/abg/ general

/abg/ general pastebin

So you want to watch Asian Baseball, but don't know how or where to start? Fortunately for you /abg/ has everything you need to help you get started.

>Why Asian Baseball? Are some kind of fucking weeb???
Yeah but that's besides the point. The Asian leagues offer a different style of play and in some peoples eyes, a more pure version of Baseball. Gone are the crazy shifts, there is no record breaking 300 million dollar deals, or crazy blockbuster trades, or much trading at all. It's just Baseball and has an oddly nostalgic feeling to it.

>Why dont u just watch MLB?????
We do.

>What team is similar to-
Shut up

Japanese Baseball
Nippon Pro Baseball is the highest level of play in Japan and is made up of 12 teams split in to two leagues, Central and Pacific. It's often considered by MLB scouts to be a step below MLB but a step above AAA. In the past it was considered to be the last hope for ageing MLB veterans and those who didn't get drafted but in recent times has become an actual career choice for players, with many choosing to play in Japan to improve before going or returning to the MLB. Has an extremely dedicated community of English speaking fans who provide everything from news translations, podcasts, and even the rare live game play commentary. Probably the Easiest Asian Baseball league for foreigners to follow. NPB has many differences from MLB, such as a smaller ball, smaller strike zone, smaller bat, completely indoor fields, wildly dedicated fans known for cheering as loud as they can until the final out, and the post game interview that takes place on the field. The teams are owned by companies, not people, and as such some teams have gone through various location and name changes, but everything seems steady for right now. Unlike MLB, each team only gets one farm team, so no hoarding prospects. There are limits on the amount of foreign players, teams can sign as many as they want. However, only 4 foreign players are allowed on the 25-man game roster, with a maximum of 3 position players or 3 pitchers. There can not be 4 position players or 4 pitchers at one time. 3 position players and 1 pitcher, 1 position player and 3 pitchers, or 2 of each are all possible. A foreigner who spends 10 seasons in Japan no longer counts as a foreigner. Games can also end in a tie after if the score is still tied at the end of the 12th inning, due to the fact that most Japanese count on Public Transport. The season culminates in the Climax and Japan series. During the Climax, the top second and third teams play against each other in a series and the winner then plays the top team, who has a 1 game advantage. Winners from both leagues go to the Japan series.

>What's all this about the gaijin strike zone?
If you were a gaijin player in the 70s and 80s, you were probably gonna have some bad times. Gaijin pitcher? Your strike zone is smaller. Batter? Your's is larger. Why? Because it's fair, you're a big strong gaijin, and they are small Japanese, if you are a strong former major league player, you should have been able to hit a home run off that ball outside the zone, or you should be able to throw your fast ball in that small zone. Have a good week? You aren't getting player of the week, that's going to a Japanese. This has calmed down since the 90s with Nomo, Ichiro, and Matsui becoming international stars and more eyes were on the NPB. With HD TV it's easier to see when an ump is bullshitting a gaijin, and they have been called on it. Though, gaijins are sometimes the fall guys.

How to watch NPB: Buyfag options
http://tv.pacificleague.jp/ptv/pc/ A paid service, entirely in Japanese and costs 1500 JPY, or around 14-15 dollars a month, with a cheaper price for those who don't care about watching game archives, the full service can be bought for around 8 bucks if you're a paying fan club member. Only for the 6 Teams in the Pacific League. Has the option to watch all 3 games at once, highlights, and weekly top plays. This service works entirely outside of Japan with no VPN or Japanese credit card required. Does not cover inter league, the Japan series, or all star game.
http://japanesebaseballcards.blogspot.com/2016/03/signing-up-for-pacific-league-tv.html


https://tv.rakuten.co.jp/pacificleague/ Similar to Pacificleague.tv but its cheaper Only covers the Pacific League but you can pay extras for swallows live streams. REQUIRES a Japanese credit card to sign up, if it detects a foreign card it defaults to the American Rakuten service, which is a Netflix clone. Does not cover inter league, the Japan series, or the all star game.

https://watch.dazn.com/en-JP/sports/ Another paid service but features live streams for 11 out of 12 teams (no Giants home games) but is a victim of Japanese autism, available only in Japan, REQUIRES a Japanese credit or debit card, and goes out of its way to block VPNs. You'll need some magic to work this out.

ttp://movie.hanshintigers.jp/pc/html/pc.html Tigers only, seems to be available outside of Japan

https://www.showroom-live.com/ Baystars stream their home games on here, but you have to pay, Unknown if restricted to Japan.

https://vod.ntv.co.jp/gls/player/live?contentsId=14002 Paid service for Giants games only. Unknown if restricted to Japan.

IPTV Options like FujiTV and SakuraTV are expensive, but you get the option of every game in pretty great quality, plus all kinds of Japanese live TV. Good for Japanese learners or speakers.

