  Even
if you end up pulling for one of their rivals, there's no
doubting the Yakult Swallows are a pretty unique ball
club.
Founded in 1950, the Swallows have
remained the Central League's most overlooked team for
nearly five decades. Because their cross-town rivals, the
Yomiuri Giants, attract so many supporters, Yakult has a
relatively small but loyal base of fans.
Since Yakult games are seldom
televised, the only way to see the team is to wait until
they play against the Giants (all Yomiuri games are broadcast)
or visit their home ballpark, Meiji-Jingu Stadium.
The second oldest professional
ballpark still in use, Jingu's brick walls date back to
1926. Before the Second World War, Babe Ruth and Lou
Gehrig played in Jingu during an exhibition tour of
Japan. Though renovated in 1982, no other stadium in
Eastern Japan retains as much history and old-ballpark
style.
Filling Jingu's 48,000 seats are
some of the liveliest fans you'll ever encounter. Like
other teams, Swallows fans are led by the oendan
(cheering section) who play songs, bang drums and wave
flags for each player. Though most oendan look pretty
much the same, Swallows fans have one of the most unusual
ways to celebrate a run.
When that happens, a sea of green
and blue umbrellas blossom across the right field
bleachers as Yakult fans discreetly tell the opposing
pitcher it's time he head for the showers. It's a ritual
that has become more common in recent years.
In their first forty years, the
Swallows earned one CL pennant and posted only four
winning seasons. But under the leadership of Katsuya
Nomura, widely considered Japan's top manager, the
Swallows have taken four pennants and three Japan Series
crowns in the last six years. Despite the success,
critics continually predict the Swallows to place in the
bottom half of the league.
Perpetual underdogs, the Swallows
are easy to underestimate. While Yakult has the finest
catcher in Japan, two-time MVP Atsuya Furuta, the team
lacks any other big name players. Typical of a
low-budget, small market team, the Swallows are rarely
able to outbid other teams in the annual free-agent
auction. Instead, cash-poor Yakult has had to develop
it's younger players and pick up low-price
"has-beens" other teams have given up on.
Two of those has-beens, Masato
Yoshii and Kazuya Tabata developed into the Central
League's top pitchers in 1997. Another, Takehiko
Kobayakawa slugged three home runs in the Swallows'
season opener against the Giants. Declared a has-been
before he even played his first regular season game in
Japan, Dwayne Hosey earned the 1997 CL home run crown.
No one may expect much from Yakult,
but they have fun and they win games. With every season
an uphill climb, there are few teams as fun to cheer for
as the Swallows.
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