  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. Though most others
look pretty much the same, Swallows fans have one
of the most annoying (to opponents) 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 its 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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