According to most sources, Dr. Horace Wilson, an American professor teaching in Japan, introduced the Japanese to baseball in the 1870's. As a result, baseball first became popular at Japanese universities. Beginning in the early 1900's, Keio University and Meiji University among others were baseball hotbeds. The Big Six University league was the 'Major League' of the 1920's and early 1930's.
In the period from about 1910 to 1935, several American major league teams and barnstorming teams visited Japan during the off season and played exhibition games with Japanese teams. One of the most famous American tours of Japan took place in 1934. A team consisting of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and other future Hall of Famers played eighteen games in Japan. While the U.S. team was far superior to their opponents, Japanese interest in baseball reached a fever pitch.
Japanese Major League baseball began in 1936 and continued through 1944 with six to eight teams. After a World War II induced hiatus in 1945, baseball resumed. In 1950, two six team leagues were formed, the Central League and the Pacific League. This structure has remained to this day.
I watched the TV about Mr. Tetsuharu Kawakami last night. He played with Babe Ruth in 1934. Japanese team were beaten completely ,16 game was defeat, 2 was draw, only one was win. He was shocked but learned much from the American baseball. He wished upon to be same level as American baseball in the future. He became the manager of Yomiuri Giants afterward and taught the players American baseball, especially defense and team play. He won 9 consecutive championship in the Japanese champion series. This year is 80th anniversary of establishing of Japanese professional baseball. The Japanese baseball team achieved victories against the American team as 3 won 2 loss in this year’s Japan and America baseball. Probably Mr. Tetsuharu Kawakami might be delightful as getting his wish that the Japanese baseball coming up to American baseball under the sod. I understood the reason of 9 consecutive victories of Giants. He and players and coaches had worked hard to carry out their wish all the way. I genuinely realized that there is no victory without sustaining the hard work.