex Rodriguez, Johnny Damon, and ...

(2008–2009) *

(2014) *

(2016–2018)

Honored number

* 26 – This number was retired in honor of the Marines' fans in 2005. It was inspired by some teams in other sports (such as football, which retires "12" for the "12th man", or basketball, which retires "6" for the "6th man").The

has the No. 10 retired in similar fashion.

MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, ...

has retired No. 26, in same fashion, for the founder

Gene Autry Orvon Grover "Gene" Autry (September 29, 1907 – October 2, 1998), nicknamed the Singing Cowboy, was an American actor, musician, singer, composer, rodeo performer, and baseball team owner, who largely gained fame by singing in a Crooner ...

Managers

* Statistics current through the end of the season.

Cheer dancers

The Marines' cheer dancing squad is known as M☆Splash!!. They were formed in 2004. Alongside the team's mascots Mar-kun, Rine-chan and Zu-chan, they entertain the crowd during Marines games, with 27 members.

Mascots

Mar-kun (マーくん, ''Maa-kun'') is a main mascot character of the Marines. With his girlfriend Rine-chan (リーンちゃん, ''Riin-chan'') and his young brother Zu-chan (ズーちゃん, ''Zuu-chan''), he entertains spectators at team games. Their name is a separateness of the team name. Originally Rine-chan wore a pink sports visor cap till the 2022 season when she wore the same baseball cap as her boyfriend while retaining the skirt, while Zu-chan wears the cap backwards and wears an apron instead of the jersey beginning 2022, before that he wore a shirt unless all three wear their team's special home uniforms. Mysterious fish (謎の魚, ''Nazo-no-sakana'') was a mascot character that was introduced in May 2017. He is a weird fish with legs. He has collaborated with

Hawaiian Airlines Hawaiian Airlines, Inc. ( ) is a commercial U.S. airline headquartered in Honolulu, and a subsidiary of the Alaska Air Group. It is the largest operator of commercial flights to and from the island state of Hawaiʻi, and the tenth largest ...

that former Marines' player

works for, since 2018. However, the person playing the mascot announced after the 2021 season that he would retire, which also meant the mascot was officially retired. Back when the team were known as the "Lotte Orions", their mascot was a character known simply as Bubble-Boy (バブル坊や, ''Bable-Boya'') who only appeared as a logo. In 2005, the Marines introduced a mascot named Cool-kun ( かっこいいくん, ''Kakkoi-kun''), a penguin who was known for his acrobatic stunts and would often challenge mascots like Doala and B.B to acrobatic stunt contests at rival games. He also would be stuck up and rude at times, but he would burst to tears or show great emotion at the right time. Despite being friends with Mar-kun, they do not get along very well. In 2016, he was retired by the team.

Minor League team

The Marines farm team plays in the Eastern League. The team was founded as the Mainichi Glitter Orions in 1950.

References

External links

Official website

We Love Marines – English-language Marines fansite
{{Authority control Lotte Corporation Sports clubs and teams in Chiba (city) Nippon Professional Baseball teams 1950 establishments in Japan Baseball teams established in 1950