China Baseball League
Encyclopedia
The China Baseball League or Chinese Baseball League or CBL is a professional baseball
league
under the administration of Chinese Baseball Association
, founded in 2002.
The original four teams were the Beijing Tigers, Tianjin Lions, Shanghai Eagles and Guangzhou Lightning. The Hope Stars and Dragons joined them in 2005. The Hope Stars are an under-21 team of promising players from around the country. Henan Elephants entered CBL as an expansion team in 2009.
In the 2004 season, the defending champion Beijing Tigers once again defeated the Tianjin Lions in the best-of-five finals. They came back from an 0-2 deficit to win the series 3 games to 2.
The opening day of the 2005 season was April 1, 2005. The regular season ended on June 26. In the 2005 best-of-five championship series, the Beijing Tigers swept the Tianjin Lions, three games to none, giving the Tigers their third straight title. (The 2005 championship series was abbreviated to three games due to SARS.)
All teams will have a Japanese team as a partner. Beijing will pair with the Yomiuri Giants
, Sichuan with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
, Shanghai with the Hanshin Tigers
, Jiangsu with the Chiba Lotte Marines
and Guangdong with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp
. Tianjin will continue its existing relationship with the Yokohama BayStars
which began in 2005.
Professional baseball
Baseball is a team sport which is played by several professional leagues throughout the world. In these leagues, and associated farm teams, players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system....
league
Sports league
League is a term commonly used to describe a group of sports teams or individual athletes that compete against each other in a specific sport. At its simplest, it may be a local group of amateur athletes who form teams among themselves and compete on weekends; at its most complex, it can be an...
under the administration of Chinese Baseball Association
Chinese Baseball Association
Chinese Baseball Association is a national non-governmental, non-profit sports organization in the People's Republic of China. It represents China in the International Baseball Federation and the Baseball Federation of Asia, as well as the baseball sports in the All-China Sports Federation...
, founded in 2002.
Teams
| Division | Team | Location | Stadium |
|---|---|---|---|
| West/North | Beijing Tigers Beijing Tigers The Beijing Tigers is one of the four charter teams in the China Baseball League. The Tigers played at the Beijing Fengtai Baseball Field until 2006, when the stadium was destroyed and rebuilt as the Fengtai Softball Field... (北京猛虎) |
Beijing Beijing Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's... |
Lucheng Field |
| Sichuan Dragons Sichuan Dragons Sichuan Dragons is a baseball team based in Chengdu, Sichuan and a member of the China Baseball League. They play out of Jinnui Stadium.-Roster:*Pitchers**Kun Chen**Bo Zhao*Infielders**Fei Feng, SS... (四川蛟龙) |
Chengdu, Sichuan | Jinniu Stadium | |
| Tianjin Lions Tianjin Lions The Tianjin Lions or Tianjing Fierce Lions are a team in the China Baseball League that began play in 2002. Their home field is Tian Ti Dodger Stadium in Tianjin.... (天津雄狮) |
Tianjin Tianjin ' is a metropolis in northern China and one of the five national central cities of the People's Republic of China. It is governed as a direct-controlled municipality, one of four such designations, and is, thus, under direct administration of the central government... |
Tian Ti Dodger Stadium | |
| East/South | Guangdong Leopards Guangdong Leopards The Guangdong Fighting Leopards are a China Baseball League team based in Guangdong. They play their games in Zhongshan Stadium.The Leopards began play in . They were the second place team in... (广东猎豹) |
Guangzhou Guangzhou Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port... , Guangdong Guangdong Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province... |
Zhongshan Stadium Zhongshan Stadium Zhongshan Sports Center Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Zhongshan, China. It is currently used mostly for football matches and was one of the six stadiums used for the 1991 FIFA Women's World Cup. The stadium has a capacity of 12,000 people. The stadium are all-seaters with multi-color seats... |
| Jiangsu Hopestars Jiangsu Hopestars Jiangsu Hopestars is a baseball team and a member of the China Baseball League.- External links :*... (江苏希望之星) |
Wuxi Wuxi Wuxi is an old city in Jiangsu province, People's Republic of China. Split in half by Lake Tai, Wuxi borders Changzhou to the west and Suzhou to the east. The northern half looks across to Taizhou across the Yangtze River, while the southern half also borders the province of Zhejiang to the south... , Jiangsu Jiangsu ' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name... |
Wuxi Baseball Stadium | |
| Shanghai Golden Eagles Shanghai Golden Eagles Shanghai Golden Eagles is a baseball team based in Shanghai and a member of the China Baseball League. The home field is the Shanghai Sports Palace in Putuo District.-Roster:*Pitchers**Jun Zhang**Zhang Li*Infielders**Qi Chen, 1B... (上海金鹰) |
Shanghai Shanghai Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010... |
Shanghai Sports Palace | |
| Henan Elephants Henan Elephants Henan Elephants is a team of the CBL which will start to participate the league in 2010 season.... (河南吉象) |
Zhengzhou Zhengzhou Zhengzhou , is the capital and largest city of Henan province in north-central China. A prefecture-level city, it also serves as the political, economic, technological, and educational centre of the province, as well as a major transportation hub for Central China... , Henan Henan Henan , is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "豫" , named after Yuzhou , a Han Dynasty state that included parts of Henan... |
Henan Ball Games Administration Center Baseball Field |
The original four teams were the Beijing Tigers, Tianjin Lions, Shanghai Eagles and Guangzhou Lightning. The Hope Stars and Dragons joined them in 2005. The Hope Stars are an under-21 team of promising players from around the country. Henan Elephants entered CBL as an expansion team in 2009.
