The are a
professional baseball
Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
Mod ...
team in Japan's
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 consis ...
based north of
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
in
Tokorozawa
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 the ce ...
,
Saitama Prefecture
is a landlocked prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Saitama Prefecture has a population of 7,338,536 (1 January 2020) and has a geographic area of 3,797 km2 (1,466 sq mi). Saitama Prefecture borders Tochigi Prefecture ...
. Before 1979, they were based in
Fukuoka
is the sixth-largest city in Japan, the second-largest port city after Yokohama, and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since ancie ...
,
Fukuoka Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Fukuoka Prefecture has a population of 5,109,323 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,986 Square kilometre, km2 (1,925 sq mi). Fukuoka Prefecture borders S ...
in
Kyushu
is the third-largest island of Japan's five main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands ( i.e. excluding Okinawa). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional name referred to Kyushu and its surroun ...
. The team is owned by a subsidiary of
Seibu Railway
is a conglomerate based in Tokorozawa, Saitama, Japan, with principal business areas in railways, tourism, and real estate. Seibu Railway's operations are concentrated in northwest Tokyo and Saitama Prefecture; the name "Seibu" is an abbreviati ...
, which in turn is owned by the
Seibu Holdings
is a Japanese holding company that primarily owns Seibu Railway, Prince Hotels, and Seibu Bus and its subsidiaries, which are collectively known as the . In total, fifty-three companies across the world are affiliated with the Seibu Group. The co ...
. The team experienced a recent period of financial difficulty, but the situation brightened when the team received a record
¥6 billion (about
$51.11 million)
posting fee from the
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...
for the right to negotiate a contract with
Daisuke Matsuzaka
is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher, who pitched professionally for 23 seasons, 16 of them in NPB, 7 in MLB. He is currently a baseball color commentator, critic, reporter, and YouTuber. Daisuke is nicknamed in Japan and "Dice-K ...
. Between 1978 and 2008, the team logo and mascot were based on the adult version of
Kimba the White Lion
''Kimba the White Lion'', known in Japan as , is a Japanese '' shōnen'' manga series written and illustrated by Osamu Tezuka which was serialized in the ''Manga Shōnen'' magazine from November 1950 to April 1954. An anime based on ...
, a classic Japanese
anime
is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...
and
manga
Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
series by
Osamu Tezuka
Osamu Tezuka (, born , ''Tezuka Osamu''; – 9 February 1989) was a Japanese manga artist, cartoonist, and animator. Born in Osaka Prefecture, his prolific output, pioneering techniques, and innovative redefinitions of genres earned him such ...
. In 2004, former Seibu Lions player
Kazuo Matsui
is a Japanese retired professional baseball player who played as a shortstop and is the current manager of the Saitama Seibu Lions. He is a switch-hitter.
Matsui signed with the New York Mets on December 17, 2003, becoming the first Japanese i ...
became the first Japanese infielder to play in
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), ...
.
Franchise history
Nishitetsu Clippers (1950)
In 1950, the team became a founding member of 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 consis ...
. It was then owned by
Nishi-Nippon Railroad
The , also called or NNR, is one of Japan's "Big 16" private railroad companies. With headquarters in Fukuoka, it operates local and highway buses, supermarkets, real estate and travel agencies, as well as railways in Fukuoka Prefecture ...
, which was based in
Fukuoka
is the sixth-largest city in Japan, the second-largest port city after Yokohama, and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since ancie ...
.The Clippers name was chosen as Nishitetsu was in charge of
Pan American Airlines
Pan American World Airways, originally founded as Pan American Airways and commonly known as Pan Am, was an American airline that was the principal and largest international air carrier and unofficial overseas flag carrier of the United States ...
' Japanese operations (back then, Pan Am's jets were known as "Clippers" due to them being aeronautical). The team finished sixth that year, and at the end of the season was merged with the
Nishi-Nippon Pirates to form the Nishitetsu Lions. Thus the Lions name was adopted and has been retained up to today as the name of the franchise.
