Topic summary

Orix Buffaloes

Orix Buffaloes
InformationLeagueNippon Professional Baseball
Pacific League (1950–present)
Japanese Baseball League (1936–1949)LocationHQ in Nishi-ku, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, JapanBallparkKyocera Dome Osaka
Hotto Motto Field KobeFoundedJanuary 23, 1936 (1936-01-23)Japan Series championships5 (1975, 1976, 1977, 1996, 2022)PL pennants15 (1967, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1984, 1995, 1996, 2021, 2022, 2023)Playoff berths11 (, , , , , 2008, 2014, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2025)Former name
  • Orix BlueWave (1991–2004)
  • Orix Braves (1989–1990)
  • Hankyu Braves (1947–1988)
  • Hankyu Club (1936–1946)
Former ballparks
ColorsDark Navy, Gold, White
MascotBuffalo Bull and Buffalo BellOwnershipYoshihiko MiyauchiManagementOrixManagerMamoru KishidaCurrent uniforms

The Orix Buffaloes (オリックス・バファローズ, Orikkusu Bafarōzu) 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, Japan. The team plays in the Pacific League and is under ownership by Orix, a financial services company founded in Osaka.

The combined team began play in 2005. The Buffaloes split home games between Kyocera Dome Osaka, the home of the original Buffaloes franchise, and Kobe Sports Park Baseball Stadium, the former home of the BlueWave, when the Hanshin Tigers have to use Kyocera Dome. The Tigers' main home stadium, Hanshin Koshien Stadium, is used for the two biggest high-school tournaments in Japan, the Senbatsu in March, coinciding with the opening of the NPB season, and during the Japanese High School Baseball Championship in August.

Through 2022, the club's all-time record is 5,543–5,297–410 (.511).