Earlier seasons
The first season ran from April 26 to May 25, 2002 with a one-game championship.In the 2004 season, the defending champion Beijing Tigers once again defeated the Tianjin Lions in the best-of-five finals. They came back from an 0-2 deficit to win the series 3 games to 2.
The opening day of the 2005 season was April 1, 2005. The regular season ended on June 26. In the 2005 best-of-five championship series, the Beijing Tigers swept the Tianjin Lions, three games to none, giving the Tigers their third straight title. (The 2005 championship series was abbreviated to three games due to SARS.)
| Year | Winner | Games | Runner-up | Games |
| 2002 | Tianjin Lions Tianjin Lions The Tianjin Lions or Tianjing Fierce Lions are a team in the China Baseball League that began play in 2002. Their home field is Tian Ti Dodger Stadium in Tianjin.... |
1 | Beijing Tigers Beijing Tigers The Beijing Tigers is one of the four charter teams in the China Baseball League. The Tigers played at the Beijing Fengtai Baseball Field until 2006, when the stadium was destroyed and rebuilt as the Fengtai Softball Field... |
0 |
| 2003 | Beijing Tigers Beijing Tigers The Beijing Tigers is one of the four charter teams in the China Baseball League. The Tigers played at the Beijing Fengtai Baseball Field until 2006, when the stadium was destroyed and rebuilt as the Fengtai Softball Field... |
3 | Tianjin Lions Tianjin Lions The Tianjin Lions or Tianjing Fierce Lions are a team in the China Baseball League that began play in 2002. Their home field is Tian Ti Dodger Stadium in Tianjin.... |
2 |
| 2004 | Beijing Tigers Beijing Tigers The Beijing Tigers is one of the four charter teams in the China Baseball League. The Tigers played at the Beijing Fengtai Baseball Field until 2006, when the stadium was destroyed and rebuilt as the Fengtai Softball Field... |
3 | Tianjin Lions Tianjin Lions The Tianjin Lions or Tianjing Fierce Lions are a team in the China Baseball League that began play in 2002. Their home field is Tian Ti Dodger Stadium in Tianjin.... |
2 |
| 2005 | Beijing Tigers Beijing Tigers The Beijing Tigers is one of the four charter teams in the China Baseball League. The Tigers played at the Beijing Fengtai Baseball Field until 2006, when the stadium was destroyed and rebuilt as the Fengtai Softball Field... |
2 | Tianjin Lions Tianjin Lions The Tianjin Lions or Tianjing Fierce Lions are a team in the China Baseball League that began play in 2002. Their home field is Tian Ti Dodger Stadium in Tianjin.... |
0 |
| 2006 | Tianjin Lions Tianjin Lions The Tianjin Lions or Tianjing Fierce Lions are a team in the China Baseball League that began play in 2002. Their home field is Tian Ti Dodger Stadium in Tianjin.... |
3 | Guangdong Leopards Guangdong Leopards The Guangdong Fighting Leopards are a China Baseball League team based in Guangdong. They play their games in Zhongshan Stadium.The Leopards began play in . They were the second place team in... |
0 |
| 2007 | Tianjin Lions Tianjin Lions The Tianjin Lions or Tianjing Fierce Lions are a team in the China Baseball League that began play in 2002. Their home field is Tian Ti Dodger Stadium in Tianjin.... |
3 | Guangdong Leopards Guangdong Leopards The Guangdong Fighting Leopards are a China Baseball League team based in Guangdong. They play their games in Zhongshan Stadium.The Leopards began play in . They were the second place team in... |
1 |
| 2008 | Tianjin Lions Tianjin Lions The Tianjin Lions or Tianjing Fierce Lions are a team in the China Baseball League that began play in 2002. Their home field is Tian Ti Dodger Stadium in Tianjin.... |
3 | Beijing Tigers Beijing Tigers The Beijing Tigers is one of the four charter teams in the China Baseball League. The Tigers played at the Beijing Fengtai Baseball Field until 2006, when the stadium was destroyed and rebuilt as the Fengtai Softball Field... |
0 |
| 2009 | Beijing Tigers Beijing Tigers The Beijing Tigers is one of the four charter teams in the China Baseball League. The Tigers played at the Beijing Fengtai Baseball Field until 2006, when the stadium was destroyed and rebuilt as the Fengtai Softball Field... |
1 | Guangdong Leopards Guangdong Leopards The Guangdong Fighting Leopards are a China Baseball League team based in Guangdong. They play their games in Zhongshan Stadium.The Leopards began play in . They were the second place team in... |
0 |
| 2010 | Guangdong Leopards Guangdong Leopards The Guangdong Fighting Leopards are a China Baseball League team based in Guangdong. They play their games in Zhongshan Stadium.The Leopards began play in . They were the second place team in... |
