Thank you. One update: as of this moment, the Hiroshima Carp are 4th in the central league of Japanese pro ball, two games under .500; the worst teams this year are the Chunichi Dragons and the Orix Buffaloes, both at .430.
The Carp, by the way, was formed in 1949 as part of the expansion of Japanese pro ball, and one of the reasons was as a statement of Hiroshima’s desire to overcome the A-bomb and become a thriving city once again. To the extent that I follow Jpn ball I am a Hanshin Tigers fan, even though in theory I should root for the Yokohama Baystars, since I went to high school there.
Traitor.
Were the Japanese playing baseball before the US occupation?
They seem to be totally nuts over the game which would be a phenomena if it only started there 70 years ago.