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The Central League or Ce League is one of the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League in the annual Japan Series. It currently consists of six teams from around the country. Unlike the Pacific League, designated hitters are not used during Central League home games.
Roberto Antonio Petagine Hernandez is a Venezuelan former professional baseball player of Italian descent. His Major League Baseball career includes brief stints with the Houston Astros (1994), San Diego Padres (1995), New York Mets, Cincinnati Reds (1998), Boston Red Sox (2005), and Seattle Mariners (2006); but he is best known for his success in the Japanese Central League between 1999 and 2004 where, as a member of the Yakult Swallows (1999–2002) and Yomiuri Giants (2003–2004), he was among Nippon Professional Baseball's premier offensive players.
Steven Allen Finley is an American former center fielder in Major League Baseball who played for eight teams between 1989 and 2007, most notably the Houston Astros, San Diego Padres, and Arizona Diamondbacks; he is one of only two players, along with Matt Herges, to play for all five National League West teams. An outstanding all-around player with power, speed, and defensive skill, he is one of only four players since 1945 with 300 home runs and 100 triples, along with Stan Musial, Willie Mays, and George Brett. He is also one of three players, along with Mays and Ken Griffey Jr., to have 2,500 hits and win five Gold Glove Awards in center field.
Carl Reginald Smith is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder and afterwards served as a coach and front office executive. He also played in the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for two seasons at the end of his playing career. During a seventeen-year MLB career (1966–1982), Smith appeared in 1,987 games, hit 314 home runs with 1,092 RBI and batted .287. He was a switch-hitter who threw right-handed. In his prime, he had one of the strongest throwing arms of any outfielder in the MLB. Smith played at least seventy games in thirteen different seasons, and in every one of those thirteen seasons, his team had a winning record.
Sixto Joaquin Lezcano Curras is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball outfielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 12 seasons (1974–1985). He played for five MLB teams and won a Gold Glove during his career.
Mariano Duncan Nalasco is a Dominican former second baseman and shortstop who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Yankees, and Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball and the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball during his 12-year career. He was the infield coach and first base coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers under managers Grady Little and Joe Torre. Duncan was a MLB All-Star in 1994 and won two World Series championships as a player.
Michael Ken-Wai Lum is an American former professional baseball outfielder and first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, and Chicago Cubs, and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Yokohama Taiyo Whales. Lum became the first American of Japanese ancestry to play in MLB. He currently serves as the hitting coach with the GCL Pirates.
Stanley Lucius Johnson was an American professional baseball player. He was an outfielder who appeared in eight games in Major League Baseball, 96 games in Nippon Professional Baseball, and over 1,500 games in the minor leagues during his 13-year career (1957–1969). Johnson threw and batted left-handed and was listed as 5 feet 10 inches (1.78 m) tall and 180 pounds (82 kg).
Felipe Javier Crespo is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball utility player, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for three different teams between 1996 and 2001. Listed at 5'11, 195 lb., he was a switch-hitter and threw right-handed. Crespo is the older brother of César Crespo.
Haruyasu Nakajima was a Japanese baseball player. An outfielder with a strong throwing arm, he played an active part in the beginning of professional baseball in Japan.
The 1976 Major League Baseball season ended with the Cincinnati Reds winning their second consecutive World Series championship.
Edgar Victor Gonzalez is an American former professional baseball second baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Yomiuri Giants.
Nicholas John Hundley is an American former professional baseball catcher and current front office executive. He is currently a special assistant to the general manager for the Texas Rangers. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres, Baltimore Orioles, Colorado Rockies, San Francisco Giants, and Oakland Athletics. He was drafted in 2005 by the Padres in the second round, and made his major-league debut in 2008.
Casey Michael McGehee is an American former professional baseball infielder. He played in NPB for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles and Yomiuri Giants, and also played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers, Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Yankees, Miami Marlins, San Francisco Giants, and Detroit Tigers.
Luis Alfonso Cruz is a Mexican professional baseball shortstop and third baseman for the Dorados de Chihuahua of the Mexican League. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Chiba Lotte Marines, Yomiuri Giants and Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.
Takehiko Bessho, born Akira Bessho, was a Japanese baseball player whose professional career as a player lasted from 1942 until 1960. Bessho first achieved fame as a pitcher in Japanese professional baseball; later, he served as a Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) manager.
Alejandro Luis Castellanos is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers, and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Yomiuri Giants.
Yoshihiro Maru is a Japanese professional baseball outfielder for the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He previously played for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp.
American expatriate baseball players in Japan have been a feature of the Japanese professional leagues since 1934. American expatriate players began to steadily find spots on Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) rosters in the 1960s. More than 600 Americans have played NPB, although very few last more than a single season in Japan.
Noboru Aota was a Japanese professional baseball player. An outfielder, he played with the Tokyo Kyojin/Yomiuri Giants, Hankyu Braves, and Taiyo-Shochiku Robins from 1942–1959, playing in both the Japanese Baseball League and Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). A five-time league home run champion, he was one of the first true sluggers of Japanese professional baseball — despite being only 5'7" and 171 lbs. Aota was selected as a Best Nine Award-winner five times and a NPB All-Star six separate times. In 2009, he was inducted to the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame.
References
- 1 2 Cimatu, Frank (16 April 2018). "Top 10 Ilocano athletes in history". Rappler. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
- 1 2 Baseball Reference Website