2 | Beijing Tigers Beijing Tigers The Beijing Tigers is one of the four charter teams in the China Baseball League. The Tigers played at the Beijing Fengtai Baseball Field until 2006, when the stadium was destroyed and rebuilt as the Fengtai Softball Field... |
0 |
| 2011 | Tianjin Lions Tianjin Lions The Tianjin Lions or Tianjing Fierce Lions are a team in the China Baseball League that began play in 2002. Their home field is Tian Ti Dodger Stadium in Tianjin.... |
3 | Guangdong Leopards Guangdong Leopards The Guangdong Fighting Leopards are a China Baseball League team based in Guangdong. They play their games in Zhongshan Stadium.The Leopards began play in . They were the second place team in... |
1 |
Partnership with Nippon Professional Baseball
In 2007, the CBL began a support relationship with Nippon Professional Baseball, Japan's baseball league. The agreement allows the Japanese clubs to send coaches and players to China and Chinese players to train at the Japanese facilities.All teams will have a Japanese team as a partner. Beijing will pair with the Yomiuri Giants
Yomiuri Giants
The are a professional baseball team based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. The team competes in the Central League in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top level of professional play in Japan. They play their home games in the Tokyo Dome, opened in 1988. The English-language press occasionally calls the...
, Sichuan with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
The are a Japanese baseball team based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture. The team was bought on January 28, 2005 by the SoftBank Corporation.The team was formerly known as the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks. In 1988, Daiei bought the team from Osaka's Nankai Electric Railway Co., and its headquarters were...
, Shanghai with the Hanshin Tigers
Hanshin Tigers
The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team based in Koshien, Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and are in the Central League. Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd., the subsidiary of Hankyu Hanshin Holdings Inc., owns the Hanshin Tigers directly...
, Jiangsu with the Chiba Lotte Marines
Chiba Lotte Marines
The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based in Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture, in the Kantō region, and owned by the Lotte conglomerate.-History:...
and Guangdong with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp
Hiroshima Toyo Carp
The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Central League. The team is primarily owned by the Matsuda family, led by , who is a descendant of Mazda founder Jujiro Matsuda. Mazda is the largest single shareholder , which is less than the portion owned by the Matsuda family . Because of that,...
. Tianjin will continue its existing relationship with the Yokohama BayStars
Yokohama BayStars
The are a professional baseball team in the Japanese Central League. Home field is the Yokohama Stadium, located in central Yokohama. The clubhouse is located near the stadium....
which began in 2005.
See also
- China StarsChina StarsThe China Stars was a baseball team established in 2005. It was made up of the best players in the China Baseball League. The team was established in purpose of playing with the winners from the professional baseball league in Japan, Taiwan, and Korea in the annual Konami Cup Asia Series...
- MLB China SeriesMLB China SeriesThe Major League Baseball China Series, or MLB China Series, was two spring training games between the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers played in the People's Republic of China. It marked the first time Major League Baseball teams played in China, part an effort to popularize baseball in...
- Baseball awards#China (People's Republic of China): Chinese Baseball Association
External links
- Official site (in Chinese)
- National baseball league newcomers
- VOA: MLB, China Baseball League Team to Tour China
- Opening day 2005 image gallery
- Shanghai Diaries: In Search of Baseball's Yao Ming (November 30, 2004)
- First season 2002
- 2004 championship
- 2004 championship
- MLB.com article on baseball in China, July 2005
- Base Beginnings: The China Baseball League makes a pitch for popularity (June 14, 2005)
- China's Slow Emergence into Baseball, Part I (February 28, 2008)
- Fastball to Nowhere (December 19, 2008)