People in Hiroshima Prefecture have loved baseball. High schools here have captured
senior high school baseball championships many times since the pre-war years: 7 times
in summer championship and 4 times in spring.
Hiroshima was burnt to ashes by the atomic bomb in World War II.
Citizens, trying hard to restore the city, wanted to have a professional baseball team
there. Backed up by people throughout the prefecture, a team named "Hiroshima Municipal
Baseball Team" was born in 1949, one year before Japanese professional baseball teams
were divided into two leagues.
At first, in spite of donations from businessmen in Hiroshima as well as subsidies from
the prefecture and the city, the Hiroshima Toyo Carp was weak and operated in the red.
But Mr. Tsuneji Matsuda, a leader in Hiroshima business world, then president of Toyo
Industry (the present name is Matsuda) and the father of the present owner Kohei Matsuda,
didn't think the team should be ruined. People in Hiroshima answered his appeal for
contributions. Hiroshima Municipal Baseball Stadium was constructed and contributed to
Hiroshima City.
Nevertheless, the team remained weak and couldn't get out of its financial difficulties.
It was since Mr. Kohei Matsuda became an owner that the team improved.
There are several reasons. Believing the team should raise good players, the Hiroshima
Toyo Carp sent players to the U.S. to participate in Educational League from 1970 to 1990.
It is the first attempt for a Japanese professional baseball team to have young players
trained in the U.S. Since 1990, young players have been trained in Kuroshio League in Japan.
Players of the Hiroshima Toyo Carp can use various training facilities for outdoor players
and the indoor training place (in Oono Saeki district Hiroshima Prefecture.
Japanese professional baseball teams scouted players in Major Leagues, causing friction
between the U.S. and Japan. The "Carps" changed such an attitude. Realizing there are many
promising players in Latin America, it opened in November, 1990 "the Hiroshima Toyo Carp
Baseball Academy" in the suburbs of San Pedro de Macoris of the Dominican Republic. The
facility is now big enough to participate in a summer league there. The academy has made
contributions to develop the friendship between Dominica and Japan through finding and
training promising players drawn attention not only from the U.S. professional baseball teams
but also from Japanese.
The team tries to train young players in Japan, too. The Hiroshima Toyo Carp Yu Training
Place in Hieda Yu-cho Kuga district of Yamaguchi Prefecture was completed on March 4, 1993
and is used as the farm team's official home stadium.
Hiroshima Municipal Baseball Stadium, after several reconstruction works, has two-storied
stand and a large wide vision screen.
The Hiroshima Toyo Carp is the only professional baseball team in Japan without a sponsor
company. The population of Hiroshima City and the surrounding areas is only 1.1 million.
But continuous effort made the team one of the strongest in Japan. It remained in the Central
League pennant six times and was 3 times the No. 1 Japanese team in the Japan Series.
The Carps are strong, they are because they are good at the training and health maintenance
of their players. The Medical Department of Keio University checks players' health and
physical strength every season. After the season the players may recreate in the to Yufu-In
hot spring in Ooita Prefecture. This favorable environment helps to produce good players.
|
 |
