Orix Buffaloes facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Orix Buffaloes
オリックス・バファローズ
Team logo Cap insignia
Information
League	Nippon Professional Baseball Pacific League (1950–present) Japanese Baseball League (1936–1949)
Location	HQ in Nishi-ku, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan
Ballpark	Kyocera Dome Osaka Hotto Motto Field Kobe
Year founded	January 23, 1936; 89 years ago (1936-01-23)
PL pennants	15 (1967, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1984, 1995, 1996, 2021, 2022, 2023)
Japan Series championships	5 (1975, 1976, 1977, 1996, 2022)
Former name(s)	Orix BlueWave (1991–2004) Orix Braves (1989–1990) Hankyu Braves (1947–1988) Hankyu Club (1936–1946)
Former ballparks	Hankyu Nishinomiya Stadium (1937–1990) Takarazuka Stadium (1936)
Colors	Navy Blue, Gold, White
Mascot	Buffalo Bull and Buffalo Bell
Playoff berths	10 (1973, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1979, 2008, 2014, 2021, 2022, 2023)
Ownership	Yoshihiko Miyauchi
Management	Orix
Manager	Mamoru Kishida
Uniforms

The Orix Buffaloes (オリックス・バファローズ) are a professional baseball team in Japan. They are part of the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) league. The team was created in 2005 when two teams, the Orix BlueWave and the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes, joined together.

The Buffaloes play in the Pacific League. Their main owner is Orix, a big financial company from Osaka. They play their home games at two stadiums: Kyocera Dome Osaka and Hotto Motto Field Kobe. Sometimes, they use Kyocera Dome when the Hanshin Tigers can't use their main stadium, Hanshin Koshien Stadium. This happens because high school baseball tournaments use Koshien Stadium in March and August.

As of 2022, the team has won more games than they've lost. Their record is 5,543 wins, 5,297 losses, and 410 ties.

Team History

From Hankyu to Orix (1936–2004)

The Hankyu Braves

The team that became the Orix Buffaloes started in 1936. It was owned by a railway company called Hankyu Railway. The team was first named the Osaka Hankyu Baseball Club. Later, they became known as the Hankyu Braves. They were one of the first professional baseball teams in Japan. They are also the oldest team still playing in the Pacific League.

In the 1950s, the Braves brought in talented players from other countries. Some of these players were African-American stars from the Negro league baseball in the United States. These players were among the first Americans to play in Japan after World War II.

From the mid-1960s, the Hankyu Braves became a very strong team. They won the Pacific League championship five times between 1967 and 1972. However, they lost the Japan Series championship each time to the Yomiuri Giants. Their manager, Yukio Nishimoto, was known for these close losses.

But then, under manager Toshiharu Ueda, the Hankyu Braves won the Japan Series three times in a row! This was from 1975 to 1977. They even beat the Tokyo Giants in 1976 and 1977. Many great players, like pitcher Hisashi Yamada and outfielder Yutaka Fukumoto, played for the Braves during this time.

In the 1980s, the team was still good. But they often lost the Pacific League championship to the Seibu Lions. In 1984, they did win the league but lost the Japan Series.

In 1988, Hankyu Railway sold the team to a company called Orix. This was a big surprise because Japanese baseball teams rarely changed owners back then. For the first two years under Orix, the team was called the Orix Braves. They still played in Nishinomiya.

The BlueWave Era

In 1991, the team moved to Kobe and changed its name to the Orix BlueWave. Orix held a poll to pick the new name. Many fans wanted to keep "Braves," but Orix chose "BlueWave." The team also changed its colors to navy blue and gold.

Even though some fans were sad about the name change, most accepted the move. The new stadium in Kobe was better than the old one. Fans and the media sometimes called the team Aonami or Seiha, which means "blue wave" in Japanese.

The Orix BlueWave had a superstar player named Ichiro Suzuki. With Ichiro leading the way, the team won the Pacific League championship in 1995 and 1996. In 1996, they also won the Japan Series! In 2001, Ichiro Suzuki moved to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States. He joined the Seattle Mariners.

Orix Buffaloes (2005–Present)

After the 2004 baseball season, the Orix BlueWave merged with another team, the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes. This created the new Orix Buffaloes team.

At first, the team had some tough years. From 2005 to 2013, they only finished in the top half of the Pacific League once. In 2008, they finished second in their league. But they lost in the first round of the playoffs.

Things started to change in 2021. The Buffaloes finished first in the Pacific League! They then won their playoff series and made it to the Japan Series for the first time since 1996. They played against the Tokyo Yakult Swallows but lost in six games.

In 2022, the Buffaloes had a great comeback. They started the season slowly but ended up finishing first in the Pacific League again! They beat the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in the playoffs. This set up a rematch against the Tokyo Yakult Swallows in the Japan Series. This time, the Buffaloes won the championship, beating the Swallows 4 games to 2!

After their big win in 2022, one of their star players, Masataka Yoshida, moved to play in MLB for the Boston Red Sox. In 2023, the Buffaloes won their third straight Pacific League championship! Their pitcher, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, won his third "Triple Crown" award. They made it to the Japan Series again but lost to the Hanshin Tigers.

In 2024, without Yamamoto, the team struggled and finished in 5th place. Their manager, Satoshi Nakajima, stepped down and was replaced by Mamoru Kishida.

