Yokohama DeNA BayStars

Year Founded: 1950

Home Stadium: Yokohama Stadium

Previously Known As: Taiyo Whales (1950–1952), Taiyo Shochiku Robins (1953), Yosho Robins (1954), Taiyo Whales (1955–1977), Yokohama Taiyo Whales (1978–1992), Yokohama BayStars (1993–2011)

Championships Won: 1960, 1998

2023 Record vs Hanshin: 12 wins 13 losses

Playoffs vs. Hanshin: 2017 (won Climax Series First Stage 2-1); 2019 (lost Climax Series First Stage 1-2); 2022 (lost Climax Series First Stage 1-2).

Notable Players in Common with Hanshin: Yasutomo Kubo (Hanshin 2009-13, Baystars 2013-17), Yamato (Hanshin 2006-17, Baystars 2018-present), Kazunari Tsuruoka (Baystars 1996-2008, 2012-13, Hanshin 2014-16), Kentaro Kuwahara (Baystars 2008-10, Hanshin 2015-21)

Current Uniforms:

Away –  Home – 

Top 5 Players in Team History:

Noboru Akiyama － P (秋山登: 1956-1967)

Masaji Hiramatsu – P (平松政次: 1967-1984)

Kazuhiro Sasaki – P (佐々木主浩: 1990–1999, 2004–2005)

Daisuke Miura － P (三浦大輔: 1992-2016)

Robert Rose – 2B (ロバート・ローズ: 1993–2000)

Most Famous Manager: Hiroshi Gondoh, 1998-2000, 1998 Central League Title, 1998 Japan Series Title

Current Manager: Daisuke Miura (since 2021)

Current Top Hitter: Shugo Maki (25, INF): .293/.337/.530, 29 HR 103 RBI, Best Nine in 2023

Current Top Pitcher: Katsuki Azuma (29, LHP): 172.1 IP, 16 W, 3 L, 1.98 ERA, 133 K, Golden Glove, Best Nine in 2023

Brief History:

The team began in 1929 as a corporate team of Hayashikane Shoten (later renamed Taiyo Fishery Co., Ltd., currently the Maruha Corporation). After competing in national baseball tournaments, the team finally won a championship in the National Sports Festival of Japan in 1948.  

When two professional leagues were founded in late 1949, the owner decided to join the expanded Central League and its first professional team was temporarily named Maruha Team, based in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture.

In 1950, shortly after the season started, the team renamed itself Taiyo Whales. The team finished at the bottom of the standings in the 1950-52 seasons.   

In 1952, a new rule was passed where teams with a winning percentage lower than .300 were required to merge with another team or otherwise disband, and the Shochiku Robins finished with .288 that season. The Taiyo Whales agreed to merge with Shochiku and reformed itself to become Taiyo-Shochiku Robins in January 1953. The home games were played in Osaka due to box office interests. The team finished in 5th and 6th place in 1953 and 1954, respectively.  

In December 1954, Shochiku decided to withdraw from the baseball business, thus the team went back to Taiyo Whales as its name and relocated its home ground to Kawasaki Stadium in Kanagawa Prefecture.

The first breakthrough for the Whales came in 1960, one year after their sixth consecutive season of finishing at the bottom of the league.  Former Nishitetsu Lions skipper Osamu Mihara was hired as manager, and led the team to its first league championship after a close race with the Yomiuri Giants. The Whales swept the Mainichi Daiei Orions in the Japan Series and won the Nippon-Ichi title for the first time.

In 1978, the team’s home ground was relocated to the newly built Yokohama Stadium in Yokohama city, and the team changed its name to Yokohama Taiyo Whales.

From the championship season in 1960 until the late 1990s, the team finished most of its seasons in the bottom half of the standings. Notable players in the 1970s and 80s include Seiji Hiramatsu (P), Yutaka Takagi (2B), Yashiki Kaname (OF), Kazuhiko Endo (P), Daisuke Yamashita (SS), Tomio Tashiro (3B), Yoshikazu Takagi (OF), Akio Saito (P), and Carlos Ponce (OF).

