Everything Everywhere Daily: History, Science, Geography, & More The Globalization of Baseball
Mar 16, 2026
A brisk tour of how baseball left its American roots to become a global pastime. Stories cover baseball’s rise in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Venezuela. The origin and impact of an international tournament that gathered the world’s top players is explored. Cultural, political, and historical forces that shaped national baseball traditions are highlighted.
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How Baseball Took Root In Japan
- Baseball spread in Japan after Horace Wilson taught it at Tokyo's Keisai Academy in 1872 and it became central to school physical education.
- The 1934 barnstorming tour by Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Jimmy Fox ignited national passion and led to Japan's professional league by 1936.
Baseball And Japan's Postwar Recovery
- General Douglas MacArthur promoted baseball during the U.S. occupation (1945–1952) as a tool for rebuilding Japanese national spirit.
- Nippon Professional Baseball became a major league by 1950 and helped produce stars like Ichiro Suzuki and Sadaharu Oh.
Taiwan's Baseball Rise And Naming Compromise
- Taiwan adopted baseball during Japanese colonial rule and later excelled, winning 15 Little League World Series titles from 1969 to 1991.
- Competing internationally, Taiwan uses the name Chinese Taipei due to political pressure from mainland China.