Tokyo Yakult Swallows
The Tokyo Yakult Swallows (Japanese: 東京ヤクルトスワローズ) are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Shinjuku, Tokyo, they are one of two professional baseball teams based in Tokyo, the other being the Yomiuri Giants. They have won 9 Central League championships and 6 Japan Series championships. Since 1964, they play their games at Meiji Jingu Stadium.
| Tokyo Yakult Swallows | |||||
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| 東京ヤクルトスワローズ | |||||
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| Information | |||||
| League | Nippon Professional Baseball
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| Location | Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan | ||||
| Ballpark | Meiji Jingu Stadium | ||||
| Founded | January 12, 1950 | ||||
| Nickname(s) | Tsubame (つばめ, swallow) | ||||
| CL pennants | 9 (1978, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2015, 2021, 2022) | ||||
| Japan Series championships | 6 (1978, 1993, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2021) | ||||
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| Former ballparks |
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| Colors | Navy, Red, Green | ||||
| Mascot | Tsubakuro, Tsubami, and Torkuya | ||||
| Playoff berths | 7 (2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2018, 2021, 2022) | ||||
| Ownership | Takashige Negishi | ||||
| Management | Yakult Honsha | ||||
| Manager | Shingo Takatsu | ||||
| Uniforms | |||||
The Swallows are named after their corporate owners, Yakult Honsha. From 1950 to 1965, the team was owned by the former Japanese National Railways (known as Kokutetsu (国鉄) in Japanese) and called the Kokutetsu Swallows; the team was then owned by the newspaper Sankei Shimbun from 1965 to 1968 and called the Sankei Atoms. Yakult purchased the team in 1970 and renamed it the Yakult Atoms, before renaming it again as the Yakult Swallows in 1974, and then the Tokyo Yakult Swallows in 2006.