User:Djrobgordon/sandbox/Selected article

Nippon Professional Baseball or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. In Japan it is often called Puro Yakyū (プロ野球), meaning Professional Baseball. Outside of Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball." The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation of the Greater Japan Tokyo Baseball Club (大日本東京野球倶楽部) in 1934 and the original Japanese Baseball League. NPB was formed when that league reorganized in 1950.

Some players from the Japan who have gone on to success in North America's Major League Baseball include Hideo Nomo, Kazuhiro Sasaki, Ichiro Suzuki, Akinori Otsuka, Tadahito Iguchi, So Taguchi, Kenji Johjima and Hideki Matsui. There have been some unsuccessful transfers, including those of Kaz Matsui and Hideki Irabu. (more...)