Hiroshima Toyo Carp facts for kids

Quick facts for kids

Hiroshima Toyo Carp

広島東洋カープ

Team logo	Cap insignia

Information

League

Nippon Professional Baseball

Central League (1950–present)

Location

Minami-ku, Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Japan

Ballpark

Mazda Zoom-Zoom Stadium Hiroshima

Year founded

December 5, 1949; 75 years ago

Nickname(s)

Koi (鯉, carp)

CL pennants

9 (1975, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1986, 1991, 2016, 2017, 2018)

Japan Series championships

3 (1979, 1980, 1984)

Former name(s)

Hiroshima Carp (1950–1967)

Former ballparks

Hiroshima Municipal Stadium (1957–2008)
Hiroshima Sogo Ground Baseball Park (1950–1957)

Colors

Red, White

Mascot

Slyly

Playoff berths

6 (2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2023)

Retired numbers

3, 8, 15

Ownership

Hajime Matsuda

Management

Matsuda family

Manager

Takahiro Arai

Uniforms

The Hiroshima Toyo Carp (pronounced Hee-roh-shee-mah Toh-yoh Karp) is a professional baseball team from Hiroshima, Japan. They play in the Central League, which is part of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), Japan's top baseball league. The team is mostly owned by the Matsuda family. The car company Mazda is also a big shareholder, and the "Toyo" in the team's name comes from Mazda's old company name.

The Carp team was started just four years after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. Because of this, many people see the team as a symbol of Hiroshima's amazing recovery after the war. Even though they have won many league titles, they are currently the only team in the NPB that hasn't won the Japan Series (the championship series) in the 21st century.

Team History: From Tough Starts to Triumphs

How the Carp Team Began

In 1949, Japan's professional baseball league decided to split into two groups. Hiroshima wanted to create its own team to help rebuild the city after the atomic bombing. So, in December 1949, the Hiroshima Carp joined the Central League. They were named after the koi fish, which are known for swimming strongly upstream. This name symbolized Hiroshima's hope for a new beginning.

In the beginning, the team had very little money. Their first manager, Hideichi Ishimoto, even had to find players himself! Because of these challenges, the team finished last in 1950 and 1951.

Saving the Team from Disbanding

The Carp's money problems got even worse in 1951. The league suggested that the team should either close down or join another team. But the people of Hiroshima loved their team and strongly protested. They raised money through donations to keep the Carp playing!

In 1952, the Central League had seven teams, which made scheduling games tricky. They decided that any team with a winning record below .300 (meaning they won less than 30% of their games) would be disbanded. This rule seemed aimed at the Carp, who were always in last place. However, thanks to their star pitcher Ryōhei Hasegawa, the Carp won just enough games to finish with a .316 winning percentage, saving themselves! Another team, the Shochiku Robins, was merged with the Taiyo Whales instead. The Carp then signed many of the Robins' best players.

Even with new players, money was still tight. In 1953, players only got one uniform each! But the team kept going. In 1957, they moved to a new home, the Hiroshima Municipal Stadium. Finally, in 1960, they had their first winning season, finishing with more wins than losses.

The "Toyo" Name and Red Uniforms

In 1968, the Toyo Kogyo company became the team's main sponsor. The team's name then changed to Hiroshima Toyo Carp. Toyo Kogyo later became Mazda Motor Corporation in 1984, but the "Toyo" name stayed with the baseball team.

In 1973, red became the Carp's new team color, and their uniforms were redesigned. The team's logo also changed from an "H" to a red "C," similar to the Cincinnati Reds team in America.

The "Akaheru" Golden Age: Winning Championships

A memorial plaque listing the team's Central League championships located next to old Hiroshima Municipal Stadium.

In 1975, the Carp hired their first non-Japanese manager, Joe Lutz. He wanted the team's caps to be red, symbolizing a strong fighting spirit. Even though Lutz left early in the season, the team went on to win its first-ever league championship that year under new manager Takeshi Koba.

