Taiyo Shochiku Robins

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 name in 2011, when the club was purchased by software company DeNA.

History

Origin (1930s–1949)

The team began as the Taiyo Fishing Company, an amateur team currently affiliated with the Maruha Corporation (presently Maruha Nichiro). The team began to appear in national tournaments in the 1950s, and won the National Sports Festival in 1948, giving it national recognition. In the 1949 off-season, the Japanese professional baseball league removed many players from the Taiyo amateur team recruited to join the professional leagues. The owner of the Taiyo company decided to join the newly expanded Central League, which was established in 1950. The team's first professional incarnation was as the Maruha Team. The franchise was based in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi.

Taiyo Whales (1950–1952)

The team name was changed to the shortly after the start of the 1950 season. The Whales received several veteran players from the Yomiuri Giants to compensate for their lack of players, but ended up in the bottom half of the standings each year.

In 1951, there was talk of merging with the Hiroshima Carp, which had experienced serious financial problems but the merging never occurred due to massive protests from Hiroshima citizens.

Taiyo Shochiku Robins (1953) and Yo-Sho Robins (1954)

In 1952, it was decided that teams ending the season with a winning percentage below .300 would be disbanded or merged with other teams. The Shochiku Robins fell into this category, and were merged with the Taiyo Whales to become the in January, 1953. However, the team's re-organization was not completed in time for the 1953 season, and the team ended up continuing its offices in both Shimonoseki and Kyoto. Home games took place in Osaka for geographical reasons, and the team's finances were managed by both the Taiyo and Shochiku companies until the franchise was officially transferred to Osaka in 1954, to become the .

The Shochiku Robins had won the 1950 Central League championship before being merged.

Taiyo Whales (1955–1977)

The Shochiku company discontinued its support in December, 1954, and the team name returned to the Taiyo Whales. The franchise moved to Kawasaki, Kanagawa, and obtained an exclusive home field, (Kawasaki Stadium), but ended up in last place six years in a row from 1954–1959.

In 1960, the team recruited Osamu Mihara, who had been manager of the Nishitetsu Lions the previous year. Mihara led the team to its first pennant in 1960, and swept the Daimai Orions in the 1960 Japan Series. The team had been in last place the previous year. The year was also highlighted with pitcher Gentaro Shimada, just 2 weeks before his 21st birthday, throwing the first no-hitter and perfect game in Whales history, becoming the youngest player to do so until Roki Sasaki did so in 2022.

However, this success did not last long, and the team quickly fell back into last place in 1961. The Whales made a comeback in 1962, but trailed four games behind the Hanshin Tigers to end up in second place. They lost the league championship again to the Tigers in 1964, only one game (.008 winning percentage) away from first place.

The team produced countless star players during the 1970s, but rarely ended the season above the .500 mark. The small Kawasaki Stadium made the Whales one of the most offensively productive teams in Japanese baseball history, but a weak pitching staff, and lack of financial support put the team out of serious contention.

By 1976, the team had been planning on moving from Kawasaki to Yokohama, and support from the mayor of Yokohama allowed the team to gain financial support from the Kokudo Company. 55% of the team's share was retained by Taiyo, and the other 45% went to Kokudo.

Yokohama Taiyo Whales (1978–1992)

In 1978, the team moved to the newly-completed Yokohama Stadium in central Yokohama. The team name was changed to the to reflect the team's new home town. The Kokudo Company sold its shares of the team to the Nippon Broadcasting System and TBS. The Nippon Broadcasting System obtained 30% of the shares, and TBS bought 15%, while Taiyo kept its 55%. The team enjoyed far more popularity during this period than in previous years, but continued to post only meager results in the standings, with their best placing being in 1979, when they finished second behind the Hiroshima Toyo Carp.

