Nippon Professional Baseball or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called Puro Yakyū (プロ野球), meaning Professional Baseball. Outside of Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball".
Atsunori Inaba is a Japanese professional baseball manager, coach and former player. He was the Most Valuable Player of the 2006 Japan Series. He is currently the general manager for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of Nippon Professional Baseball's Pacific League.
The 2006 MLB Japan All-Star Series was the tenth edition of the championship, a best-of-five series between the All-Star teams from Major League Baseball (MLB) and Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). After the 2006 championship, the series became defunct.
Shinnosuke Abe is a Japanese former professional baseball player who spent his entire 19-year career with Nippon Professional Baseball's Yomiuri Giants, serving as the team's captain from 2007 to 2014. He has twice been named the MVP of the Nippon Professional Baseball All-Star Series, in 2007 and 2010.
Yoshinori Tateyama is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters and the Hanshin Tigers.
Hisayoshi Chōno is a Japanese professional baseball player for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He previously played for the Yomiuri Giants.
Kazuhisa Makita is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He previously played for the Saitama Seibu Lions and Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) and for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Dai-Kang Yang is a Taiwanese professional baseball outfielder for the High Point Rockers of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He previously played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters and Yomiuri Giants.
Yuki Matsui is a Japanese professional baseball player for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
Ryosuke Kikuchi is a Japanese professional baseball player for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp of the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
Yuki Yanagita, nicknamed "Gita (ギータ)", is a professional Japanese baseball outfielder for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. He is an eight-time All-Star and a two-time Pacific League MVP, earning those honors in 2015 and 2020. Yanagita has won six Japan Series championships with the Hawks.
Tetsuto Yamada is a Japanese professional baseball infielder for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). Yamada made his NPB debut in 2012 with Yakult. He has won the Central League MVP award, has received the Best Nine Award six times, has been selected to six NPB All-Star Series appearances, and has a Japan Series championship. He has led the Central League in stolen bases three times and home runs once, hitting 30 home runs and stealing 30 bases in a single season on four occasions. In 2014 he broke the single season record for most hits by a Japanese right-hander in the NPB, and in 2015 became the first player in NPB history to lead his league in home runs and stolen bases in the same season. He has been compared to Mike Trout for his combination of power and speed.
Yoshitomo "Yoshi" Tsutsugo is a Japanese professional baseball outfielder and first baseman in the Texas Rangers organization. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Rays, Los Angeles Dodgers and Pittsburgh Pirates and for the Yokohama BayStars/Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He was the youngest player in BayStars franchise history to reach 100, 150, and 200 home runs. On July 22, 2016, Tsutsugo became the first player in Nippon Professional Baseball history to have three straight multiple home run games, and in the same month he also became the first to have six multiple home run games in a month.
Shogo Akiyama is a Japanese professional baseball outfielder for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds and in Nippon Professional Baseball for the Saitama Seibu Lions.
Seiji Kobayashi is a Japanese professional baseball catcher for the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
Yasuaki Yamasaki is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
Kohei Arihara is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He previously played for the Texas Rangers in Major League Baseball (MLB) and for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters NPB.
Kazuma Okamoto is a Japanese professional baseball infielder for the Yomiuri Giants of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
Takuya Kai is a Japanese professional baseball catcher for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
The 2018 MLB Japan All-Star Series was the twelfth edition of the MLB Japan All-Star Series, a best-of-six series between an All-Star team from Major League Baseball (MLB) and for the second time in series history, the Japanese national team, Samurai Japan won. The manager of Samurai Japan saw in this championship a big opportunity for Japan to gain momentum for the 2020 Olympics.