The Carp became a very strong team in 1978. They hit over 200 home runs in one season, a first in Japanese baseball! Star players like Koji Yamamoto, Sachio Kinugasa, Jim Lyttle, and Adrian Garrett made up the powerful Akaheru (meaning "Red Helmet") lineup. This team won two league championships and two Japan Series titles in a row in 1979 and 1980. They are still the last Central League team to win back-to-back Japan Series.

In 1984, with strong pitching, they won another Japan Series. Manager Koba retired in 1985, but the team still won the league title the next year. In 1987, Sachio Kinugasa broke a famous record for playing the most consecutive games.

Koji Yamamoto became the manager in 1989, and the team won another league title in 1991. However, the team struggled after that, finishing last in 1993, and Yamamoto stepped down.

Challenging Years and a New Stadium

View from Hiroshima Municipal Stadium on March 14, 2004.

After their 1991 championship, the Carp went through a long period without much success. One reason was that they didn't have a lot of money from sponsors. They often couldn't sign top players or keep their own star players because they couldn't pay high salaries.

In 2006, Marty Brown became the Carp's first non-Japanese manager in 31 years. The team focused on developing young players. In 2008, even though many expected them to finish last, they surprised everyone by staying in the playoff race until the very end of the season.

Since 2009, the Carp's home stadium has been the Mazda Zoom-Zoom Stadium Hiroshima, a modern ballpark in Hiroshima.

Recent Success and Challenges

After many tough years, the Carp finally found success again in 2016. They had the best record in the league and made it to the Japan Series for the first time since 1991. They won the first two games but lost the next four, missing out on the championship. After that season, star pitcher Hiroki Kuroda, who had returned to the Carp, retired.

The Carp won the Central League again in 2017 and 2018, making it three championships in a row! In 2018, they reached the Japan Series again but lost to the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.

In 2019, their streak of championships ended, and they missed the playoffs. They also missed the playoffs in 2020, 2021, and 2022.

In 2023, Takahiro Arai became the new Carp manager. Many thought the team would finish last, but they surprised everyone by finishing second in the league! They won their first playoff series but then lost in the next round, missing the Japan Series.

The 2024 season started with the Carp's pitchers playing incredibly well. They had very few home runs early in the season, but their pitching staff was strong. However, in September, the team struggled, losing 20 games in one month. This caused them to drop to 4th place and miss the playoffs.

Team Uniforms

The Hiroshima Toyo Carp's uniforms look a lot like those of the Major League Baseball team, the Cincinnati Reds. The Carp's original uniforms were inspired by the University of Chicago's baseball team, which visited Japan in 1912. A Japanese university team, Chuo University, copied their uniforms, including the "C" logo. Later, people who played for Chuo University helped start the Hiroshima Carp, bringing that uniform style with them.

Team Mascots and Traditions

Slyly

The Carp have two main mascots:

Carp Boy (Kāpu Bōya) is a cartoon boy seen in the team's logo.
Slyly (Surairī) is a big, furry, green mascot who looks a bit like the Phillie Phanatic from the Philadelphia Phillies in the U.S. Both Slyly and the Phillie Phanatic were designed by the same company that worked on Sesame Street! Slyly has been with the team since 1995.

From 2005 to 2007, the Carp even had a baseball dog named Mickey, a Golden Retriever. Mickey wore jersey number 111 and would bring new balls to the umpire during games! Mickey passed away in 2009.

Until 2015, the Hiroshima Municipal Stadium was closed every year on August 6 to remember the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. The team would play their home games in other stadiums on that day. In 2015, they played their first August 6 home game at Mazda Zoom-Zoom Stadium. On that day, all Carp players wore jersey number 86 (for August 6) and the word "PEACE" on their uniforms to honor the city's wish for world peace.

Unique Cheering Styles

Squat Cheering

The Hiroshima Toyo Carp fans have a special way of cheering called "Squat Cheering." When a player comes up to bat, fans sing the team's anthem once. Then, instead of repeating the lyrics, they shout the player's name.