Yokohama BayStars (1993–2011)

In November 1992, Taiyo changed its name to the Maruha Corporation, as the company decided to discontinue the Taiyo brand due to restrictions on whaling in Japan, and renamed the team as the . Originally, they were meant to be the Yokohama Bay Stars (Stars would be the team's nickname), in reference to the Yokohama Bay Bridge, but was changed to BayStars when fans began referring to them as that. The BayStars were the first Japanese professional baseball team not to include the name of the parent company in the team name.

Originally, the team was going to be renamed simply to the Yokohama Whales, but new restrictions on whaling in Japan convinced the company to drop the original name. Some superstitious fans had believed that dead whales put a curse onto the team (the Maruha Corporation was famous for its whale meat products), preventing the Whales from winning championships. In his visit to the United States, Japanese Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa remarked to the then-president Bill Clinton (who had proposed the international restriction on whaling) that the Maruha Corporation's decision was reflective of Japan's change in attitude towards whaling.

The BayStars remained a non-contender during the early 1990s, but gradually assembled the players that would contribute to the team's championship in 1998. Akihiko Ohya became the manager in 1996, and almost caught up to the Yakult Swallows in 1997, ending in second place. Hiroshi Gondo (a pitching coach the previous year) became manager in 1998, and the BayStars won their first league championship in 38 years in 1998, defeating the Seibu Lions to win the Japanese championship series. The team's consistent hitting, impeccable defense, (players from the BayStars won five golden glove awards in 1998) and solid pitching staff (rounded by closer Kazuhiro Sasaki) contributed to an epic 1998 season. The BayStars' offense in the '98 season became known as the "Machine Gun Offense" because of the quick succession of hits the Yokohama batters would get (mostly singles), and no game was ever over until the final out was recorded. Players who made up the Machine Gun Offense included Bobby Rose, Takuro Ishii, Motonobu Tanishige, Glenn Braggs (who left in 1996), and Takanori Suzuki.

The team dropped to third place in 1999 despite having the best offense in Japan and also setting a league record for team batting average at .294, alongside Rose breaking the Central League hits record, and would not be in serious contention for the championship until 2016. A major cause of this was due to the collapse of Yokohama's pitching staff, as while the offense was good, the fact that Yokohama Stadium was more of a hitter friendly park, due to its outfield dimensions, would need them to have good pitching, alongside other factors, including Sasaki leaving for the Seattle Mariners in 2000, not being able to give a new contract to Rose, Tanishige leaving for the Dragons, and Takashi Saito leaving for the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 2001, the Maruha Corporation sold its remaining shares to TBS, giving TBS full ownership of the team, with the only stipulation being that TBS was not allowed to put their name in the team's name. Akihiko Ohya returned in 2007 after leaving the team in 1997. In 2009 the team finished at the bottom of the league despite having a few young stars on the team like slugger Shuichi Murata and league batting champion Seiichi Uchikawa, and also having the pitching of Daisuke Miura and the signing of foreign star Ryan Glynn.

On May 18, 2009, The BayStars' management announced it had fired Ohya and appointed Tomio Tashiro as an acting manager.

Yokohama DeNA BayStars (2012–present)

In 2011, the franchise was acquired by a mobile telephone game company DeNA. The name was changed to reflect this, and they changed their mascot from Hosshey to Starman, who wore the new uniform.

In October 2015, Alex Ramírez, a former BayStars player and the only foreign-born player to have 2,000 hits in Japanese baseball, was named as manager for the 2016 season. He replaced Kiyoshi Nakahata, who resigned at the end of 2015 to take responsibility for the club's poor performance. In 2016, Yokohama DeNA BayStars finished the regular season in third place (69–71–3), 19.5 games behind the league leader Hiroshima Toyo Carp (89–52–3). Defeating the second place Yomiuri Giants two games to one in the first stage of the Climax Series, the BayStars advanced to the Climax Series Final but lost to the Carp in five games.

