The were a
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) team based in
Osaka
is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...
,
Japan, which was in the
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 cons ...
. In 2005 the team was merged with 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 ...
to become the team now known as the
Orix Buffaloes. The team played in
Fujiidera Stadium
was a multi-use stadium in Fujiidera, Osaka, Japan. It was used mostly for baseball and was the home of the Kintetsu Buffaloes prior to the Osaka Dome opening in 1997. The stadium had a capacity of 32,000 people. The stadium was built in 1928, ...
, and later in
Osaka Dome
The (official name: ) is a baseball stadium located in Osaka, Osaka, Japan. Opened in 1997, the stadium was the home field of the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes. In 2005, the stadium became one of the homes of the Orix Buffaloes, a result of the me ...
.
Although the team won four Pacific League championships, they lost all four
Japan Series
The Japan Series ( , officially the Japan Championship Series, ), also the Nippon Series, :File:2014_JS_logo.png is the annual championship series in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top baseball league in Japan. It is a best-of-seven series ...
in which they played. The team's batting lineup was known as ''Itemae Dasen'' (
いてまえ打線).
Logo design
A stylized
buffalo's head with angry-looking red eyes (designed by
Okamoto Taro
Okamoto (written: 岡本 literally "hill base") is the 48th most common Japanese surname.
Notable people with the surname include:
*Anri Okamoto (born 1994), fashion model and an actress in Japan
* Atsushi Okamoto (born 1981), professional Nippon ...
), or "Buffaloes" in red script, outlined with white. Another logo featured the "Buffaloes" in red script, while also featuring Buffie, the Buffaloes mascot.
Franchise history
The team was founded in 1949 and began play in 1950 in the newly organized NPB. Owned by
Kinki Nippon Railway Co. (later known as
Kintetsu Railway
, referred to as , is a Japanese passenger railway company, managing infrastructure and operating passenger train service. Its railway system is the largest in Japan, excluding Japan Railways Group. The railway network connects Osaka, Nara, Ky ...
), the franchise was known as the Kintetsu Pearls from 1950-1958, Kintetsu Buffalo from 1959-1961, the Kintetsu Buffaloes from 1962-1998, and the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes from 1999-2004. In 1961, the Buffaloes lost 103 games that year. As of 2022, it is NPB's only 100 loss season.
The Kintetsu Buffalo were among the first Japanese teams to sign American players. They signed former major league pitcher
Glenn Mickens
Glenn Roger Mickens (July 26, 1930 – July 9, 2019) was a pitcher in Major League Baseball. He pitched in four games (two of which were starts) for the 1953 Brooklyn Dodgers. He also played for five years in Japan, from 1959 until 1963 for the ...
and catcher
Ron Bottler Ron is a shortening of the name Ronald.
Ron or RON may also refer to:
Arts and media
* Big Ron (''EastEnders''), a TV character
* Ron (''King of Fighters''), a video game character
*Ron Douglas, the protagonist in '' Lucky Stiff'' played by Joe ...
for the 1959 season. Mickens had played for the
Brooklyn Dodgers in 1953 and Bottler had been a career minor league catcher in the United States. Mickens played for five years in Japan, compiling a record of 45–53 with a 2.54 ERA. Bottler played for the Buffalo for three seasons, gradually converting from catcher to starting pitcher, where he had more success.
It took 30 years for the franchise to win its first Pacific League title, in 1979, but it lost the
Japan Series
The Japan Series ( , officially the Japan Championship Series, ), also the Nippon Series, :File:2014_JS_logo.png is the annual championship series in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top baseball league in Japan. It is a best-of-seven series ...
to the
Hiroshima Toyo 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 ...
4-games-to-3. The Buffaloes made it back to the Japan Series in 1980, but again lost to Hiroshima by the same margin.
The franchise's most notable player was pitcher
Keishi Suzuki
is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He played for the Kintetsu Buffaloes from 1966 to 1985. , who played for the Buffaloes from 1966 to 1985, compiling a won-loss record of 317–238, a 3.11 ERA, and 3,061 strikeouts. He was elected to the
Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame
The is a museum which includes a library, reference rooms and .
It first opened in 1959 next door to Korakuen Stadium in Tokyo, Japan. In 1988, the museum moved to a new site within the Tokyo Dome.
The Hall of Fame and Museum was created as ...
in 2002.
In 1988, the Buffaloes were so close to making the Japan Series, after tying a second game in a double-header against the
Lotte 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 inaugural ...
