owned_by saitama seibu lions
Matsuzaka was selected the MVP of the inaugural and the second World Baseball Classic , and is an Olympic bronze medalist . He is the first player to have won both a World Baseball Classic and a World Series and for 6 years the only one until Robinson Canó , Octavio Dotel and Santiago Casilla joined him after the 2013 competition and 2006 WBC teammate Koji Uehara did with his 2013 World Series win . A new TV special premiered September 5 , 2009 on ___MASK75___ TV . Produced in commemoration of ___MASK75___ TV ' s 50th anniversary , it was directed by Gor Taniguchi , written by noted novelist and drama writer Osamu ___MASK28___ , and featuring character designs from noted illustrator Yoshitaka Amano . The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston , Massachusetts . The Red Sox compete in ___MASK9___ ( MLB ) as a member club of the American League ( AL ) East division . The Red Sox have won eight World Series championships and have played in 13 . Founded in as one of the American League ' s eight charter franchises , the Red Sox ' home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The " Red Sox " name was chosen by the team owner , John I . Taylor , around , following the lead of previous teams that had been known as the " Boston Red Stockings ", including the forerunner of the ___MASK82___ Braves . The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues constituting Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan . The winner of the league championship competes against the winner in the Central League for the annual Japan Series . It currently consists of six teams from around Japan . The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan . The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the ___MASK36___ in the annual Japan Series . It currently consists of six teams from around the country . Unlike the ___MASK36___ , designated hitters are not used during Central League home games . The World Baseball Classic ( WBC ) is an international baseball tournament sanctioned from 2006 to 2013 by the International Baseball Federation ( IBAF ) and after 2013 by the World Baseball Softball Confederation ( WBSC ). It was proposed to the IBAF by ___MASK9___ ( MLB ), the ___MASK9___ Players Association ( MLBPA ), and other professional baseball leagues and their players associations around the world . It is the main baseball tournament sanctioned by the WBSC , which grants to the winner the title of " World Champion ". It previously coexisted with Olympic Baseball ( until 2008 ) and the Baseball World Cup ( until 2011 ) as IBAF  sanctioned tournaments , but baseball has not been on the Olympic program since 2008 , after it was voted out by the International Olympic Committee in 2005 . The final men ' s Baseball World Cup was held in 2011 , and was discontinued to streamline the international calendar . The 2013 Classic , the third edition of the event , was won by the Dominican Republic in an all - Caribbean World Baseball Classic Final . The earliest commercial Japanese animation dates to 1917 , and production of anime works in Japan has since continued to increase steadily . The characteristic anime art style emerged in the 1960s with the works of Osamu Tezuka and spread internationally in the late twentieth century , developing a large domestic and international audience . Anime is distributed theatrically , by television broadcasts , directly to home media , and over the Internet . It is classified into numerous genres targeting diverse broad and niche audiences . The ___MASK82___ Braves are an American professional baseball franchise based in the ___MASK82___ metropolitan area . The franchise competes in Major League Baseball ( MLB ) as a member of the National League ( NL ) East division . The Braves played home games at Turner Field in ___MASK82___ from 1997 to 2016 , and play spring training games in Lake Buena Vista , Florida . In 2017 , the team will move to SunTrust Park , a new stadium complex in the Cumberland district of Cobb County just northwest of ___MASK82___ . The , also translated as Musashino Platform , is a large tableland , known as a fluvial terrace , in the Kant region of Honshu , Japan . Much of western Tokyo , between the Tama River to the south and the Arakawa River to the north , is built on the plateau . Its northern section is located in southern ___MASK31___ . It consists of an alluvial fan formed by an ancient River Tama with a layer of volcanic ash , many metres deep , on top . Fenway Park is a baseball park located in Boston , at 4 Yawkey Way near Kenmore Square . Since 1912 , it has been the home for the Boston Red Sox , the ___MASK33___ ' s Major League Baseball ( MLB ) franchise . It is the oldest ballpark in MLB . Because of its age and constrained location in Boston ' s dense Fenway  Kenmore neighborhood , the park has been renovated or expanded many times , resulting in quirky heterogeneous features including " The Triangle " ( below ), " Pesky ' s Pole ", and the Green Monster in left field . It is the fourth - smallest among MLB ballparks by seating capacity , second - smallest by total capacity , and one of eight that cannot accommodate at least 40 , 000 spectators . Boston ( pronounced ) is the capital and most populous ___MASK33___ of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States . Boston is also the seat of Suffolk County , although the county government was disbanded on July 1 , 1999 . The ___MASK33___ proper covers with an estimated population of 667 , 137 in 2015 , making it the largest ___MASK33___ in New England and the 23rd most populous ___MASK33___ in the United States . The ___MASK33___ is the economic and cultural anchor of a substantially larger metropolitan area known as Greater Boston , a Metropolitan Statistical Area ( MSA ) home to a census - estimated 4 . 