FREE options. DO NOT INSTALL ANYTHING IF PROMPTED. AD BLOCK IS A MUST HAVE.
http://hibox3612.blogspot.com/ A Taiwanese blog that has multiple links per game, usually in decent quality too. Sometimes not every team is available for stream but probably the best free option.

https://vaughnlive.tv/ Browse> All You can usually find a game or two here, there is a dedicated user that streams the games for the dragons.

http://www.konansports.com Tries to provide streams for all the teams

https://streamwoop.net/ Tries to provide multiple links for different sports streams, usually okay.

http://www.keylabo.com/watch-tv-online-for-free/ Japanese TV channel live stream. Sometimes the channels are airing a game.

Industrial League
The Industrial League is a another league of Japanese Baseball, the teams represent companies and the players are paid as company employees, not athletes. Hard to find information on this league, will update with more information when possible.

High School Baseball
Unlike in America, High School baseball is serious business, and probably the hardest to follow outside of tournaments, which are streamed online. Any broadcasts of regular games are usually local to the area the school is in, so even if you have an IPTV Service you're probably still out of luck. High School Baseball. Culminates in the Yearly August Koshien Tournament held in the home stadium of the Hanshin Tigers. A month straight of single game elimination Baseball. For at least one day, the kids can feel like pros and all of Japan enjoys watching them try their best. Koshien Emotions run high during this, and it's not uncommon to see the entire team break down into tears after a loss because this could possibly be the last time all of them play baseball together as a team, and for some, this could be the last time any of them play baseball at all. After this, the majority of kids will go on to live their lives as normal out of the spotlight, with only a few going further with their baseball career.

>Why do they have bags of dirt
The ground is considered sacred, so they grab a bag as a way of remembering that they were there. Some will keep it, others will eventually return to their school to give it to the new team to spread in their own infield, for good luck.

>How many will go pro?
Not many. You have to remember that these guys aren't the best Japan has to offer, and a lot of them already have plans or dreams outside of Baseball. It's not uncommon for Koshien heroes to live quiet and ordinary lives away from Baseball. Some of these kids won't even make their college teams.

Useful links
http://www.japanesebaseball.com News and Updates on all things Japanese Baseball. Run by two old boomers who are sports writers in Japan. They have a weekly podcast where they discuss what happened this week, answer questions and have an interview with a foreign player.
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/
https://english.kyodonews.net/news/sports
http://japanesebaseballcards.blogspot.com/
http://baseballcardsinjapan.blogspot.com/
http://yakyudb.com/
http://jballallen.com/
http://japanball.com/
http://tokyoswallows.com/
http://www.thehanshintigers.com/
http://chunichisoul.blogspot.com/
https://baystarsnews.wordpress.com/contact/
http://wackytackygoondan.blogspot.com/
http://moeyodragons.blogspot.com/
http://www.welovemarines.com/
http://graveyardbaseball.blogspot.com/
http://www.npbtracker.com/
https://eigokokoyakyu.wordpress.com/ Japanese Hig School Baseball blog
https://features.japantimes.co.jp/koshien/
http://hosted.stats.com/npb/standings.asp
http://www.rotoworld.com search a gaijins name, or a former MLB player who returned to NPB and find info, news, salary, contract, etc
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/26/obituaries/sachio-kinugasa-japanese-baseballs-iron-man-is-dead-at-71.html an article about the life of Sachio Kinugasa, the Japanese Iron Man who held the world record for longest consecutive games played until Ripkin broke it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A32Eb8pkcx8 playoff clinch grandslam in the bottom of the 9th by Kintetsu.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEjbu0ryXvg&feature=youtu.be miles mikolas home run




Suggested ViewING
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32APQ38j3f4 90s mini doc on gajin players
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LR5toIvsgj8 footage of notable gaijin players
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=990hTidTzDs mini documentary, 6 minutes long.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kONklk3wu1I some compilation of sadaharu oh
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3puTgRqZ48 NHK mini documentary on High School Baseball and Koshien
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyidtI-uNXw Foul Balls in Japan
https://archive.org/details/youtube-ZyidtI-uNXw if it doesn't work in your region
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMxGSLTjWbE Japanese Baseball shop owner who uploads vlogs talking about baseball, sometimes there are english subtitles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeHrGC4cqpg Hideki Matsui Godzilla cameo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-H5uCJdPXE&feature=youtu.be A compilation of some pacific league Kakushin aruki, or the "Confidence walking" Which is basically a way of pimping a homerun, they slowly walk off and stare at it, pretty cool to watch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUlbZhshaBM An interview with mike bolsinger and his wife, they answer in english, shows some views of a foreigner in japan.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo09WSWpo9o Some behind the scenes at the 2018 all star game with marines pitcher Mike Bolsinger, shows him warming up, watching from the bullpen, taking the mound, and andrew albers is there too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Y3Dz4vwv3k some spring training interviews

Mr. Baseball: Movie about an aging Yankees slugger who gets traded to the Dragons and experiences a massive culture shock, and has a freak out over bunting.
Again: 28-nenme no Koshien: A drama about a young woman trying to assemble her dead fathers high school baseball team so they can play at Masters Koshien, a Koshien Tournament for adults, and trying to uncover the truth about what happened the night before they were supposed to play.

