[Home Run Level] A Compilation of Trivia & Fun Facts About Baseball

An African elephant once came to cheer at the Spring Invitational.

In 1951, at the 23rd National Invitational High School Baseball Tournament, Hyogo Prefectural Naruō High School finished as the runner-up.

Their cheering squad apparently persuaded Hanshin Park to let them bring an elephant into Koshien Stadium.

Maybe Hanshin Park thought it would be good publicity, but the fact that it was allowed really feels like the good old Showa era.

What’s more, the head cheerleader is said to have appeared riding the elephant.

If that cheer captain were still around, I’d love to hear the story firsthand.

I imagine the players felt a surge of energy when they saw it.

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Hirakawa Masako (Bōkarisuto: Sakata Mizumako)

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In the past, the match ended when someone first reached 21 points.

Today, in baseball, the team with the higher score at the end of the bottom of the ninth inning wins, but when the sport first began, the game ended when a team was the first to reach 21 runs.

Sometimes getting to 21 was difficult, and games wouldn’t finish in a single day.

That must have been tough for both the spectators and the players.

It’s said that the first people to complain were the cooks preparing food for postgame socials.

If a game ended suddenly or dragged on forever, it made planning and cooking a real headache.

Thanks to that, the sport eventually settled on the format of ending after a set number of innings.

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Hirakawa Masako (Bōkarisuto: Sakata Mizumako)

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The baseball manager is wearing a uniform because there was a player-manager on the team.

In other sports, you often see coaches wearing suits or tracksuits, but in baseball, managers wear the same uniforms as the players.

Have you ever wondered why? As it turns out, there’s no rule that says a baseball manager must wear a uniform.

The custom developed because, in the past, many managers were also players.

Another advantage is that wearing a uniform allows the manager to enter the field, making it possible to interact with players and umpires.

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Hirakawa Masako (Bōkarisuto: Sakata Mizumako)

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Beer showers began in 1959 when the Nankai Hawks became champions of Japan.

At sports events, there’s the beer shower held during victory celebrations.

For many fans, seeing this scene really drives home the feeling that their team has won.

By the way, do you know when this beer shower tradition started? The first person to do it was Carlton Handa, a Nisei (second-generation Japanese American) from Hawaii, in 1959.

He knew that in the United States there was a custom of spraying champagne to celebrate a championship, and he used beer instead.

Sharing the joy of victory with a bit of playful mischief isn’t so bad, is it?

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Hirakawa Masako (Bōkarisuto: Sakata Mizumako)

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The official title of “Rokko Oroshi” is “The Hanshin Tigers Song.”

The official title of the Hanshin Tigers’ fight song “Rokko Oroshi” is “Hanshin Tigers no Uta” (The Hanshin Tigers’ Song).

Not only Hanshin Tigers fans, but many people in general are likely familiar with this song.

Because everyone calls it “Rokko Oroshi,” it’s easy to assume that’s the actual title.

The current title, “Hanshin Tigers no Uta,” was adopted when the team’s name changed from the Osaka Tigers to the Hanshin Tigers.

The composer was Yuji Koseki, who produced many famous songs in that era.

In a popularity poll of songs composed by Yuji Koseki conducted by Nippon Columbia, “Hanshin Tigers no Uta” ranked near the top.

Though it’s a classic with a long history, it’s clear that the song is still widely loved and cherished today.

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Nakajima Junko

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