. In order for Kintetsu to win the pennant, they had to win both games.
They would make the Japan Series the following year, but just barely, after being .001 winning percentage higher than the second place
Orix Braves, but lost to the Giants in the first
reverse sweep
In cricket, batting is the act or skill of hitting the ball with a bat to score runs and prevent the loss of one's wicket. Any player who is currently batting is, since September 2021, officially referred to as a batter (historically, the ...
since the
1958 Japan Series
The 1958 Japan Series was the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) championship series for the 1958 season. It was the ninth Japan Series and featured the Pacific League champions, the Nishitetsu Lions, against the Central League champions, the Yom ...
.
American outfielder
Ralph Bryant
Ralph Wendell Bryant (born May 20, 1961) is a retired Major League Baseball player. He played with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the major leagues, and with the Chunichi Dragons and Kintetsu Buffaloes in Nippon Professional Baseball. He batted left- ...
starred for the Buffaloes from 1988-1995, in the process becoming one of the best left-handed power hitters in Japanese baseball history. Bryant had his best season in , where his 49 home runs led the Buffaloes to their third
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 cons ...
championship. He won the season MVP award that year, and also tied
Sadaharu Oh
Sadaharu Oh (Japanese: , ''Ō Sadaharu''; born May 20, 1940), also known as Wang Chen-chih (), is a Japanese-born former baseball player and manager Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"Ō Sadaharu"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 758. who ...
's career record for hitting three home runs in a game five times. Bryant also struck out countless times, and holds the top four spots on the single-season strikeout records in
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 ...
.
Pitcher
Hideo Nomo
is a Japanese former baseball pitcher who played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) and Major League Baseball (MLB). He achieved early success in his native country, where he played with the Kintetsu Buffaloes from to . He then exploited a l ...
starred for the Buffaloes from 1990–1994 before he exercised a loophole in his contract and "retired," allowing him to sign with MLB's
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...
. The subsequent wave of players moving to
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
has become a fixture of Japanese professional baseball. To combat this, MLB and NPB agreed to make the
posting system
The is a baseball player transfer system that operates between Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) and Major League Baseball (MLB). Despite the drafting of the United States – Japanese Player Contract Agreement, unveiled in 1967 to regulate ...
, which allowed players in NPB to "post" and allowed them to move to MLB. Without Nomo, the Buffaloes struggled in pitching, with a 4.16 ERA and 4.70 FIP after Nomo's departure.
In 2000, the Buffaloes signed Mexican pitcher
Narciso Elvira. While he had terrible pitching, he was noted for being the only Mexican player in NPB history as of 2022 to throw a
no-hitter, and only allowing 4 walks. He was cut 6 games into the Buffaloes' 2001 Pacific League championship season, and then signed with the
Samsung Lions of the
KBO League
The KBO League (), officially the Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League, is the highest level league of baseball in South Korea. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers ar ...
and won the 2002 Korean Series with them.
Tuffy Rhodes played for the Buffaloes for eight seasons from 1996–2003, hitting 288 home runs over that span. In the season, he hit his 55th homer to tie
Sadaharu Oh
Sadaharu Oh (Japanese: , ''Ō Sadaharu''; born May 20, 1940), also known as Wang Chen-chih (), is a Japanese-born former baseball player and manager Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"Ō Sadaharu"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 758. who ...
's Japanese League single season home run record, set in . For the rest of the season, opposing pitchers intentionally walked Rhodes to prevent him from breaking Oh's record. Rhodes also played in tandem with
Norihiro Nakamura
is a Japanese former professional baseball third baseman. Nakamura spent almost all of his professional career in Japan with the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes. Nakamura had a .266 career batting average, 404 home runs and 1338 RBI, and was an eight ...
, who also hit 46 home runs that same season. Together, they became a deadly hitting tandem, and the Buffaloes had one of the most dominant offenses in the league.
Despite the efforts of Rhodes and Nakamura, the Buffaloes could still not win the Japan Series, as they lost to the
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 ...
in 5 games in the
2001 Japan Series
The 2001 Japan Series was the 52nd edition of Nippon Professional Baseball's postseason championship series. It matched the Central League champion Yakult Swallows against the Pacific League champion Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes. The Swallows defeated ...
. The Buffaloes are the second team to make the Japan Series but never win it, the first being the short lived
Shochiku Robins
The Shochiku Robins were a Japanese baseball team that played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). The franchise originated in the Japanese Baseball League (NPB's predecessor) and existed from 1936–1953, when it merged with the Taiyo Whales. ...