7 million people in 2014 and ranking as the tenth - largest such area in the country . Alternately , as a Combined Statistical Area ( CSA ), this wider commuting region is home to some 8 . 1 million people , making it the sixth - largest as such in the United States . Japan (" Nippon " or " Nihon " ; formally "" or " Nihon - koku ", means " State of Japan ") is a sovereign island nation in Eastern Asia . Located in the Pacific Ocean , It is lying off the eastern coast of the Asia Mainland ( east of China , Korea , ___MASK47___ ) and stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and near Taiwan in the southwest . The World Series is the annual championship series of ___MASK9___ ( MLB ) in North America , contested since 1903 between the American League ( AL ) champion team and the National League ( NL ) champion team . The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best - of - seven playoff , and the winning team is awarded the Commissioner ' s Trophy . As the series is played in October ( and occasionally November ), during the autumn season in North America , it is often referred to as the Fall Classic . Early life . Tezuka was the eldest of three children in Toyonaka ___MASK33___ , Osaka . His nickname was " gashagasha - atama " (" gashagasha " is slang for messy , " atama " means head ). His mother often comforted him by telling him to look to the blue skies , giving him confidence . His mother ' s stories inspired his creativity as well . Tezuka grew up in Takarazuka ___MASK33___ , Hygo and his mother often took him to the Takarazuka Theatre . The Takarazuka Revue is performed by women , including the male characters . The Takarazuka Revue is known for its romantic musicals usually aimed at a female audience , thus having a large impact on the later works of Tezuka , including his costuming designs . He has said that he has a profound " spirit of nostalgia " for Takarazuka . Octavio Eduardo Dotel Diaz ( born November 25 , 1973 ) is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher . Dotel played for thirteen major league teams , more than any other player in the history of ___MASK9___ ( MLB ), setting the mark when he pitched for the ___MASK57___ Tigers on April 7 , 2012 , breaking a record previously held by Mike Morgan , Matt Stairs , and Ron Villone . He was a member of the Houston Astros for 5 seasons . The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs , or simply the American League ( AL ), is one of two leagues that make up ___MASK9___ ( MLB ) in the United States and Canada . It developed from the Western League , a minor league based in the Great Lakes states , which eventually aspired to major league status . It is sometimes called the Junior Circuit because it claimed Major League status for the 1901 season , 25 years after the formation of the National League ( the " Senior Circuit "). The is the name of a hotel chain company headquartered in Toshima - ku , Tokyo , Japan . It is a subsidiary of Seibu Holdings , Inc . Together with ___MASK70___ , Prince Hotels is the core company of Seibu Group . John Irving ___MASK53___ ( January 14 , 1875  January 26 , 1938 ) owned the Boston Red Sox from 1904 until 1911 . He was the son of General Charles H . ___MASK53___ , publisher of the Boston Globe . He purchased the team from Henry Killilea on April 19 , 1904 , with his father Charles serving as a minority owner . In September 1911 , the Taylors sold half of the stock in the team to Jimmy McAleer and Robert B . McRoy with McAleer taking over as team president . On December 21 , 1913 , ___MASK60___ Lannin , Frank P . Cooper , and John R . Turner purchased McAleer and McRoy ' s half of the team with Lannin becoming team president . On May 15 , 1914 , Lannin bought out all of his partners and became sole owner of the Red Sox . Santiago Casilla ( born July 25 , 1980 ) is a Dominican professional baseball relief pitcher for the ___MASK27___ of ___MASK9___ ( MLB ). He previously played for the ___MASK14___ Giants . Casilla throws four pitches : a fastball , slider , curveball , and a changeup . The league currently consists of two six - team circuits , the Central League and the ___MASK36___ . Each season the winning clubs from the two leagues compete in the Japan Series , the championship series of NPB . At the end of each ___MASK9___ season , the league leaders of