Yakyu! The Panasonic Stars Rise from the Doldrums!

[Dr. P.R. Park III]

This is my very first attempt at a dynasty. In my entire experience with OOTP, I've probably spent my time 30% playing/ 70% creating things for it/ out of it. So, this is my attempt to get more into the game. This dynasty takes place in a modern semi-fictional/real universe focused on Asian Baseball. I created an expansion Nippon team, the Panasonic Stars, and this is their story. I will write mostly from the perspective of the press, and rarely if ever from first-person. So, here it goes...

[Dr. P.R. Park III]

September 13, 1998:

NPB to Expand Play-Offs and Add Two Clubs

Starting in 2000, the NPB will expand the play-off system to allow for two wild cards. The two top teams in both leagues will face the second best teams from both leagues in the first round, and the winners face-off in the Japan Series. The discussion of playoffs was hastily contested, but not nearly as contested as the topic of expansion. During the Winter Meetings this past off-season, league owners, along with league officials, tackled the topic of expansion, coming to a compromise. The league will add two new teams, one per league,in 2000. New Commisioner Tako Shinto was reluctant for the changes, but was vetoed by the league owners, and the two leagues respective chairs. The NPB is in preliminary discussions with the Matsuhita Electric Industrial Company, for a franchise in Osaka, while the Sumitomo Group are negotiating for a franchise in Tokyo, preferably in the Chiyoda-ku district. If both companies succeed in receiving franchises, they'll both have a difficult time establishing their own fanbases. Osaka eternally belongs to the Hanshin Tigers, while Tokyo belongs to Japan's national team, the Yomiuri Giants, with the floundering Yakult Swallows absorbing whatever is left. More news soon.

- Yomiuri Daily

[Dr. P.R. Park III]

December 19, 1998:

Osaka and Tokyo to Get New Franchises:

Osaka and Tokyo are getting the two new NPB franchises, starting next year. Both clubs are finalizing working lease agreements with the cities. The Panasonic Stars are slated to play at the Komazawa Olympic Stadium primarily, but will most likely have to share with the Yakult Swallows at Jingu Stadium. The SG Cardinals will play at Skymark Stadium in Kobe. Both teams have reached preliminary working agreements with the cities, that will keep them their for atleast three years. Both clubs have teams in the Japanese Industrial League, and it was reported that the Panasonic Industrial team will be transferred to the Orion Brewing Company of Okinawa, while Sumitomo will retain it's Industrial League team, which belongs to their Sumitomo Heavy Industries subsidiary. Panasonic is reportedly going to name their Industrial team manager, Henry Lawson, manager of their NPB franchise in the coming months.

-Yomiuri Daily

[Dr. P.R. Park III]

January 4th, 1999:

Panasonic Reveals Logo and Uniforms:



The Panasonic Stars kicked off the New Year by revealing their official team logo, and home jerseys today at the Tokyo International Exhibition Center. The Stars don't even play for another season, but so far Panasonic has done a good job of getting the team on their feet. Also, the official team mascot, JoJo, was displayed. Jojo is a giant yellow-orange star. Finally, Panasonic also announced plans to keep their Japanese Industrial League team, but also plan to establish a working agreement with the amateur club, in which all team personnel have the opportunity to train at professional Panasonic facilities, and all amateur players rights on the club are retained by the Stars. The Stars also announced plans to establish minor league training facilities in Tosa and Gifu.

-Yomiuri Press

[Dr. P.R. Park III]

June 22, 1999:

Panasonic Announces General Manager:


The expansion Stars announced their general manager last night in a boisterous press conference. Shimpei Sato, former Hanshin Tigers slugger, was announced as the Stars GM. Sato spent 13 years with the Tigers, and one season with the Yakult Swallows. In 1984, Sato defected to the MLB, playing for the San Diego Padres. He ultimately retired in 1987 with the Kansas City Royals. In 1829 career games in the NPB, Sato had 298 HR's, 961 RBI's, and a career batting average of .269. In 431 games in the MLB, Sato had 69 HR's, 211 RBI's, and .280 batting average. The past three years, Sato has been a scouting consultant for the Kansas City Royals, being single-handedly responsible for the Royals signing future Hall of Fame relief pitcher, Mitsuharu Kobayashi. "We're basically letting Sato build his very own team, with all of the necessary resources. He has the professional experience and expertise to know what makes or breaks a good ball club. We're in good hands with Shimpei," said Mitsuhita chairperson Akino Sakimatsu, who's responsible for the companies baseball affairs. In his introductory press conference, Sato said: "I always thought I could build a baseball club, now I have the chance." We'll see just how capable Sato is soon.