Here's how it works:

Fans are divided into two groups.
One group stands up and shouts the player's name, then sits down.
The other group does the same.
They repeat this standing and sitting motion, shouting the name, about 3 to 5 times.
This unique cheer is used even when Carp players play in big events like the All-Star Game. It's called "Squat Cheer" because of the repeated standing and sitting, and it became popular around 1993.

Three Call

In Japanese baseball, fans often do "three calls" before a cheering song. A common one is "Kattobase Kattobase ○○" (meaning "Hit it, hit it, ○○") repeated three times.

For the Carp, a special call is "motte koi motte koi ○○" repeated three times. "Motte Koi!" means "Please hit a home run into the stands!" This call is also used for home runs.

Chance Theme

In Japanese baseball, there's a special cheering song called "Chance Theme." This song is played when the team has a great chance to score, usually when there are runners on base, especially with the bases loaded.

Carp Baseball Academies

The Carp team was the first Japanese baseball team to open a baseball academy outside of Japan. Since they couldn't always afford to sign famous non-Japanese players, they created these academies to find and train young players who could then come play in Japan.

In 1990, the Carp Baseball Academy was started in the Dominican Republic. Players like Robinson Checo, Timo Pérez, and even future MLB star Alfonso Soriano came from this academy to play in Japan.
In 2004, the Carp also started a pitching academy in Guangdong, China, to help grow baseball in Asia.

Famous Players

Players Who Played in MLB

Some Carp players have also played in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States:

Kenta Maeda (Active)
Seiya Suzuki (Active)
Ryan Brasier (Active)
Colby Lewis (Retired)
Hiroki Kuroda (Retired)
Alfonso Soriano (Retired)

Retired Jersey Numbers

Some jersey numbers are retired by the Carp to honor very special players. No other player can wear these numbers:

3 - Sachio Kinugasa (Played from 1965–1987)
8 - Koji Yamamoto (Played from 1969–1986, also managed the team)
15 - Hiroki Kuroda (Played from 1997–2007, and 2015–2016)

Honored Jersey Numbers

These numbers are not retired, but they are often given to important or promising players:

1 - Tomonori Maeda, Seiya Suzuki
7 - Kenjiro Nomura, Shota Dobayashi
18 - Shinji Sasaoka, Kenta Maeda, Masato Morishita
20 - Manabu Kitabeppu, Katsuhiro Nagakawa, Ryoji Kuribayashi
25 - Takahiro Arai (current manager)

Team Managers

Here are some of the people who have managed the Hiroshima Toyo Carp team:

Name	Nationality	Years Managed
Shuichi Ishimoto	Japan	1950–1953
Katsumi Shiraishi	Japan	1953–1960, 1963–1965
Masato Monzen	Japan	1961–1962
Ryohei Hasegawa	Japan	1965–1967
Rikuo Nemoto	Japan	1968–1972
Katsuya Morinaga	Japan	1972, 1974–1975
Joe Lutz	United States	1975
Takeshi Koba	Japan	1975–1985
Junro Anan	Japan	1986–1988
Koji Yamamoto	Japan	1989–1993, 2001–2005
Toshiyuki Mimura	Japan	1994–1998
Mitsuo Tatsukawa	Japan	1999–2000
Marty Leo Brown	United States	2006–2009
Kenjiro Nomura	Japan	2010–2014
Koichi Ogata	Japan	2015–2019
Shinji Sasaoka	Japan	2020–2022
Takahiro Arai	Japan	2023–

Farm Team: Developing Future Stars

The Hiroshima Toyo Carp also have a "farm team" in the lower Western League. This team is also called Toyo Carp. A farm team is where younger players or players who need more practice can play and improve their skills before joining the main team.

Their farm team's ballpark, Yuu Baseball Ground, is located near Iwakuni. It was built in 1993 and has a large playing field for games and a smaller field for practice.