Though a number of ball clubs have come and gone, since 1958 Japanese professional baseball has had twelve teams, evenly divided into two leagues.

The higher status Central League offers a more traditional style of baseball while the more dynamic Pacific League features faster-paced games and employs the designated hitter. Each year, the two pennant winners meet in the Japan Series.

Although both circuits were formed in 1950, professional baseball dates back to the 1934 founding of the Great Japan Tokyo Baseball Club, later known as the Tokyo Kyojin and eventually the Yomiuri Giants. Though the Giants dominated Japanese baseball until 1973, the player draft helped level the playing field. Aside from the Seibu Lions who won eight Japan Series titles from 1982-92, few teams have monopolized the top spot.

While there are a number of hapless underdogs, virtually every team has a good shot at winning a pennant in the next few years.

Eastern Japan: With the largest possible baseball market, the Tokyo area hosts six pro baseball teams: Yomiuri Giants, Nippon Ham Fighters, Yakult Swallows, Seibu Lions, Chiba Lotte Marines and Yokohama BayStars.

Japan's most popular ball club, the Yomiuri Giants always attract standing-room-only crowds. Winning nine straight Japan Series championships during Japan's economic rise from post-war ashes, many people consider a Yomiuri championship linked to the country's financial well-being. To cheer against the Giants, therefore, is to cheer against prosperity and against Japan. Few teams can challenge that overpowering myth.

Sharing the Tokyo Dome with Yomiuri, the Nippon Ham Fighters are the negative image of the Giants. In the last five decades, the franchise has only won two pennants and one Japan Series title. With a relatively small base of fans, Fighters games are seldom crowded. In an attempt to reach out to foreigners living in the Tokyo-area, Nippon Ham gives away thousands of free tickets to "Yankees Day," an annual event which features a Fighters game, prize give-aways, pre-game shows, and announcements in English.

The only other team in central Tokyo, the Yakult Swallows played in obscurity for most of their first four decades. But after hiring manager Katsuya Nomura, the Swallows turned things around, becoming one of the most successful teams of the 1990s. Without much television exposure, however, Yakult still has a relatively small but sarcastic group of fans who turn up regularly at Tokyo's oldest and most traditional ballpark, Meiji-Jingu Stadium.

Thirty minutes west of Tokyo, the Seibu Lions play in what will soon be a dome-covered amphitheater. Built specifically for the team by their billionaire owner, Lions Stadium has been home of one of Japan's strongest teams of the last decade. Their deep-pockets owner has made sure Seibu always stay competitive.

On the other side of Japan's capital city, the Chiba Lotte Marines play on the Tokyo Bay waterfront. A once proud franchise, the Marines now stumble over every chance that comes their way. The least popular team on the Kanto Plain, Lotte is desperate for fans to watch games. They've got some good players, but the Marines have only posted one winning season in the last decade.

The Yokohama BayStars haven't won a pennant in almost 40 years and they are hungry. Playing at Yokohama Stadium, a half-hour south of Tokyo, the BayStars home ballpark lies in a great location, a few minutes away from the waterfront, Chinatown, and several trendy outdoor shopping malls. On the field the BayStars may have enough enthusiasm to defy their losing tradition. For the first time in years, Yokohama fans are actually optimistic about their chances.

Western Japan: While the Chunichi Dragons play in Nagoya and the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks and Hiroshima Carp represent their own cities, three teams play in the Osaka area: the Kintetsu Buffaloes, Hanshin Tigers, and Orix BlueWave. While Tokyo residents often consider themselves more refined and dignified, fans in outlying areas often display a heated passion for the game.

Looking west, the Chunichi Dragons recently moved into the immense Nagoya Dome. Previously a power-hitting team, the deep walls at their new ballpark took a big bite out of Chunichi's offense. But the Dragons rarely stay in the cellar for long. With some of the most spirited fans in Japan, Chunichi has the entire city of Nagoya cheering them on.

Perhaps the least popular team in Japan, the Kintetsu Buffaloes have recently become a Pacific League contender. By moving into the Osaka Dome in 1997, they also began to attract a lot of fans. Still shaky, the Buffaloes have some problems to work through, but things are looking a lot better than they did a few years ago.

Representing Osaka in that city's rivalry with Tokyo, the Hanshin Tigers have for six decades sought to upstage the Yomiuri Giants. A relatively strong team until the 1980s, the Tigers are the Boston Red Sox to Yomiuri's New York Yankees. Like their Fenway-dwelling counterparts, Hanshin usually comes out on the losing end in their bitter inter-city battle. A three-hour stay at Hanshin's heartbreak hotel, Koshien Stadium, is still relatively cheap and offers a traditional baseball atmosphere.

Buoyed by superstar Ichiro Suzuki, the Orix BlueWave have been one of the strongest Pacific League teams for decades and own the highest franchise winning percentage in the circuit. Playing in earthquake-ravaged Kobe, the BlueWave have a strong local following. Even when playing out of town, crowds show up to watch Ichiro.

Playing across the street from the A-bomb Dome, the Hiroshima Toyo Carp have been a perennial contender since 1975. Featuring an explosive offense, the Carp make the most of Hiroshima Stadium's cozy dimensions. Wearing uniforms remarkably similar to the Cincinnati Reds, the Carp also attract Japan's most intense fans.

Moving into Japan's first dome with a retractable roof, the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks have a very devoted group of fans. Unfortunately, those fans usually go home disappointed since the Hawks have only compiled one winning season in the last two decades. Managed by home run king Sadaharu Oh, the Hawks possess the most powerful offense in the Pacific League, but also the worst pitching staff.