The is one of the two

minor leagues Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in N ...

("ni-gun")"Minor League History,"
JapaneseBaseball.com. Accessed April 20, 2015. of

Japanese professional baseball Professional baseball in Japan first started in the 1920s, but it was not until the was established in 1934 that the modern professional game had continued success. History Baseball was introduced to Japan in 1872 by Horace Wilson, and its first ...

. The league is owned and managed by the

Central League The or 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 in the annual Japan Series. It currently consi ...

Nippon Professional Baseball or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''. Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...

(NPB). Teams in the Eastern League generally play an 80-game schedule every year.

Teams

The league currently contains the minor league affiliates of seven Japanese professional teams. With a few exceptions, Eastern League teams currently carry the same name, and use the same uniforms, as their parent team. Current teams (minor league home field shown in parentheses): *

Chiba Lotte Marines The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based in Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture, in the Kantō region, and owned by Lotte Holdings Co., Ltd. History The Marines franchise began in 1950 as the Mainichi Orions, an inaugural ...

(

Saitama, Saitama is the capital and the most populous city of Saitama Prefecture, Japan. Its area incorporates the former cities of Urawa, Ōmiya, Yono and Iwatsuki. It is a city designated by government ordinance. Being in the Greater Tokyo Area and lyin ...

) *

Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters The are a Japanese professional Baseball in Japan, baseball team based in Kitahiroshima, Hokkaidō. They compete in the Pacific League of Nippon Professional Baseball, playing the majority of their home games at ES CON Field Hokkaido. The Figh ...

(

Kamagaya, Chiba is a city located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 109,941 living in 50,485 households and a population density of 5200 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Kamagaya is located in the ...

) *

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

The minor league team name depends on the sponsoring company; from 2004–2006 they were known as the Invoice Lions; in 2007 naming rights were acquired by Goodwill, but they reverted to the major league team name in 2008 because of Goodwill's illegal commercial activities. (

Tokorozawa, Saitama is a city located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 344,194 in 163,675 households and a population density of 4800 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Tokorozawa is located in th ...

) *

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 curren ...

(

Yokosuka, Kanagawa is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city has a population of 409,478, and a population density of . The total area is . Yokosuka is the 11th most populous city in the Greater Tokyo Area, and the 12th in the Kantō region. The city ...

) *

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 shoppin ...

(

Tendō, Yamagata is a city located in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 61,947 in 22392 households, and a population density of 550 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Tendō is located in the east-cent ...

), (

Rifu, Miyagi is a town located in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 36,014, and a population density of 800 persons per km2 in 13,568 households. The total area of the town is . Rifu is known for its nashi pears. Recent ...

) *

Tokyo Yakult Swallows The Tokyo Yakult Swallows () are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Shinjuku, Tokyo, they are one of two professional baseball teams based in Tokyo, the other being the ...

(

Toda, Saitama is a city located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 140,902 in 66,765 households and a population density of 7700 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Toda is located in the flat lowla ...

) *

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 ...

( Inagi, Tokyo)

History

Shin Nippon League

In 1954 the six teams of NPB's

agreed to form their own minor league — the Shin Nippon LeagueRyo
"Ni-Gun Baseball,"
''NPB Tracker'' (25 August 2009). (or "New Japan League") — as a complement to the already extant Kansai Farm League, which had begun play in 1952. The minor league affiliates of 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) ...

and

Hanshin Tigers The Hanshin Tigers (Japanese: 阪神タイガース ''Hanshin Taigāsu'') are a Nippon Professional Baseball team playing in the Central League. The team is based in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and is owned by Hanshin Electric Railway ...

moved over from the Kansai Farm League. The initial roster of Shin Nippon League teams (NPB parent team in parentheses): * Chunichi Diamonds (

) * Hiroshima Greens (

Hiroshima Carp The is a professional baseball team based in Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Japan. They compete in the Central League of Nippon Professional Baseball. The team is primarily owned by the Matsuda family, led by , who is a descendant of Mazda ...

) * Kokutetsu Fresh Swallows (

Kokutetsu Swallows The Tokyo Yakult Swallows () are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Shinjuku, Tokyo, they are one of two professional baseball teams based in Tokyo, the other being the Yo ...

) * Osaka Jaguars ( Osaka Tigers) * Taiyō-Shochiku Junior Robins (

Taiyō-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 ...

) * Yomiuri Junior Giants (

)

Formation of the Eastern League

Both minor leagues decided to join forces with

in 1955, and the 14

farm team In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club, or nursery club is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher ...

s of the Central League and

Pacific League The or 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 annual Japan Series. It currently consi ...

were split up to create the Eastern League and the Western League, each with seven teams. The Eastern League contained the minor league teams of the seven professional teams that had their homefields in the Eastern region of Japan (NPB parent team in parentheses): * Daiei Junior Stars (

Daiei Stars 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. ...

) * Kokutetsu Fresh Swallows (

) * Mainichi Little Orions (

Mainichi Orions The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based in Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture, in the Kantō region, and owned by Lotte Holdings Co., Ltd. History The Marines franchise began in 1950 as the Mainichi Orions, an inaugura ...

) * Taiyo Junior Whales (

Taiyo Whales 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 curren ...

) * Toei Chick Flyers (

Toei Flyers The are a Japanese professional baseball team based in Kitahiroshima, Hokkaidō. They compete in the Pacific League of Nippon Professional Baseball, playing the majority of their home games at ES CON Field Hokkaido. The Fighters also host a ...

) * Tombo Unions ni-gun ( Tombo Unions) * Yomiuri Junior Giants (

)

1956-1960 hiatus

After one year of operation, the league dissolved in 1956 for financial reasons.

Rebirth

The Eastern League restarted in 1961 with five teams: in the interim the

and the

Takahashi Unions The were a Japanese team in Nippon Professional Baseball. A Pacific League expansion team in 1954, they were brought into the league to increase the number of teams to eight. The team was stocked with players from the other Pacific League teams, i ...

(formerly the Tombo Unions) had merged into 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. ...

, who in turn merged with the

to ultimately form the Daimai Orions (now known as the

). From that point until the year 2000, all Japanese minor league teams used the same name as their NPB parent club. In 1979, the Nishitetsu Lions moved their franchise to Saitama, with their minor league team leaving the Western League to join the Eastern League. In 2005 the

were formed to join NPB, and their farm team became part of the Eastern League as well.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eastern League (Japanese Baseball) 2 3 Sports leagues established in 1955 1955 establishments in Japan Sports leagues disestablished in 1956 1956 disestablishments in Japan Professional sports leagues in Japan