Yokohama DeNA Baystars

Thumbnail: File: Yokohama DeNA BayStars insignia.svg By: Daisystinkafds (in public domain)

BayStars Looking to Next Season After CL Final Stage Sweep

The Yokohama DeNA BayStars were the defending Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) league champions, and the club had a respectable 2025 NPB, finishing as runners-up in second place in the Central League Standings this past season with a 71-66-6 record.

In the Climax Series First Stage of the Central League playoffs, the BayStars eliminated the third-place Yomiuri Giants, sweeping the two games at home at Yokohama Stadium on Oct. 11-12 to advance on to the Climax Series Central League Final Stage.

But there, the pennant-winning Hanshin Tigers were lying in wait for DeNA with the homefield advantage at Koshien Stadium in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo, and armed with a 1-0 series lead before the first pitch was even thrown.

And the Tigers’ pitching was brilliant, limiting Yokohama to just three runs in three games as Hanshin swept the BayStars (4-0), shutting out the visitors in Game 1 (2-0) and Game 3 (4-0) as the league leaders punched their ticket to the 2025 Japan Series.

Over in the Pacific League Final Stage, they needed all seven games before host and pennant winners, the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, won the series (4-3), winning the pivotal Game 6 (2-1), on Oct. 20 at the Mizuho PayPay Dome in Fukuoka.

Fukuoka will now face Hanshin in the 2025 Japan Series, which starts on Saturday, October 25, with Game 1 at Hanshin Koshien Stadium in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture. The series could run until Sunday, November 7, should a Game 7 be necessary.

You can find tickets for the 2025 Japan Series here.

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Who Stood Out on Yokohama DeNA BayStars 2025 Roster?

Despite failing in their efforts to repeat as NPB champions, Manager Daisuke Miura and the BayStars had another productive season and expect Yokohama tickets to be hot sellers again for the 2026 NPB season.

Leading the way at the plate for DeNA was slugging OF Keita Sano (.274/24/70), rising star Shugo Maki (.277/164/49), Yoshitomo Tsutsugoh (.228/20/43), veteran Toshiro Miyazaki (.277/6/39), Tatsuo Ebina (.284/8/41), OF Masayuki Kuwahara (.284/6/27), Yuudai Yamamoto (.262/3/41), and OF Kazuki Kamizato (.308).

The starting pitching for the BayStars in 2025 was very average, with Katsuki Azuma (14-8/160.1 IP/2.19 ERA) and Andre Jackson (10-7, 150.2 IP/2.33 ERA) the most effective hurlers on the bump for skipper Miura. But Trevor Bauer was very poor (4-10, 4.51 ERA).

Out of the Yokohama bullpen, Taisei Irie (22 Saves, 3.15 ERA), Hiromu Ise (13 Saves, 32 Holds, 2.89 ERA), Rowan Wick (21 Holds, 0.84 ERA), and Daita Miyagi (14 Holds, 2.09 ERA) were all solid and were a strong reason for DeNA’s ultimate success.

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About the Yokohama DeNA BayStars

The Yokohama BayStars play in the Central League of Nippon Professional Baseball and are based in Naka-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. The team was founded in 1949 and has had many names through the years, including its first, the Taiyo Fishing Company.

As an amateur team affiliated with the Maruha Corporation (now Maruha Nichiro), the Taiyo Fishing Company won the National Sports Festival in 1948 and then competed in national tournaments in the 1950s.

The team went professional in 1950 when the Taiyo company owner decided to have his team join the newly expanded Central League. The team was named the Maruha Team, and the club was based in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi.

In 2012, the team was purchased by software giant DeNA, and the team was renamed the Yokohama DeNA BayStars. Known for their stylish branding and modern approach to fan engagement, the BayStars have evolved into one of NPB’s most innovative clubs.

In 1960, the now 75-year-old franchise won its first of three Japan Series titles (1960, 1998, 2024) when it was the Taiyo Whales (1978-1992). The team is owned by Japanese e-commerce and mobile portal company DeNA Co., Ltd., and Tomoko Namba.

The team has two mascots, DB Starman and DB Kirara.

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Where is the Yokohama DeNA BayStars’ Stadium Located?

The BayStars play at the open-air Yokohama Stadium (FieldTurf) in Yokohama Park, Naka-ku in Yokohama, Kanagawa. The ¥4,800,000,000 stadium is owned by Yokohama City, and it is operated by Yokohama City Stadium, Ltd.

Ground was broken on Yokohama Stadium in April 1977, and the doors opened on April 4, 1978. The stadium was renovated twice. This stadium is located in the heart of the port of Yokohama—Japan’s second-largest city—on Tokyo Bay and enjoys Pacific Ocean breezes.

The stadium has a capacity of 20,000 for football games and 35,250 for baseball games. The baseball field is 94 m (308.4 feet) down the left and right field lines, 111.4 m (366 feet) to left-center and right-center, and 118 m (387.1 feet) to straightaway center field.

Yokohama DeNA BayStars in Major League Baseball (MLB)

There are a number of current and former Yokohama DeNA BayStars who have played in Major League Baseball (MLB), including current pro and Chicago Cubs starter Shōta Imanaga (9-8, 3.73 ERA) and former Toronto Blue Jays reliever Shun Tamaguchi.

Players who have played in MLB and who are now in NPB and on Yokohama include Shintaro Fujinami (Mariners) and P Trevor Bauer, who played with several MLB clubs and with the Diablos Rojos del Mexico (LMB) before heading to the Land of the Rising Sun.

When Will the 2026 NPB Regular Season Schedule be Released?

The 2026 Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) Regular Season schedule will be released in either December or January. Opening Day will be on March 27, 2026, with Interleague play games scheduled in the Spring from May 26 to June 18, 2026.

The 2026 NPB All-Star Series will be held with Game 1 at the Tokyo Dome on July 28 and Game 2 at Alpen Stadium in Toyama Prefecture on July 29. The series is an effort to help the earthquake-struck region. It will be the first NPB All-Star Game in Toyama in 30 years.

Contracts for next season are being finalized, and guys like Puerto Rican Neftali Soto (Reds, Chiba Lotte Marines), Dominican Orlando Calizte (Giants, Chunichi Dragons), and American Luke Voit (Brewers, Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles) all set to return to NPB.

Tickets for 2026 Yokohama DeNA BayStars games will be available later at this link.

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