-Yomiuri Daily

[f.montoya]

Living in Japan, you've piqued my interest. Looks like a good start!

[Dr. P.R. Park III]

Thanks f. Montoya, which part of Japan? Do you have a favorite team?

October 26th, 1999:

Nippon Expansion Draft Results:

Shortly after the Seibu Lions captured their second straight Japan Series, league officials and media gathered at Roppongi Hills in Minoto, Tokyo for the NPB's historic expansion draft. NPB Commissioner Yoshifumi Maekawa kicked the ceremony off with the following:

"The Nippon League is a very traditional league. That will never change. However, we need to bring the game of baseball in Japan to another level in the new millennium. We all hope that the Stars and Cardinals will make our league more competitive, and stronger."

The rules for the draft were simple. Each team was able to protect 30 players, and the draft was 40 rounds. The format was serpentine. This was the Nippon's first ever official expansion draft.

The Star's first 5 Picks:

1.) SP Yukichi Sato - Seibu
2.) SP Reynaldo Torres - Hiroshima
3.) SS Makoto Ota - Fukuoka
4.) 3B Matsusuke Hayashi - Hiroshima
5.) SP Hikaru Ando - Orix


Sato, the Star's first pick, was a college standout for Kinki University, despite only going 10-9, with 25 saves, and posting a 3.15 ERA. He was drafted by the Hanshin Tigers in 1995, and eventually made his way to Seibu. He is 16-14 with a 4.63 ERA in 47 career NPB starts.


Reynaldo Torres is a product of the Carp Baseball Academy in the Dominican Republic, where he posted a 19-11 record with a 2.72 ERA in 46 starts. He was eventually retained by the Carp in the draft in 1994. Torres is 19-11 with a 4.11 ERA in 46 career NPB starts.


Lastly, the Star's first position player taken in the draft, Makoto Ota, was snagged from Fukuoka. Ota made his way from the Amateur Industrial Leagues where he played with the Hoya Corporation, posting solid contact numbers in two seasons. He was drafted by the Yokohama Baystars in 1992. In 560 NPB games, Ota has posted 31 HR's, 192 RBI's, and a .283 batting average. Star's GM Shimpei Sato hopes that Ota will be able to provide some leadership to an already young ballclub, despite only being 29 himself.


Shortly after the expansion draft, the Panasonic Stars named their manager, gaijin Henry Lawson. Lawson was actually transferred from the companies Industrial League team, but has yet to actually manage a franchise. Lawson had cups-of-coffee stints with the Cincinnati Reds in 1970 and 1971, only playing in 32 games, and posting an abyssmal .091 batting average. He spent most of his time in AAA ball, posting terrible contact numbers. He finished out his brief pro career in Japan, with Asahi Breweries in the Industrial Leagues, posting a .188 batting average in 44 games. Lawson's coaching is a different story. Despite being somewhat limited in skill, Lawson has completely made up in managing. Lawson coached a very young Wright State collegiate team to three straight national titles, in his first season as manager. He then quickly jumped up the ranks, and in 1995 made his way as a bench coach and fielding coach for Asahi Breweries Industrial team, where Asahi went 256-224 from 1995 to 1998. Lawson was picked up by Panasonic shortly after this past season, and was slated to manage the Industrial team. Lawson will be bringing his right-hand man, Chris Willis, along as batting coach. Willis spent time with the Los Angeles Angels and Florida Marlins in the 70's, and the past two seasons has been with Asahi Breweries.

Within the next week, the Star's will be very busy, with the amateur draft and free agents posting. Unfortunately, both expansion clubs are extremely financially limited, so they won't be able to throw much if any weight around in the free agent market.