, who only made the Japan Series in NPB's inaugural season, losing to the
Mainichi Orions (now Chiba Lotte Marines) before folding at the end of the following season and being merged with the
Taiyo Whales (now Yokohama DeNA BayStars).
Sale and merger
In 2004 the team was sold to the
Orix Group, the owner of 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 ...
baseball team. The new owner then announced that the financially challenged Buffaloes and BlueWave would be merged into one team, called the
Orix Buffaloes, before the start of the 2005 NPB season. At the time,
Kintetsu Railway
, referred to as , is a Japanese passenger railway company, managing infrastructure and operating passenger train service. Its railway system is the largest in Japan, excluding Japan Railways Group. The railway network connects Osaka, Nara, Ky ...
, the Buffaloes' owners, were in ¥1.3 trillion (or $11.2 billion today) in debt. This caused Buffaloes legend Tuffy Rhodes to sign with 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 ...
as Kintetsu was not able to strike up the multi year deal he wanted.
The proposed merger of the teams led to the biggest crisis in the traditional two-league structure in NPB and finally caused the first baseball player strike in Japan. The dispute officially ended after the two groups reached consensus on September 23, 2004. As part of the agreement, the
Rakuten Golden Eagles were newly created (at a reduced "entry fee") to keep the former six-team league structure. Other agreements included the leagues adopting interleague play to help the Pacific League gain exposure by playing the more popular Central league teams. All these changes took place before the 2005 season.
Players of note
Former players
Japanese
*
Toshiya Adachi
is a retired Japanese Nippon Professional Baseball player with the Kintetsu Buffaloes
The were a Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) team based in Osaka, Japan, which was in the Pacific League. In 2005 the team was merged with the Orix Blue ...
(安達 俊也)
*
Kanehisa Arime
is a Japanese 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 ...
(有銘 兼久)
*
Hideki Asai
is a Nippon Professional Baseball pitcher for the Yomiuri Giants in Japan's Central League
The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championshi ...
(朝井 秀樹)
*
Masahiro Doi (土井 正博)
*
Hisashi Iwakuma
is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher. He has played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes from 2000 to 2004, Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles from 2005 to 2011, and Yomiuri Giants in 2019, and all of ...
(岩隈 久志)
*
Ken Kadokura
is a retired Japanese professional baseball pitcher. He played in Nippon Professional Baseball (Chunichi Dragons, Yomiuri Giants) and the KBO League. He threw a four-seam fastball, a slider, and a fork ball.
Biography
After 13 years in NPB, Ka ...
(門倉 健)
*Yoshiaki Kanemura (金村 義明)
*
Tetsuya Matoyama (的山 哲也)
*
Norihiro Nakamura
is a Japanese former professional baseball third baseman. Nakamura spent almost all of his professional career in Japan with the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes. Nakamura had a .266 career batting average, 404 home runs and 1338 RBI, and was an eight ...
(中村 紀洋)
*
Hideo Nomo
is a Japanese former baseball pitcher who played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) and Major League Baseball (MLB). He achieved early success in his native country, where he played with the Kintetsu Buffaloes from to . He then exploited a l ...
(野茂 英雄)
*
Koji Ota
Koji, Kōji, Kohji or Kouji may refer to:
*Kōji (given name), a masculine Japanese given name
*Kōji (Heian period) (康治), Japanese era, 1142–1144
*Kōji (Muromachi period) (弘治), Japanese era, 1555–1558
*Koji orange, a Japanese citrus ...
(太田 幸司)
*
Akinori Otsuka
(born January 13, 1972) is a retired Japanese baseball pitcher who coaches for the Chunichi Dragons in Nippon Professional Baseball. He was formerly the set-up man for the San Diego Padres and the Texas Rangers. He was also the closer for Jap ...
(大塚 晶則)
*
Tomotaka Sakaguchi
Tomotaka Sakaguchi (坂口 智隆, born July 7, 1984, in Akashi, Hyōgo) is a Japanese former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes, Orix Buffaloes, and Tokyo Ya ...
(坂口 智隆)
*
Keishi Suzuki
is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He played for the Kintetsu Buffaloes from 1966 to 1985. (鈴木 啓示)
*
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
Y ...
(吉井 理人)
Foreign players
*
Andy Abad
Fausto Andrés Abad (born August 25, 1972) is an American former professional baseball player. Listed at 6' 1" (1.85 m), 184 lb. (83 k), Abad batted and threw left handed. He is also known as ''Tulile'' (to-lee'-leh) in the Dominican Republi ...
