The is an independent professional baseball league on the island of Shikoku in Japan. (None of the teams in Nippon Professional Baseball are based in Shikoku.) The league currently has four teams, and has its league headquarters in Takamatsu.
The Shikoku Island League has two principal sponsors, the Shikoku Railway Company (JR Shikoku) and the Shikoku Coca-Cola Bottling Company. Other sponsors include Taiyo Oil Company, Shikoku Meiji Dairies, Japan Airlines, sporting goods maker Mizuno Corp., Internet service provider Biglobe, convenience store chain FamilyMart, and Nihon McDonald's.
The Shikoku Island League Plus is part of the Japan Independent Baseball League Organization (which also includes the Baseball Challenge League).
League play Originally, each team played 90 games per season: 45 at home and 45 away. With the 2008 expansion, each team's schedule changed to 80 games a year, 40 at home and 40 away, so the season consists of 240 games. Teams attempt to schedule games for Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Friday games are night games. (Until the 2011 season, the Kōchi Fighting Dogs lacked the necessary lighting equipment and had to play all their home games during the day.)
The Shikoku Island League uses designated hitters.
One technique the league uses to strengthen its ties to the locales where it plays is to have those players who come from Shikoku play for their home teams. Even if they are not regulars, they often appear as designated hitters, pinch hitters, relief pitchers, and substitutes.
History The league was originally known as the Shikoku Island League. It was founded by former Nippon Professional Baseball star Hiromichi Ishige under the corporate ownership of IBLJ Inc. (an abbreviation of "Independent Baseball League of Japan"). The first game in the league took place on April 29, 2005. On November 10, 2005, the Kochi Fighting Dogs won the first league championship.
The league initially held all the rights to the teams, leadership and players, but in 2006 established separate corporations for the teams.
On December 1, 2007, the league expanded to include the Fukuoka Red Warblers and the Nagasaki Saints; as the Saints were based in Kyūshū, the league changed its name accordingly, to the .
The Red Warblers only lasted through the 2009 season. and a new team was added, the Mie Three Arrows. The Saints withdrew from the league following the 2010 season,Gen. "Island League: Nagasaki Saints to be dissolved," Yakyubaka.com (Sep.30, 2010). while the Three Arrows folded after the 2011 season.Gen. "Mie Three Arrows in a tough spot, has just 1 player on the roster," Yakyabaka.com (Nov.08, 2011).
The Japan Independent Baseball League Organization was formed during the summer of 2014.Gen. "Island League, BC League to establish Japan Independent Baseball League Organization," Yakyubaka.com (Aug.30, 2014 ).
In June 2015, an all-star team of players of the Shikoku Island League played against all the teams from the independent Can-Am League in North America. They finished with a record of 6–10. An all-star team returned for the 2016 Can-Am League season, finishing with a record of 8–12.
Teams Each team has 22 players, two coaches, and one manager.
Team Founded City Stadium Team colorEhime Mandarin Pirates2005Ehime PrefectureBotchan StadiumKagawa Olive Guyners2005Kagawa PrefectureRexxam StadiumKōchi Fighting Dogs2005Kōchi PrefectureKochi Municipal Baseball Stadium(in Japanese)Tokushima Indigo Socks2005Tokushima PrefectureJA Bank Tokushima Stadium(in Japanese)
Former Teams Team Founded CityFukuoka Red Warblers2008Fukuoka PrefectureMie Three Arrows2009Mie PrefectureNagasaki Saints2008Nagasaki Prefecture
League statistics TeamLeague ChampionHalf-season ChampionKagawa Olive Guyners713Kochi Fighting Dogs34Tokushima Indigo Socks712Ehime Mandarin Pirates48Nagasaki Saints01Fukuoka Red Warblers00Mie Three Arrows00
Seasons Year# of TeamsFirst HalfSecond HalfFull Season20054NoneNoneKochi Fighting Dogs20064Kochi Fighting DogsKagawa Olive GuynersKagawa Olive Guyners20074Kagawa Olive GuynersKagawa Olive GuynersKagawa Olive Guyners (2)20086Kagawa Olive GuynersEhime Mandarin PiratesKagawa Olive Guyners (3)20096Nagasaki SaintsKochi Fighting DogsKochi Fighting Dogs (2)20105Kagawa Olive GuynersKagawa Olive GuynersKagawa Olive Guyners (4)20115Tokushima Indigo SocksKagawa Olive GuynersTokushima Indigo Socks20124Kagawa Olive GuynersEhime Mandarin PiratesKagawa Olive Guyners (5)20134Kagawa Olive GuynersTokushima Indigo SocksTokushima Indigo Socks (2)20144Tokushima Indigo SocksTokushima Indigo SocksTokushima Indigo Socks (3)20154Kagawa Olive GuynersEhime Mandarin PiratesEhime Mandarin Pirates20164Ehime Mandarin PiratesEhime Mandarin PiratesEhime Mandarin Pirates (2)20174Tokushima Indigo SocksKagawa Olive GuynersTokushima Indigo Socks (4)20184Kagawa Olive GuynersEhime Mandarin PiratesKagawa Olive Guyners (6)20194Ehime Mandarin PiratesTokushima Indigo SocksTokushima Mandarin Socks (5)20204NoneNoneTokushima Indigo Socks (6)20214Kagawa Olive GuynersKochi Fighting DogsKagawa Olive Guyners (7)20224Kochi Fighting DogsTokushima Indigo SocksKochi Fighting Dogs (3)20234Tokushima Indigo SocksTokushima Indigo SocksTokushima Indigo Socks (7)20244Tokushima Indigo SocksTokushima Indigo SocksEhime Mandarin Pirates (3)20254Tokushima Indigo SocksEhime Mandarin PiratesEhime Mandarin Pirates (4)
References
External links Shikoku Island League plus Official Site (in Japanese) Shikoku Island League Information Bureau (in Japanese)