various statistical categories are announced . Leading the league in a particular category is referred to as a " title ". Robinson José Canó Mercedes ( born October 22 , 1982 ), often shortened to Robbie Cano , is a Dominican - American professional baseball second baseman for the ___MASK54___ Mariners of ___MASK9___ . He made his MLB debut with the New York Yankees in 2005 and played for them through 2013 . The ___MASK87___ are an American professional baseball team based in the New York ___MASK33___ borough of Queens . The Mets compete in Major League Baseball ( MLB ) as a member club of the National League ( NL ) East division . The Mets are one of two Major League clubs based in New York ___MASK33___ ; the other is the New York Yankees . A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short - term basis . Facilities provided may range from a modest - quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger , higher - quality beds , a dresser , a fridge and other kitchen facilities , upholstered chairs , a flatscreen television and en - suite bathrooms . Small , lower - priced hotels may offer only the most basic guest services and facilities . Larger , higher - priced hotels may provide additional guest facilities such as a swimming pool , business centre ( with computers , printers and other office equipment ), childcare , conference and event facilities , tennis or basketball courts , gymnasium , restaurants , day spa and social function services . Hotel rooms are usually numbered ( or named in some smaller hotels and B & Bs ) to allow guests to identify their room . Some boutique , high - end hotels have custom decorated rooms . Some hotels offer meals as part of a room and board arrangement . In the ___MASK59___ , a hotel is required by law to serve food and drinks to all guests within certain stated hours . In Japan , capsule hotels provide a tiny room suitable only for sleeping and shared bathroom facilities . History . " ___MASK70___ " was originally the name of a tram service between Shinjuku and Ogikubo , which was transferred to the Tokyo metropolitan government in 1951 and eventually closed in 1962 . The ___MASK70___ was acquired in 1921 by the Kawagoe Railway , which had operated a train service between Kokubunji and Kawagoe since 1894 ; the merged company kept the " Seibu " name and expanded its main line to Takadanobaba , forming what is now known as the Seibu Shinjuku Line . Lines . Tokorozawa Station is served by the Seibu Ikebukuro Line from in Tokyo to Hann , and by the Seibu Shinjuku Line from Seibu Shinjuku to Hon - Kawagoe in ___MASK31___ . Some Ikebukuro Line services inter - run via the Tokyo Metro Yurakucho Line to and the Tokyo Metro Fukutoshin Line to and onward via the Tokyu Toyoko Line and Minato Mirai Line to . On the Seibu Ikebukuro Line , it is located between and , and is 24 . 8 km from the Ikebukuro terminus . On the Seibu Shinjuku Line , it is located between and , and is 28 . 9 km from the Seibu Shinjuku terminus . The Saitama Seibu Lions (  Saitama Seibu Raionzu ) are a professional baseball team in Japan ' s ___MASK36___ based north of Tokyo in Tokorozawa , Saitama . Before 1979 , they were based in Fukuoka in Kyushu . The team is owned by a subsidiary of Prince Hotels , which in turn is owned by the Seibu Group . The team experienced a recent period of financial difficulty , but the situation brightened when the team received a record ¥ 6 billion ( about $ 51 . 11 million ) posting fee from the Boston Red Sox for the right to negotiate a contract with Daisuke Matsuzaka . Between 1978 and 2008 , the team logo and mascot were based on the adult version of Kimba the White Lion , a classic Japanese anime series by Osamu Tezuka . In 2004 , former Seibu Lions player Kazuo Matsui became the first Japanese infielder to play in Major League Baseball . , or is the annual championship series in Nippon Professional Baseball and the top baseball league in Japan . It is a seven - game series between the winning clubs of the league ' s two circuits , the Central League and the ___MASK36___ . The Series is the highest level of play in professional baseball in Japan . It is usually played in October or November . As in all of the best - of - seven series , the first team to win four games is the overall winner and is declared each year . The winner of the Japan Series also goes on to be the Japanese representative team in the annual Asia Series . Matsui signed with the ___MASK87___ on December 17 , 2003 , becoming the first Japanese infielder to sign with a ___MASK9___ team . Geography . Located in the central part of the Musashino Terrace , about 30 km west of central Tokyo . Tokorozawa can be considered part of the greater Tokyo area ; its proximity to the latter and lower housing costs make it a popular bedroom community . Most of Lake Sayama falls within ___MASK33___ boundaries ; Lake Tama also touches the south - western part of the ___MASK33___ . The area around Tokorozawa Station ' s west exit is built up as a shopping district with several department stores . Prope Street is a popular shopping arcade .