*
Kyle Abbott
*
Mike Andrews
Michael Jay Andrews (born July 9, 1943) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as an infielder for the Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox and Oakland Athletics. After his playing career, he served fo ...
*
Luis Aquino
*
Chris Arnold
*
Gene Bacque
Gene Bacque (August 12, 1937 – September 14, 2019) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played in Nippon Professional Baseball for the Hanshin Tigers and Kintetsu Buffaloes.
Biography
Career
Bacque graduated from the Universi ...
*
Sean Bergman
Sean Frederick Bergman (born April 11, 1970) is an American former right-handed Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher who played for the Detroit Tigers, San Diego Padres, Houston Astros, Atlanta Braves, and Minnesota Twins between 1993 and 2000. Be ...
*
Billy Bean
William Daro Bean (born May 11, 1964) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder for the Detroit Tigers (1987–1989), Los Angeles Dodgers (1989), and San Diego Padres (1993–1 ...
*
Buddy Bradford
Charles William Bradford (born July 25, 1944) is an American former professional baseball player. He played as an outfielder in Major League Baseball for the Chicago White Sox (1966–70, 1972–75 and 1976), Cleveland Indians (1970–71), Cinci ...
*
Ralph Bryant
Ralph Wendell Bryant (born May 20, 1961) is a retired Major League Baseball player. He played with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the major leagues, and with the Chunichi Dragons and Kintetsu Buffaloes in Nippon Professional Baseball. He batted left- ...
*
Ozzie Canseco
*
Phil Clark
*
Alvin Davis
Alvin Glenn Davis (born September 9, 1960), nicknamed "Mr. Mariner", is a former Major League Baseball first baseman and designated hitter. He played eight of his nine seasons for the Seattle Mariners and won the American League Rookie of the Year ...
*
Dick Davis
*
Pat Dodson
Patrick Lionel Djargun Dodson (born 29 January 1948) is an Australian politician representing Western Australia in the Australian Senate. He is a Yawuru elder from Broome, Western Australia. He has been chairman of the Council for Aboriginal ...
*
Chris Donnels
*
Narciso Elvira
*
Chuck Essegian
Charles Abraham Essegian (born August 9, 1931) is an American former professional baseball left fielder. He appeared in 404 games in Major League Baseball (MLB) over six seasons (1958–1963) for the Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, L ...
*
Freddy García
Freddy Antonio García (born October 6, 1976), is a former Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher. He is best known for his many seasons with seven Major League Baseball (MLB) franchises, including the Seattle Mariners, Chicago White Sox, and ...
*
Shawn Gilbert
Albert Shawn Gilbert Jr. (born March 12, 1965, in Camden, New Jersey) is an American former professional baseball player. He attended Agua Fria Union High School in Avondale, Arizona. After high school, he attended Fresno State and Arizona State ...
*
Jim Gentile
James Edward Gentile (born June 3, 1934), also nicknamed "Diamond Jim", is an American former professional baseball first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Brooklyn / Los Angeles Dodgers, Baltimore Orioles, Kansas City At ...
*
David Green
David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...
*
Ike Hampton
*
Mike Johnson
*
Terry Lee
*
Phil Leftwich
Phillip Dale Leftwich (born May 19, 1969) is an American former professional baseball player who played three seasons for the California Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB). He also played two seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for th ...
*
Charlie Manuel
*
Glenn Mickens
Glenn Roger Mickens (July 26, 1930 – July 9, 2019) was a pitcher in Major League Baseball. He pitched in four games (two of which were starts) for the 1953 Brooklyn Dodgers. He also played for five years in Japan, from 1959 until 1963 for the ...
*
Bob Milacki
Robert Milacki (born July 28, 1964) is a former professional baseball player who pitched in Major League Baseball between and , mostly with the Baltimore Orioles.
Playing career
Milacki began his career with the Baltimore Orioles, pitching for t ...
*
Don Money
Donald Wayne Money (born June 7, 1947) is an American former professional baseball infielder who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers, and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Kintetsu ...
*
Ben Oglivie
Benjamin Ambrosio Oglivie Palmer (born February 11, 1949) is a Panamanians, Panamanian former professional baseball left fielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox (1971–1973), Detroit Tigers (1974–1977), and Mi ...