Nishitetsu Lions (1951–1972)
The Nishitetsu Lions called
Heiwadai Stadium
was a ballpark located in the Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. From 1950 to 1978, it served as the home ballpark of the Nishitetsu Lions, a team in Nippon Professional Baseball's (NPB) Pacific League. It also briefly served as the home stadi ...
home for their entire existence. They were one of a dominant team in the Pacific League during the 1950s, winning four pennants, including three straight
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 ...
against 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 ...
behind famed manager
Osamu Mihara
was a professional Japanese baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beg ...
; their last championship in Fukuoka came in 1958.
The team struggled through the following decade and did not witness much success on the field. In 1969–1970 the team was caught up in the infamous
Black Mist game-fixing scandal, which resulted in four Lions pitchers being banned from NPB for life, as well as other players receiving lesser punishments. These losses decimated the team, which finished the 1970 season in last place.
After a third straight last-place finish, in November 1972 the franchise was sold to the
Fukuoka Baseball Corporation
is the List of Japanese cities by population, sixth-largest city in Japan, the second-largest port city after Yokohama, and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center ...
, also a part of
Nishi-Nippon Railroad
The , also called or NNR, is one of Japan's "Big 16" private railroad companies. With headquarters in Fukuoka, it operates local and highway buses, supermarkets, real estate and travel agencies, as well as railways in Fukuoka Prefecture ...
. Following the sale, the team was renamed the Taiheiyo Club Lions.
Taiheiyo Club Lions (1973–1976)
Nishi-Nippon Railroad, founded by
Nagayoshi Nakamura, then owner of
Lotte Corporation
Lotte Corporation (or Lotte Group) is a South Korean multinational corporation, multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate corporation, and the fifth-largest chaebol in South Korea. Lotte began its history on June 28, 1948, by Kore ...
and the
Orions, sold the team's sponsorship rights to
Taiheiyo Club, a golf course and resort developer in 1973. The Lions, still smarting from the after-effects of the Black Mist Scandal, finished no higher than third throughout the 1970s.
Crown Lighter Lions (1977–1978)
At the end of the 1976 season, the Fukuoka Baseball Corporation announced that the team's new sponsor was
Crown Gas Lighter
A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, partic ...
. With this, the team's name for the upcoming season was changed to the Crown Lighter Lions. On October 25, 1978, the team was sold to Kokudo Keikaku (later Kokudo), and then merged into Prince Hotels.
Seibu Lions (1979–2007)
Following the sale of the Crown Lighter Lions and their merging into Prince Hotels, the team was renamed the Seibu Lions and relocated to a new ballpark in
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 the ce ...
. Fukuoka would be left without an NPB team until , when the erstwhile
Nankai 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.
The team was formerly known as the Nankai Hawks and was based in Osaka. ...
were bought by
Daiei
, based in Kobe, is one of the largest supermarket chains in Japan. In 1957, Isao Nakauchi founded the chain in Osaka near Sembayashi Station on the Keihan train line. Daiei is now under a restructuring process supported by Marubeni Corporation ...
and moved to the Lions' previous stadium,
Heiwadai Stadium
was a ballpark located in the Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. From 1950 to 1978, it served as the home ballpark of the Nishitetsu Lions, a team in Nippon Professional Baseball's (NPB) Pacific League. It also briefly served as the home stadi ...
.
Golden Age (1982–1994)
The Lions finished in last place in (something the team would not do again until ), and finished in fourth place in and . However, the following seasons would mark the beginning of a period of sustained success for the team under new manager
Tatsuro Hirooka
Tatsuro Hirooka (広岡 達朗, ''Hirooka Tatsurō'' born February 9, 1932) is a retired Japanese professional baseball player and manager.
Hirooka played his entire career, from 1954 to 1966, for the Yomiuri Giants. He was awarded the Central L ...
and with star players such as
Osamu Higashio
is a former Japanese baseball player who played in the Japanese professional leagues from 1969–1988, being remembered as one of the leading Japanese pitchers in the 1980s. He also was manager of the Seibu Lions from 1995 to 2001.
Professiona ...
and
Kōichi Tabuchi. Tatsuro Hirooka told the players that meat and other animal foods increase athletes' susceptibility to injury, and decrease their ability to perform. He required all players to take up a strictly
vegetarian diet Vegetarian diet may refer to:
*Vegetarianism
*Vegetarian cuisine
*Plant-based diet (i.e., not necessarily stemming from vegetarian beliefs)
*Veganism
Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in die ...