In 1993, Taiyo Fishery Co., Ltd. changed its company name to Maruha Corporation and the team name to Yokohama BayStars. The team uniforms, flag, logo, mascot were redesigned.

Akihiko Ohya managed the team in 1996 and 1997 with Hiroshi Gondoh as the chief battery coach. They finished in the top half of the standings in 1997 for the first time in seven years, and with a winning percentage above .500 for the first time in 18 years, but Ohya stepped down due to contract expiration.

In 1998, Gondoh became manager. With a strong pitching staff including Takashi Saito and Kazuhiro Sasaki, as well as the legendary line-up known as the “Machine Gun Dasen” the team won its first championship since 1960. They also defeated the Seibu Lions four games to two in the Japan Series to win their second Nippon-Ichi title. Six players from the BayStars won Central League Best Nine Awards, and five players won Golden Glove Awards that year.

Despite a record-breaking .294 team batting average in 1999, the team ended up in third place. Kazuhiro Sasaki signed with the Seattle Mariners later that year. After another two seasons of landing in third place, Maruha Corporation transferred the ownership of the team to TBS in 2002.

From 2002 to 2012, the team finished at the bottom of the league every season except for 2005 (third place) and 2007 (fourth place).  These years are talked about among the fans as the “dark ages.” Despite the efforts of star players like Seiichi Uchikawa, who marked a .378 batting average in 2008, the current CL record by a right-handed batter, and Shuichi Murata, who hit a team record 46 HR that same season, a poor pitching staff held the team back.

In December 2011, the team was acquired by DeNA, an online and mobile service provider.  The team changed its name to Yokohama DeNA Baystars and modified its logo, uniform, and team mascot. Shigeru Takada and Kiyoshi Nakahata were named general manager and manager, respectively.

Although the team struggled in its first year, marking a fifth straight last-place finish, they managed to work their way into fifth place in 2013 and 2014. Well-planned draft picks, the acquisition of solid import players, and the breakthrough of slugger Yoshitomo Tsutsugo helped the team to improve its record year by year. In 2015, however, the team fell from first to worst in the second half of the season, leading to Nakahata’s resignation.

In October 2015, Alex Ramirez was named the first foreign manager in team history. Tsutsugo hit 16 home runs in July alone, a new record for the most home runs hit in a single month by a Japanese player. In the same month, he also became the first player to hit multiple home runs in three consecutive games. Daisuke Miura also established a Guinness World Record: most consecutive seasons (24) for a pitcher to collect at least one hit. The team finished in third place and advanced to the Climax Series for the first time ever. After defeating the second-place Giants, the BayStars lost to the Hiroshima Carp in the final round.

In 2017, the team finished in third place, finishing the season with a winning record for the first time since 2001. In their second year competing in the Climax Series, the BayStars defeated the Hanshin Tigers and Hiroshima Carp to become the 2017 Central League Climax Series Champions and advance to the Japan Series against the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks. The BayStars lost the series four games to two.

After missing the playoffs in 2018, the team came back strongly in 2019, finishing in second place. However, their season came to an abrupt halt when the Hanshin Tigers won two of three in the first round of the playoffs. Ramirez’s term as manager came to a premature end when the team finished in 4th place in 2020. His replacement, the ever-popular ex-ace Daisuke Miura, hopes to bring the team its first pennant in over two decades in 2024.

Ryo is a Yokohama native tweeting the latest news and all things BayStars on @baystarsEN. Currently residing in Tokyo but occasionally comes home to Yokohama to see the BayStars play.

CL: Chunichi Dragons / Hiroshima Toyo Carp / Tokyo Yakult Swallows / Yomiuri Giants

PL: Chiba Lotte Marines / Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks / Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters / Orix Buffaloes / Saitama Seibu Lions / Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles