A baseball-themed quiz, covering everything from rules to trivia about history and records.

Shinto priest batting style

Hiromitsu Ochiai’s batting stance was called the “Shinshu (Shinto priest) style.” The name came from its resemblance to the motions of a Shinto priest performing a purification ritual. His assertive stance drew so much attention that it influenced later hitters. With this form, Ochiai won many batting titles and etched his name into the records of Nippon Professional Baseball.

Star of the Giants

The answer is “Star of the Giants.” It portrays the baseball life of Hyūma Hoshi, starting from little league and ultimately growing into a professional baseball player. Its appeal lies in the intense story of his development as an athlete, including conflicts with his strict father and battles with rivals. It is one of the most famous Japanese baseball manga and has influenced many baseball players.

three times

Under baseball rules, a batter must be called for three strikes to record one out. A strike is counted when the batter swings and misses, hits a foul ball, or takes a pitch in the strike zone. A batter who is called for three strikes is out, and the next batter comes to the plate.

Yutaka Fukumoto

“The King of Stolen Bases of the World” is a title referring to Yutaka Fukumoto, who recorded 1,065 stolen bases. Although it’s a record in Nippon Professional Baseball, his astonishing total is highly regarded worldwide, hence the moniker. Known for his blazing speed and sliding technique, he amassed an overwhelming number of steals. It is one of the greatest records representing Japanese professional baseball.

From the chest to the knees

In baseball, the strike zone refers to the area in which a pitch is judged a strike when the batter is in their stance. For a typical adult male, it generally extends from the lower part of the chest down to the point where the uniform pants meet the waist and up to the top of the knees. The precise definition can vary depending on the batter’s stance and posture, but this is the commonly accepted range.

Yasushi Tao

The Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles are a professional baseball team that joined the league as an expansion club in 2004. The first manager was Yasushi Tao, who is known for laying the foundation of the team. He had a rich career as a player, and as a coach he drew on that experience to devote himself to establishing Rakuten’s foundations.

868 pieces

Sadaharu Oh is known not only as a player but also as a manager. His career total of 868 home runs long stood as the most in professional baseball worldwide. This record is based purely on his accomplishments, with no involvement in scandals, and it continues to be respected by many baseball fans and celebrated as a great achievement representing Japanese professional baseball.