. The club won consecutive
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 and , and went to 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 ...
again in , but lost to the
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 ...
, who won their first and so far only Japan Series title in team history.
Following the 1986 season, the club replaced Hirooka with
Masaaki Mori
is a former Japanese football player. He played for Japan national team.
Club career
Mori was born in Nagasaki Prefecture on July 12, 1961. After graduating from Fukuoka University, he joined Japan Soccer League
, or JSL, was the top flig ...
, who was able to sustain the team's prolonged success. Mori won eight league championships, between 1986 and 1988 and 1990–1994, and six Japan Series championships in his nine-year managing career, winning the Japan Series in
1986
The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles.
**Spain and Portugal ente ...
,
1987
File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, k ...
,
1988
File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...
,
1990
File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...
,
1991
File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...
, and
1992
File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...
.
The team gained the moniker "Invincible Seibu" during the 1980s and 1990s due to their sustained domination of the league. The Lions had a powerful lineup in this period, loaded with sluggers such as
Koji Akiyama,
Kazuhiro Kiyohara
is a Japanese television personality, YouTuber and former professional baseball player. He played in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball league for 23 seasons. He retired following the 2008 season.
Born in Kishiwada, Osaka in 1967, his family w ...
and
Orestes Destrade
Orestes Destrade Cucuas (born May 8, 1962) is a Cuban former professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Florida Marlins. Destrade also played in Nippon Professional ...
. Their defense also benefited from the services of skilled players such as
Hiromichi Ishige
Hiromichi Ishige (石毛 宏典, born September 22, 1956) is a retired Japanese professional baseball player and manager in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball. He played most of his career for the Seibu Lions.
The 1986 Pacific League Most Va ...
,
Romeo Calhoun,
Hatsuhiko Tsuji
is a former Nippon Professional Baseball player and manager. During his playing career he was well known as a skillful second baseman.
Career statistics
*Bolded figures are League-leading
Titles and awards
*Batting Champion: Once (1993)
*O ...
and catcher
Tsutomu Ito
Tsutomu is a masculine Japanese given name.
Possible writings
''Tsutomu can be written using different kanji characters. Here are some examples:
*勉, "make effort"
*務, "affairs"
*務武, "affairs, warrior"
*勤, "diligence"
*努, "strive"
The ...
. Among the pitchers employed by the Lions in this period was "The Oriental Express"
Taigen Kaku,
Kimiyasu Kudoh,
Hisanobu Watanabe
Hisanobu Watanabe (渡辺 久信 born August 2, 1965) nicknamed "Nabe-Q", is the former baseball player who played in the Japanese professional leagues from 1984 to 1998. He also was manager of the Saitama Seibu Lions
The are a professional ...
, and relievers
Yoshitaka Katori
is a former 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 t ...
and
Tetsuya Shiozaki
is a former 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 t ...
.
= Prominent Golden Age Players
=
Saitama Seibu Lions (2008–)
In order to reinforce the affiliation between the team and their home region, the Lions added the prefecture name "Saitama" to their team name in 2008. They were Pacific League Champions that year and went on to win 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 ...
. The team logo and uniforms were further modified for the
2009 season, with the team trading in their traditional light-blue colour scheme for a dark blue design similar to that employed during the Nishitetsu Lions era in the 1950s and 1960s. Between 2010 to 2019, the Lions made the Pacific League Climax Series 1st stage 5 times, (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2017) but lost to the
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 ...
in 2010 and 2013, 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 c ...
in 2017, and to 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.
The team was formerly known as the Nankai Hawks and was based in Osaka. ...
in 2011 and 2012. They made the Final Stage twice in back to back years in 2018 and 2019, but lost to the Hawks on both occasions. In 2020, the team finished in 3rd place, but was unable to make the playoffs. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Pacific League removed the First Stage of the playoffs; only the top 2 teams in Pacific League made the playoffs, while Central League removed it entirely, instead opting to send the regular season champion (
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 ...
) straight to 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 ...
. In 2021, the Lions finished in 6th and last place for the first time since 1979 with a 55-70-18 record.