*
Dennis Powell
Dennis Clay Powell (born August 13, 1963), is an American former professional baseball pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Seattle Mariners, and Milwaukee Brewers, in all or parts of eight seasons (–). Pow ...
*
Jim Qualls
James Robert Qualls (born October 9, 1946) is an American former professional baseball player who appeared in 63 games in Major League Baseball as an outfielder and pinch-hitting specialist for the Chicago Cubs (), Montreal Expos () and Chicago ...
*
R. J. Reynolds
*
Karl "Tuffy" Rhodes
*
Bombo Rivera
*
Germán Rivera
*
Dave Roberts
*
Johnny Ruffin
Johnny Renando Ruffin (born July 29, 1971) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played six seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds, Arizona Diamondbacks and Miami Marlins, Florida Marlins. He also played o ...
*
Brian Shouse
Brian Douglas Shouse (born September 26, 1968) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher and Minor League pitching coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Boston Red Sox, Kansas City Royals, Te ...
*
Lee Stevens
DeWain Lee Stevens (born July 10, 1967) is a former first baseman and designated hitter drafted by the California Angels in 1986. A highly regarded prospect, Stevens batted .314 with 19 home runs for the Triple A Edmonton Trappers in 1991.
The ...
*
Jim Traber
James Joseph Traber (born December 26, 1961)[Jim Traber](_blank)
at thebaseballcube.com is an Ameri ...
*
Carlos Valdez
*
Nigel Wilson
Nigel Edward Wilson (born January 12, 1970) is a Canadian former Major League Baseball player from Oshawa, Ontario. He played for the Florida Marlins, Cincinnati Reds, and Cleveland Indians. He also spent six highly successful seasons in Nippo ...
*
Bob Wolcott
Robert William Wolcott (born September 8, 1973) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played all or part of five seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners (1995–97), Arizona Diamondbacks (1998), and Bosto ...
*
Larry Wolfe
Laurence Marcy Wolfe (born March 2, 1953 in Melbourne, Florida) is a former professional baseball player. He played all or part of four seasons in Major League Baseball, primarily as a third baseman. He also played one season in Japan in 1982. Wol ...
Retired numbers
*1
Keishi Suzuki
is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He played for the Kintetsu Buffaloes from 1966 to 1985. (鈴木 啓示)
Managers
* (1950-1952)
* (1953-1957)
* (1958)
* (1959-1961)
* (1962-1964)
* (1965-1966)
* (1967)
* (1968-1970)
* (1971-1973)
* (1974-1981)
* (1982-1983)
* (1984-1987)
* (1988-1992)
* (1993-1995)
* (1996-1999)
* (2000-2004)
Mascots
The Buffaloes had 2 mascots, named Buffie and Falulu (バフィリード and ファルルリーナ). Buffie is a male buffalo and was introduced in 1997. He also appeared on the team logo. Falulu is a female buffalo. Buffie's jersey number is 100 while Falulu's is 200. They were retired in 2005 after the Buffaloes merged with the then-named Orix BlueWave (present day
Orix Buffaloes). Buffie reappeared in a Buffaloes reprint match in 2013. They also had 2 other mascots as part of the same group, named Capelot and Balbarock, with Capelot being a much more child-like character, whilst Balbarock was supposed to resemble the club's cap logo. Both were retired in 2000. All 4 were designed by
Hanna-Barbera Productions
Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ) was an American animation studio and production company which was active from 1957 to 2001. It was founded on July 7, 1957, by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera following the decision of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to c ...
, and their backstory was that they lived in a fantasy world of dreams and adventures named "Buffalo Valley", as described in the club's 1997 supporters' handbook. However, after the merger, only Buffie's copyright trademark was transferred to
Orix Corporation.
Before they were introduced, the team's mascot was a human character named Buffer (バッファくん), who served as the team mascot from 1976 to 1996. Logos of him usually depicted him holding a baseball bat and a ball, wearing the Buffaloes cap, raising one leg, whilst wearing
Asics spiked shoes. However, a secondary logo primarily used by the team only had him holding a bat and ball. His jersey number was 100. He was designed by Yoshio Shirakawa.
He was retired in 1997 following the Buffaloes' major logo and jersey overhaul, coinciding with their move to the Osaka Dome.
References
External links
History of the Kintetsu BuffaloesThe dramatic determination of championship in Pacific League
{{Japanese Professional Baseball
Defunct Nippon Professional Baseball teams
Baseball teams established in 1949
1949 establishments in Japan
Baseball teams disestablished in 2004
2004 disestablishments in Japan