JapanBall

09/10/2026

RIP Isao Harimoto

The Hall of Famer passed away on Wednesday at 86 years old.

An ethnic Korean, Harimoto’s family relocated from Korea to Japan shortly before he was born. In 1945, he survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima as a child.

Harimoto went on to play 23 seasons in NPB from 1959 to 1981, starring for the Toei Flyers organization before later joining the Yomiuri Giants and Lotte Orions.

Known as the “Hit-Making Machine,” Harimoto finished his career with 3,085 hits, a record that still stands as the most in NPB history. He was the first player in Japanese professional baseball history to reach 3,000 hits and retired with a .319 career batting average, .933 OPS, 504 home runs, 1,676 RBI, and 319 stolen bases.

Harimoto won seven batting titles, the 1959 Pacific League Rookie of the Year Award, the 1962 Pacific League MVP Award, and 16 Best Nine Awards, while earning 18 All-Star selections.

He was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1990 and remained a prominent voice in the sport for decades after his retirement.

09/07/2026

Franmil Reyes Reaches 30 Home Runs in Consecutive Seasons

46-year-old pitcher Masanori Ishikawa allowed six runs in a third of an inning against the Giants on Thursday night (Photo: Sponichi) This week in Nippon Professional Baseball, Tuesday (9/1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtTb-bd88e8&pp=ygUG5a6X5bGx Rui Muneyama's double-dong game Rui Muneyama (Eag...

09/06/2026

A little guide on good resources to follow Japanese baseball in English right now!

Check out these English-language resources to follow Japanese baseb...

09/03/2026

On this day 49 years ago, Sadaharu Oh passed Hank Aaron with his 756th career home run, becoming the world record holder in homers at the time.

Oh and Aaron developed a close friendship and mutual respect that transcended their pursuit of baseball’s home run crown. The two famously faced off in a home run derby in Tokyo in 1974 and remained friends for decades afterward.

09/01/2026

🇯🇵 Japanese MLB Player Update - August 2026

With five months of the MLB season complete, here’s where some of Japan’s biggest players stand:

⚾ Shohei Ohtani: Has not pitched since July 3 due to knee soreness and a biceps issue, while also struggling at the plate in August, batting just .241.

🔥 Yoshinobu Yamamoto: Brought his season ERA to a stellar 2.56 (8th best in MLB) with five quality starts and a 1.95 ERA for the month.

💪 Seiya Suzuki: Batted .288 with five homers and a .912 OPS in August while continuing his best MLB campaign yet.

🔒 Yuki Matsui: Quietly remained excellent out of the Padres bullpen, allowing just one run in 11.2 innings.

🚑 Roki Sasaki: Had a very impressive 2.31 ERA over six starts after the All-Star break before landing on the IL with a blister.

📈 Masataka Yoshida: Was batting .326 with an .892 OPS in August before a hamstring strain sent him to the IL.

🔄 Kodai Senga: Started turning a disastrous season around in a new bullpen role, posting a 1.74 ERA and earning his first MLB save.

⬆️ Yusei Kikuchi: Returned from the IL late in the month and finished August with an encouraging 7 inning outing.

🛠️ Tatsuya Imai: Moved to Houston’s bullpen after a difficult start to his rookie season and showed some improvement in limited action.

📉 S***a Imanaga: Followed an excellent July with a tougher August, posting a 4.58 ERA.

💥 Munetaka Murakami: The power remains, but August was a struggle as he hit .150 with 45 strikeouts in 100 at-bats.

🏔️ Tomoyuki Sugano: Endured a rough finish to August as home runs continued to be an issue.

🇨🇦 Kazuma Okamoto: Has battled strikeouts but continues to produce in the power department, leading Toronto with 28 home runs and 78 RBI.

Visit our website to read Carter Cromwell’s full recap article!

#メジャーリーグ

09/01/2026

Carter Cromwell’s MLB Japanese Import Players August Recap!

Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Seiya Suzuki lead the way while Shohei Ohtani slows down from injuries.

With five of the six months of the Major League Baseball season completed, the largest question mark regarding the cadre of Japanese import players surrounds the health of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani. The problem - he’s just a one-way guy right now. Ohtani has had ...

08/31/2026

NPB Newsletter: Rough Season Debut for 46-Year-Old Pitcher Masanori Ishikawa.

Plus, Koki Yamaguchi makes Marines history, Livan Moinelo and Chihiro Sumida toss shutouts, the Hanshin Tigers sweep their rivals again, and much more!

46-year-old pitcher Masanori Ishikawa allowed six runs in a third of an inning against the Giants on Thursday night (Photo: Sponichi) This week in Nippon Professional Baseball, Koki Yamaguchi homered in four straight games en route to setting a new Marines record for home runs by a Japanese-born pla...

08/29/2026

Only 2 players in NPB history have caught at least 1,000 games, collected at least 2,000 hits, and hit at least 400 homers.

One of them is Katsuya Nomura.

The other is Shinnosuke Abe.

Our Thomas Love Seagull details Abe’s journey to the 400 Home Run Club.

When it comes to power and home runs, 500 is the magic number in America. 28 different players have reached the milestone in major league history, from Eddie Murray to Harmon Killebrew to Barry Bonds. Eight players in Japan have reached the number, with Sadaharu Oh holding the world record at 868 ro...

08/28/2026

🇰🇷 This is what our Korean baseball tours are all about!

⚾️ An extended recap video by our wonderful guide, SK:

⚾️ A recap of our amazing journey in South Korea 🇰🇷 for our annual ...

08/25/2026

So great to hear from friends of JapanBall!

Dan Charest of the Travel for Sports Podcast (Dan Charest) packed a lot into a quick 9 day trip to Japan — climbing Mt. Fuji, catching his first Chiba Lotte Marines game, and introducing his girlfriend and friend to Japanese baseball for the first time!

And to top it all off, he spotted JapanBall featured in the 2024 Lonely Planet Japan guidebook while staying at a ryokan in Kyoto. 👀

Looks like such a fun trip! Thanks for sharing, Dan!