Season-by-season records
Current roster
Managers
* Statistics current through the end of the season.
Former players of note
* () 1952–1959
* 1953
*
Mateo Alou 1974–1976
* () 1981–1983
* () 1979–1984
* () 1980–1985
* () 1986–1987
* () 1969–1988
* () 1987–1990
* () 1977–1991
* () 1981–1993
* () 1981–1994
* () 1989–1995
* 1993-1998
* ()1986–1996
* ()1995–1996
* () 1985–1997
*()1998–2000
* () 2000
* () 1999–2001
* () 1994–2003, 2018
* () 1990–2004
* () 1997–2005
* () 1999–2006, 2020–present
* () 2002–2006
* () 2001–2007
* () 2001–2012
* 2006-2011
* () 2008–2013
* () 2010–2018
Retired number
Team announced
Kazuhisa Inao
was a Japanese professional baseball pitcher. In 1957, he won 20 consecutive games. In 1958 Japan Series, he pitched six games and won 4 consecutive games after his team lost 3 games. He even hit a home run in fifth game of Japan Series. He was t ...
's No.24 was the first retired number of the Lions on May 1, 2012.
MLB players
*
Yusei Kikuchi
is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Seattle Mariners in MLB and for the Saitama Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
Amateur career
As ...
(2019-)
Retired From MLB:
*
Frank Howard (1974)
*
Kazuhisa Ishii
Kazuhisa Ishii (石井 一久 ''Ishii Kazuhisa'') (born September 9, 1973) is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher and current manager and general manager for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He pl ...
(2002–2006)
*
Kazuo Matsui
is a Japanese retired professional baseball player who played as a shortstop and is the current manager of the Saitama Seibu Lions. He is a switch-hitter.
Matsui signed with the New York Mets on December 17, 2003, becoming the first Japanese i ...
(2004–2010)
*
Shinji Mori
Shinji Mori ( ja, 森 慎二, September 12, 1974 – June 28, 2017) was a right-handed pitcher in professional baseball.
Career
From -, he played for the Seibu Lions in Nippon Professional Baseball. After the 2005 season, he was acquired by the ...
(2006–2007)
*
Daisuke Matsuzaka
is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher, who pitched professionally for 23 seasons, 16 of them in NPB, 7 in MLB. He is currently a baseball color commentator, critic, reporter, and YouTuber. Daisuke is nicknamed in Japan and "Dice-K ...
(2007–2014)
Kikuchiyusei.jpg, Yusei Kikuchi
is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Seattle Mariners in MLB and for the Saitama Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
Amateur career
As ...
Daisuke Matsuzaka on March 25, 2008.jpg, Daisuke Matsuzaka
is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher, who pitched professionally for 23 seasons, 16 of them in NPB, 7 in MLB. He is currently a baseball color commentator, critic, reporter, and YouTuber. Daisuke is nicknamed in Japan and "Dice-K ...
Kazuo_Matsui_on_April_11,_2010.jpg, Kazuo Matsui
is a Japanese retired professional baseball player who played as a shortstop and is the current manager of the Saitama Seibu Lions. He is a switch-hitter.
Matsui signed with the New York Mets on December 17, 2003, becoming the first Japanese i ...
Lions_Hotaka_Yamakawa.JPG, Hotaka Yamakawa
, nicknamed "", is a Japanese professional baseball infielder for the Saitama Seibu Lions in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball. Yamakawa led the Pacific League in home runs in , , and .
Career
He was selected for the Pacific League all star t ...
Further reading
*
Whiting, Robert
Robert Whiting (born October 24, 1942) is a best-selling author and journalist who has written several books on contemporary Japanese culture - which include topics such as baseball and American gangsters operating in Japan. He was born in New Jer ...
. "The Emperor's Team," ''You Gotta Have Wa'' (Vintage Departures, 1989), pp. 220–238.
Notes
References
External links
Saitama Seibu Lions official web siteHigh resolution photos and discussion of the Lions in English
{{Authority control
Nippon Professional Baseball teams
Baseball teams established in 1950
Jungle Emperor Leo
Sports teams in Saitama Prefecture
Tokorozawa, Saitama
1950 establishments in Japan
Railway sports teams