Knowra Yomiuri Giants Yomiuri Giants The Yomiuri Giants are a professional baseball team based in Tokyo, competing in Nippon Professional Baseball’s Central League. Founded in 1934, they are among Japan’s most successful and widely followed teams.
Japan Series : The annual championship series between the champions of Nippon Professional Baseball’s Central and Pacific Leagues. The Giants have won the title repeatedly, most recently in 2012.
1934 Japanese baseball tour : A tour of Japan by an American all-star baseball team that helped spur the creation of Japan’s first professional team. The Giants’ predecessor was assembled in 1934 to face the touring Americans.
Pacific League : One of Nippon Professional Baseball’s two leagues, with six teams based in Japan. It is the Giants’ counterpart in NPB’s two-league structure.
Professional baseball in Japan : Organized professional baseball played in Japan, led by Nippon Professional Baseball’s two major leagues. The Giants have helped make the sport a major part of Japan’s sporting culture.
Hanshin Tigers : A professional baseball team based in Nishinomiya, Japan, and a Central League rival of the Giants. Their rivalry, known as the Giants–Tigers rivalry, is one of Japanese baseball’s defining contests.
Yomiuri Shimbun : A Japanese daily newspaper published by the Yomiuri Group, one of the country’s largest media organizations. The team was founded and is owned by the newspaper’s corporate group.
Central League pennant : The championship awarded to the team with the best regular-season record in the Central League. Winning this pennant qualifies the Giants for the Japan Series.
Japanese baseball culture : The customs, institutions, and shared meanings surrounding baseball in Japan. The Giants’ national following and traditions have influenced how professional baseball is experienced in Japan.
Sadaharu Oh : A Japanese baseball player and manager who set the professional career home-run record in Japan. He became one of the Giants’ most celebrated sluggers, hitting 868 home runs in Japan’s top leagues.
Japanese Baseball League : Japan’s first professional baseball league, which operated from 1936 to 1949. The Giants began competing in this league before Nippon Professional Baseball was established.
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