Japanese Baseball Heroes, who to know
Sadaharu Oh - The Japanese Babe Ruth. A pitcher who switched over to first base and set the season home run record of 55, with 868 career. The single season home run record is controversial due to the fact that any gaijin who came close to breaking the record was walked, the record would eventually be tied by Tuffy Rhodes and Alex Cabrera, and neared by Randy Bass and Charlie Manuel. Many people also point out the size of Japanese baseball fields, quality of pitchers, and basically anything else to shit talk him. Single Season home run record would be broken by Wladimir Balentien, though it would later be revealed that the ball had secretly been juiced all season.

Sachio Kinugasa - The Japanese Lou Gehrig, dubbed iron man by his country. Played 2,215 consecutive games and is 7th in all time career home runs in Japan. His father was a black serviceman who he never met.

KBO
KBO is the highest level of play in Korea. The KBO is the wet dream of anyone who thinks MLB is too old, too slow, or boring. KBO features a heavy focus on offensive play with some of the worst pitching you've ever seen. It's so bad that teams were signing foreign pitchers until a limit was placed on them declaring that out of the limit of 3 foreign players, 1 must be a position player, due to the high influx of foreign pitchers. KBO Features plenty of Bat Flips, Home Runs, Loud Cheering, and Cheer Masters who are celebrities with more plastic in one cheek than in every garbage dump on earth. KBO is considered by scouts to be at least AA level. The newest place for washed up vets and has beens. Good talent is often picked up by other leagues, and rather quickly. Has an interesting play off style, since it doesn't have a league system, the four teams below the league winner play against each other to see who faces the champion.

Suggested Viewing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoN1fZTKzyw

Streams
https://aqstream.com/
https://sports.news.naver.com/tv/index.nhn

http://www.koreaherald.com/list.php?ct=020502000000
http://www.mykbo.net/KBO_news
http://eng.koreabaseball.com/

CPBL
CPBL Is the highest level of play in Taiwan. It is considered by scouts to be somewhere around AA Level and just like the KBO, really good talent is often swiped by other leagues. Often the last choice for Americans who can't get signed anywhere else and don't want to rot in an american indie league. CPBL has had a rough history that has seen several popular clubs die due to the investors refusing to continue their sponsorship, and various fixing scandles. Only 4 teams remain now.

Useful links for CPBL
http://www.cpblenglish.com/
http://www.cpblenglish.com/p/streaming.html
http://cpblstats.com/online-stream/
https://www.facebook.com/cpblenglish/
http://www.cpbl.com.tw/eng/history/1/
https://www.scoreboard.com/en/baseball/taiwan/cpbl/

>How would these teams stack up against the MLB
It depends. Former Lotte manager and former MLB player/manager Bobby Valentine has called for a true world series between the Japan series and the World series winners, and believed that his marines could beat anyone. Other people think that the bottom of the MLB could sweep every NPB team. It's subjective. This pastebin writer believes that the NPB could hold its own against some MLB teams pretty well, and interleague play such as this would be good for both leagues..



WARNINGS
If a stream asks you to download anything, DON'T DO IT. Sometimes these even get through adblock, the only thing they should ask for is Flash.

Asian Baseball Twitter can be a good source of news if you don't feel like visiting several sites, just be warned that a lot of these twitter reporters ingest large amounts of soy. You'll follow them expecting baseball news and instead get 20 hours of political rants from a guy who hasn't lived in America, sometimes in over 20 years. If this ties in with your point of view then go for it, I personally just expect Baseball from my Baseball twitter, not expat complaining.

If you want any team gear, be prepared to pay a lot more than you would for gear from your country. Ebay and Rakuten are probably your only options, unless you have contacts in Japan. http://buyee.jp/ is a proxy service to let you buy from several online Japanese Stores but everything is still more expensive than you might think.

if you want to get into the baseball cards, prepare to pay for hobby boxes from amiami, rakuten, or buyee. These boxes are often TEAM SPECIFIC, you also have exclusive baseball magazine packs, and cards exclusive to Calbee snacks. Yes, they still put cards in snacks, its pretty cool. And on the vintage side, be prepared for sadness and incomplete checklist, as many cards are more rare than even Honus Wagner. This is due to no real baseball card companies existing till the 80s. A lot of cards were distributed through snacks and milk, and many have been lost to time and bombings. You can usually find packs on ebay from years past.