-Yomiuri Press

[CatKnight]

Looks like a good start! I'll be watching

[Dr. P.R. Park III]

November 1st, 1999:

Star's Take Tokyo Tech Ace With First Pick:

The Panasonic Stars bolstered their youthful organization by picking former Tokyo Institute of Technology ace pitcher Tadamichi Suzuki with the first overall pick of the 1999 NPB Amateur Draft. Suzuki played two seasons at Tokyo Tech, going 12-7 with a 2.08 ERA.
The Stars also grabbed super-prospect catcher Hisamitsu Ichikawa from Brother Industries of the Industrial Leagues, and flamethrowing middle reliever Claudio Diaz, out of Yakult Baseball Academy, stationed in the Dominican Republic. "We're a young team, we're an expansion team. You've got to be insane if you expect us to make the playoffs this year. You've got to be out of your mind if you expect us to be .500! These guys we picked today are this franchise. We know that," said the odd Stars GM, Shimpei Sato.
In other Panasonic news, the Stars announced that Japan Airlines will be their official stadium sponsor. The Stars are currently in negotiations with Tokyo to build a new stadium. The city however is very reluctant, given the unproven success of the franchise, and the already seemingly available facilities. The Stars however disagree, with the Meiji-Jingu Stadium already being used by the Yakult Swallows, and other numerous high school baseball events. The city was willing to atleast enter preliminary negotiations, but only as long as the Stars were able to secure another major financial institution to help sponsor the project. By tentatively agreeing with Japan Airlines on stadium names-rights, it appears negotiations with the city can start.
Free agents post soon, expect more Stars madness!

-Yomiuri Daily

[Dr. P.R. Park III]

January 28, 2000:

Stars Sign Two Veteran Free Agents:

The Stars rang in the new year by acquiring some seriously needed veteran help yesterday, by announcing the signings of SP Masahiro Nakashima and Suketsune Koyama. Both players had limited to modest success in Japan, but both are primarily known for their ventures in the States Major League Baseball.
Nakashima spent the past two years with the San Diego Padres, posting a par 4.23 ERA in 120+ innings last year. Prior to his departure for San Diego, he spent three seasons with Yokohama, but never pitched more then 70 innings in a season. Nakashima's presence on the club, and especially the rotation, is much needed. Currently, Nakashima is the most experienced pitcher on the club, but that makes him a far cry from an ace or lights-out guy.
Veteran OF Koyama who played the past five seasons with the Cleveland Indians, in which he had an amazing season with 30 HR's and a .339 batting average in 1996. Last year he hit 16 HR's and tallied a .298 batting average. "I forgot how to play yakyu the Japanese way. It will be a very interesting transition from slugging homeruns to drag bunting. Luckily, with Henry (Lawson-manager) the transition will be a little easier, he likes to play Western ball. We'll see, it'll be a fun year," Koyama was quoted as saying.

In other news, the Stars Single-A junior squad, the Gifu Stars, finished 6th out of 8 in the Nippon Second League this Winter. The NSL adopts a winter-ball schedule, to provide all of the rookies that were drafted time to play and possibly make the Ni-Gun team in the Spring. The 1st overall pick of this years draft, Tadamichi Suzuki, was mediocre, posting a 4-3 record, and a 4.01 ERA. He departed the team halfway through the season because of a torn rotator cuff muscle. Team officials hope that their self-proclaimed super-prospect Suzuki can make it back, and be better then ever.

Futures Report for the Stars:


1.) 2B Fred van Alpen - this guy from the Netherland Antilles absolutely destroyed pitchers in the Second League. In 71 games, he hit for .407 and 11 HR's, collecting 37 RBI's. He has already been assigned to Tosa of the Ni-Gun League.
2.) OF Kitahachi Kondo - this kid was impressive as well. In 49 games, the Nagoya native hit .373/2 HR/23 RBI. He's been assigned to Tosa.
3.) MR Claudio Diaz was extremely inconsistent, posting 2-8 with 10 saves, and a 10.33 ERA. He requires more development and training.
4.) MR Yakamochi Ota was the most consistent and solid reliever on the team, going 4-4 with 1 save, and a 3.23 ERA. However, he was not assigned to the Ni-Gun, and will require more training.