Current Roster

Baseball Hall of Famers

These players were elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame mainly for playing with the Hankyu Braves:

• Yutaka Fukumoto, CF, 1969–1988 (inducted 2002)
• Takao Kajimoto, P, 1954–1973 (inducted 2007)
• Hisashi Yamada, P, 1969–1988 (inducted 2006)
• Tetsuya Yoneda, P, 1956–1975 (inducted 2000)

These people were elected for playing with Hankyu and Orix, as well as other teams:

• Hiromitsu Kadota, DH, 1989–1990 (inducted 2006)
• Futoshi Nakanishi, Coach, 1985–1990, 1995–1997 (inducted 1999)
• Akira Ōgi, Manager, 1988–1992, 1994–2001, 2005 (inducted 2004)
• Toshiharu Ueda, Manager, 1974–1978, 1981–1990 (inducted 2003)

These people were elected mainly for playing with the Kintetsu Buffaloes:

• Yukio Nishimoto, Manager, 1974–1981 (inducted 1988)
• Keishi Suzuki, P, 1966–1985 (inducted 2002)

Notable Former Players and Managers

Here are some famous players and managers who have been part of the Orix Buffaloes and its earlier teams:

As Orix Buffaloes:

• Cliff Brumbaugh – Outfielder
• Karim García – Outfielder
• Kazuhiro Kiyohara – First Baseman/Third Baseman
• Chihiro Kaneko – Pitcher
• Park Chan Ho – Pitcher
• Lee Dae-ho – First Baseman
• Hiroyuki Nakajima – Infielder
• Yoshitomo Tani – Outfielder
• Yoshio Itoi – Outfielder
• Tomotaka Sakaguchi – Outfielder/Infielder
• Ryan Vogelsong – Pitcher
• Esteban Germán – Infielder
• Atsushi Nomi – Pitcher
• Adam Jones – Outfielder
• Ryota Ishioka – Infielder, Outfielder

As Orix BlueWave:

• Roosevelt Brown – Outfielder
• Doug Jennings – Outfielder/First Baseman
• Koo Dae-sung – Pitcher
• Yasuo Fujii – Infielder/Outfielder
• Junichi Fukura – Second Baseman
• Shigetoshi Hasegawa – Pitcher (also played in MLB)
• Troy Neel – First Baseman
• Chris Donnels – Third Baseman
• Mac Suzuki – Pitcher
• Masafumi Hirai – Pitcher
• Takahito Nomura – Pitcher
• Satoshi Nakajima – Catcher
• Kazuhiro Sato – Outfielder
• Koichi Oshima – Second Baseman
• Ichiro Suzuki – Outfielder (a famous MLB player)
• So Taguchi – Infielder, Outfielder

As Kintetsu (and Osaka Kintetsu) Buffaloes:

• Charlie Manuel – Outfielder
• Norihiro Nakamura – Infielder
• Masahiro Doi – Outfielder
• Shintaro Yamasaki – Pitcher
• Hideo Nomo – Pitcher
• Keishi Suzuki – Pitcher
• Tuffy Rhodes – Outfielder
• Masato Yoshii – Pitcher

As Hankyu (and Orix) Braves:

• Mitsuhiro Adachi – Pitcher
• Roberto Barbon – Infielder
• Yutaro Imai – Pitcher (pitched a perfect game)
• Hideji Kato – First Baseman
• Brad "Animal" Lesley – Pitcher
• Bobby Marcano – Infielder
• Hiromi Matsunaga – Third Baseman
• Tokuji Nagaike – Outfielder
• Kazuhiko Ishimine – Outfielder
• Yutaka Fukumoto – Outfielder (stole the most bases in NPB history)
• Nobuyuki Hoshino – Pitcher
• Takao Kajimoto – Pitcher
• Koji Minoda – Outfielder
• Yoshinori Sato – Pitcher
• Hisashi Yamada – Pitcher
• Daryl Spencer – Infielder
• Greg "Boomer" Wells – First Baseman (first non-Japanese player to win the Triple Crown in NPB)
• Masafumi Yamamori – Outfielder

MLB Players

Many players from the Orix Buffaloes have also played in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States.

Currently Active in MLB:

• Masataka Yoshida (since 2023)
• Yoshinobu Yamamoto (since 2024)
• Marwin González (since 2023)

Former MLB Players:

• Adam Jones (2020–2021)
• Mac Suzuki (2003–2005)
• Joey Butler (2014)
• Hideo Nomo (1990–1994)
• Shigetoshi Hasegawa (1990–1996)
• Masao Kida (1998, 2000–2001)
• So Taguchi (1992–2001, 2010–2011)
• Koo Dae-Sung (2001–2004)
• Tuffy Rhodes (2007–2009)
• Joey Meneses (2018–2019)
• Ichiro Suzuki (1992–2000)
• Park Chan Ho (2011)
• Yoshihisa Hirano (2018–2020)
• Brandon Dickson (2013–2021)
• Masato Yoshii (1997–2002)

Managers

Here is a list of the managers for the Orix Buffaloes and its earlier teams:

• Statistics are up to the end of the 2023 season.

Team Song

The Orix Buffaloes' current theme song is "Sky" by a Japanese band called Mega Stopper. The song has been used since 2005. The team's cheerleading group, BsGirls, also sings a version of the song.

Team Mascots

The Orix Buffaloes have had different mascots over the years:

• 1981 to 1990:
  • Bravey (#100), a large bird.
  • Yuta (#101), a younger bird.
  • Braves Boy, a warrior with a baseball head.

• 1991 to 2010:
  • Neppie (#111), a young boy.
  • Ripsea (#222), a young girl.

• Since 2011:
  • Buffalo Bull (#111), a male mascot who is a mix of an oryx and a buffalo. He is Bell's brother.
  • Buffalo Bell (#222), a female mascot who is also a mix of an oryx and a buffalo. She is Bull's sister.