In 2017, the BayStars again finished the regular season in third place (73–65–5) 14.5 games behind the league leader Hiroshima Toyo Carp (88–51–4). Their .252 team batting average and 134 home runs were both second best in the Central League. In the first round of the Climax Series, the BayStars defeated the second place Hanshin Tigers in three games and advanced to the Climax Series Final. Although losing the first game against the Hiroshima Toyo Carp, the BayStars won the next four games to become 2017 Central League Climax Series Champions for the first time in 19 years. José López was the most valuable player (MVP) of the Central League Climax Series. The BayStars advanced to the 2017 Japan Series against the Pacific League Champion Fukuoka Softbank Hawks. The Hawks won the first three games of the series. Facing elimination, the BayStars won Games 4 and 5. At home in game 6, with the BayStars leading 3–2, the Hawks' Seiichi Uchikawa hit a game-tying solo home run off of the BayStars' star closer, Yasuaki Yamasaki. Keizo Kawashima hit the walk-off RBI single for SoftBank in the eleventh inning for the title. Hawks' pitcher Dennis Sarfate, with two saves and a Game 6 win, was named the Japan Series Most Valuable Player (MVP). Toshiro Miyazaki won the Fighting Spirit Award, given to the best player on the losing team. It was the first Japan Series loss for the team.

On March 13, 2023, Trevor Bauer agreed to an incentive-laden one-year, $4 million contract with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars.

The following year, the BayStars signed both Andre Jackson and Anthony Kay, and in the middle of the season, signed Mike Ford, who would hit a walk off home run in his debut on the major league team. This, alongside the already existing power bats of Shugo Maki and 2024 CL Batting Champion Tyler Austin, and Katsuki Azuma taking over the ace spot after Shota Imanaga left for Major League Baseball, powered the BayStars to a 3rd place finish, alongside a fall from grace by the Hiroshima Toyo Carp by late August and September, qualifying them to the Central League Climax Series. They would sweep the Hanshin Tigers in the First Stage, then beat the Central League pennant winning Yomiuri Giants in six games to advance to the 2024 Japan Series, setting up a rematch with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. This time, despite losing the first two games, the BayStars would make a comeback to win the next four, including two seven-inning shutouts by Kay and Jackson in Games 4 and 5, respectively, to win their first Japan Series since 1998. Masayuki Kuwahara, after tying a Japan Series record with nine RBIs, was named Japan Series Most Valuable Player, while Yoshi Tsutsugo, Jackson, and Kay, all won Outstanding Players Honors. With this, despite not being the worst team to win the Japan Series (that honor going to the 1978 Yakult Swallows, who won just 68 games despite playing 13 fewer games), with a record of 71-69-3, they officially held the record for the lowest winning percentage to win the Japan Series, which stood at .507.