It was a somewhat successful inaugural season for Gifu, although there are obvious holes that need to be filled within the Stars organization. Most notably, the lack of quality starters and consistent relief pitching, and also the lack of productive hitters who can put the ball into play.

-Yomiuri Press

[Dr. P.R. Park III]

March 13th, 2000:

Stars Have Pulse in Spring Training:

It's that time of year again. The snow is melting off the caps, the birds are migrating back to the better places, and baseball is back! The Panasonic Stars made a splash in their debut spring training game against the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks, winning 9-5. At their home opening in the renovated spring Tokyo Gakugei Senior High Baseball Complex, the Stars were defeated by the Orix Buffaloes 6-5. Now, with spring training more then half over, the Stars are 8-10, as are the other expansion club, Sumitomo Cardinals.

Talks Heat Up for New Stadium:





Panasonic and Japan Airlines have been in discussions with Tokyo municipal officials the past two months, on the topic of a new stadium for the Stars. Although still very premature, the talks look promising, but any deal made would most likely have to favor the city majorly. This meaning that if the city approves the construction of a new stadium, the Matsuhita Group, along with Japan Airlines (and probably it's subsidaries) are going to pocket a vast majority of the capital necessary, thus deflating claims of a dome or inclosed venue. Discussions have thus far been long-winded and slow, but you can expect an official statement from the city on the matter sometime in the Fall, for that was the deadline set in the official literature of the agreement decided upon in January.

[Dr. P.R. Park III]

March 30, 2000:

Stars Claim Home-Opener!:

The Panasonic Stars claimed their franchise home-opener last night, beating the Orix Buffaloes 8-7, in a sloppy defensive performance, committing three errors, but powerful offensive effort, belting 10 hits. The Stars scored 6 runs in the 2nd inning, but the Buffaloes chipped away at the fragile Stars bullpen, making it 6-5 Stars in the 5th. But Orix still fell short because of a few clutch hits from Stars batsman. American Roger Sargent came in to close the deal, only his 5th career NPB save. The Stars face Orix for two more games, before opening a 3 game stint against the expansion Sumitomo Cardinals.

The Stars opened their inaugural season by losing to the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks, and ultimately losing the series 1-3. The Stars bullpen is extraordinarly shakey, but their bats are hot! Toki Yamamato blasted the Stars first ever home-run, and Masahiro Nakashima clinched the teams first ever win. With their record now 2-3, let's hope the Stars can ride the wave and turn in a winning streak!

Upon hearing of the Panasonic victory last night, Matsuhita Group CEO proclaimed he expected his expansion ball club to atleast finish .500. One only knows what Shimpei Sato thinks about that!

-Yomiuri Daily




NOTE: From this point on, unless it's news, I'm going to be simming one month at a time, and give brief descriptions of the months play, and any major transactions that occured.

[f.montoya]

Originally Posted by Dr. P.R. Park III

Thanks f. Montoya, which part of Japan? Do you have a favorite team?

Hanshin Tigers are my team. Lived in Osaka for 8+ years but now a bit further west in Hyogo prefecture. Been living in Ako-city since 2001.

[Dr. P.R. Park III]

The Tigers are pretty legendary. Unfortunately, I have never been to Japan, but I love the Japanese version. I actually turned down military orders to Kadena in order to get out of the military. I'd rather be in Japan under different circumstances!

[f.montoya]

Originally Posted by Dr. P.R. Park III

The Tigers are pretty legendary. Unfortunately, I have never been to Japan, but I love the Japanese version. I actually turned down military orders to Kadena in order to get out of the military. I'd rather be in Japan under different circumstances!

Considering you've never been here, I'm impressed with your knowledge of the scenery, locations and lingo.

[Dr. P.R. Park III]

I'm a huge Robert Whiting fan, I've read most of his books, and most of his articles online. For some reason, I like the Carp, but only because they seem to be like the poor little child of the league.

[f.montoya]