Season-by-season records

Roster

Former players

* – P (秋山登: 1956–1967)
* – 1B, OF (近藤和彦: 1958–1972)
* – 1B (松原誠: 1962–1980)
* – P (平松政次: 1967–1984)
* – 1B, OF (中塚政幸: 1968–1982)
* – 2B (ジョン・シピン: 1972–1977)
* – OF, 1B (高木義和: 1972–1987)
* – OF (長崎慶一: 1973–1984)
* – SS, 2B, 3B (山下大輔: 1974–1987)
* – 3B, 1B, OF (田代富雄: 1976–1991)
* – 2B, 1B (フェリクス・ミヤーン: 1978–1980)
* – P (斉藤明夫: 1977–1993)
* – P (遠藤一彦: 1978–1992)
* – CF (屋鋪要: 1978–1993)
* – 2B, SS, 3B (基満男: 1979–1984)
* – 2B, SS (高木豊: 1981–1993)
* – OF (山崎賢一: 1981–1993)
* – P (五月女豊: 1982–1984)
* – OF (ジム・トレイシー: 1983–1984)
* – 3B (レオン・リー: 1983–1985)
* – LF (加藤博一: 1983–1990)
* – P (欠端光則: 1984–1994)
* – 1B (カルロス・ポンセ: 1986–1990)
* – P (新浦壽夫: 1987–1991)
* – P (デニー友利, デニー: 1987–1996, 2003–2004)
* – 1B, LF (ジム・パチョレック: 1988–1991)
* – SS, 3B (進藤達哉: 1988–2000)
* – P (野村弘樹: 1988–2002)
* – C (谷繁元信: 1989–2001)
* – SS, 3B, P (石井琢朗: 1989–2008)
* – P (佐々木主浩: 1990–1999, 2004–2005)
* – OF (鈴木尚典: 1991–2008)
* – OF (R.J. レイノルズ: 1991–1992)
* – P (斎藤隆: 1992–2005)
* – P (三浦大輔: 1992–2016)
* – P (五十嵐英樹: 1991–2001)
* – RF (グレン・グラッグス: 1993–1996)
* – 2B (ロバート・ローズ: 1993–2000)
* – 1B, OF (佐伯貴弘: 1993–2010)
* – P (大家友和: 1994–1998, 2010–2011)
* – 1B (駒田徳広: 1994–2000)
* – CF (波留敏夫: 1994–2001)
* – C (相川亮二:1995–2008)
* – P (福盛和男: 1995–2003)
* – P (川村丈夫:1997–2008)
* – OF (金城龍彦:1999–2014)
* – P (木塚敦志:2000–2010)
* – 2B (種田仁:2001–2007)
* – 1B, OF (内川聖一:2001–2010)
* – 3B (村田修一: 2003–2011)
* – RF (吉村裕基: 2003–2012)
* – 1B (タイロン・ウッズ:2003–2004)
* – P (門倉健:2004–2006)
* – P (マーク・クルーン: 2005–2007)
* – OF (梶谷隆幸: 2007–2020)
* – P (スティーブン・ランドルフ: 2009–2010, 2011)
* – 1B (ブレット・ハーパー: 2010–2011)
* – 3B (中村紀洋: 2011–2014)
* – OF (アレックス・ラミレス: 2012–2013)
* – 1B (トニ・ブランコ: 2013–2014)
* – IF (ユリ・グリエル: 2014–2015)
* – P (ギジェルモ・モスコーソ: 2014–2016)
* – P (三上朋也: 2014–2022)
* – P (砂田毅樹: 2014–2022)
* – OF (細川成也: 2017–2022)
* – P (フェルナンド・ロメロ: 2021–2022)
* – 2B (藤田一也: 2005–2012, 2022–2023)
* – P (エドウィン・エスコバー: 2017–2023)
* – 1B, 3B (ネフタリ・ソト: 2018–2023)
* – P (田中健二朗: 2008–2023)
* – IF (前田大和, 大和: 2018–2024)

Retired numbers

None

Honored numbers

*
*

MLB players

Current:
*Shota Imanaga (2024–present)
* Trevor Bauer (2023–present)
Former:
* Yuli Gurriel (2014–2015)
*Tomo Ohka (1999–2009)
*Takashi Saito (2006–2012)
*Kazuhiro Sasaki (2000–2003)
* Kazuo Fukumori (2008)
* Yoshi Tsutsugo (2020–2022)
* Joe Stanka (1966)

Mascots

They have been represented by various star-themed characters such as:

* Hosshey (ホッシー) 1993–2012
* Hossiena (ホッシーナ) 1993–2012
* Hossizo (ホッシーゾ) 1993–2012
* DB.Starman (DB.スターマン) 2012–
* DB.Kirara (DB.キララ) (DB Starman`s daughter) 2012–
* DB.Rider 2012–2017
* Bart （バート) 2014-
* Chapy （チャピー) 2014-

Minor league team

The Baystars farm team plays in the Eastern League. It was founded in 1950. The minor league team shares the same name and uniform as the parent team and they play the majority of their home games at Yokosuka Stadium, located in Yokosuka, Kanagawa.

See also

* Maruha Nichiro Holdings, Inc.
* Tokyo Broadcasting System Holdings, Inc.

References

External links

Official website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yokohama DeNA BayStars

1950 establishments in Japan
Baseball teams established in 1950
DeNA
DeNA franchises
Nippon Professional Baseball teams
Sports clubs and teams in Yokohama