Shikoku Island League Plus

The Shikoku Island League Plus (四国アイランドリーグplus, Shikoku Airando Rīgu purasu) is an independent professional baseball league on the island of Shikoku in Japan. (None of the teams in Nippon Professional Baseball are based in Shikoku.) The league currently has four teams, and has its league headquarters in Takamatsu.

Shikoku Island League Plus
SportBaseball
Founded2005
No. of teams4
CountryJapan
Most recent
champion(s)		Kochi Fighting Dogs
Most titlesKagawa Olive Guyners (7)

The Shikoku Island League has two principal sponsors, the Shikoku Railway Company (JR Shikoku) and the Shikoku Coca-Cola Bottling Company. Other sponsors include Taiyo Oil Company, Shikoku Meiji Dairies, Japan Airlines, sporting goods maker Mizuno Corp., Internet service provider Biglobe, convenience store chain FamilyMart, and Nihon McDonald's.

The Shikoku Island League Plus is part of the Japan Independent Baseball League Organization (which also includes the Baseball Challenge League).

League play

Originally, each team played 90 games per season: 45 at home and 45 away. With the 2008 expansion, each team's schedule changed to 80 games a year, 40 at home and 40 away, so the season consists of 240 games. Teams attempt to schedule games for Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Friday games are night games. (Until the 2011 season, the Kōchi Fighting Dogs lacked the necessary lighting equipment and had to play all their home games during the day.)

The Shikoku Island League uses designated hitters.

One technique the league uses to strengthen its ties to the locales where it plays is to have those players who come from Shikoku play for their home teams. Even if they are not regulars, they often appear as designated hitters, pinch hitters, relief pitchers, and substitutes.

History

The league was originally known as the Shikoku Island League. It was founded by former Nippon Professional Baseball star Hiromichi Ishige under the corporate ownership of IBLJ Inc. (an abbreviation of "Independent Baseball League of Japan"). The first game in the league took place on April 29, 2005. On November 10, 2005, the Kochi Fighting Dogs won the first league championship.

The league initially held all the rights to the teams, leadership and players, but in 2006 established separate corporations for the teams.

On December 1, 2007, the league expanded to include the Fukuoka Red Warblers and the Nagasaki Saints; as the Saints were based in Kyūshū, the league changed its name accordingly, to the Shikoku-Kyūshū Island League (四国・九州アイランドリーグ, Shikoku-Kyūshū Airando Rīgu).

The Red Warblers only lasted through the 2009 season. and a new team was added, the Mie Three Arrows. The Saints withdrew from the league following the 2010 season,[1] while the Three Arrows folded after the 2011 season.[2]

The Japan Independent Baseball League Organization was formed during the summer of 2014.[3]

In June 2015, an all-star team of players of the Shikoku Island League played against all the teams from the independent Can-Am League in North America. They finished with a record of 6–10. An all-star team returned for the 2016 Can-Am League season, finishing with a record of 8–12.[4]

Teams

Each team has 22 players, two coaches, and one manager.

Team Founded City Stadium Team color
Ehime Mandarin Pirates 2005 Ehime Prefecture Botchan Stadium
Kagawa Olive Guyners 2005 Kagawa Prefecture Rexxam Stadium
Kōchi Fighting Dogs 2005 Kōchi Prefecture Kochi Municipal Baseball Stadium
(in Japanese)
Tokushima Indigo Socks 2005 Tokushima Prefecture JA Bank Tokushima Stadium
(in Japanese)

Former Teams
Team Founded City
Fukuoka Red Warblers 2008 Fukuoka Prefecture
Mie Three Arrows 2009 Mie Prefecture
Nagasaki Saints 2008 Nagasaki Prefecture

League statistics
Team League Champion Half-season Champion
Kagawa Olive Guyners713
Kochi Fighting Dogs34
Tokushima Indigo Socks67
Ehime Mandarin Pirates27
Nagasaki Saints01
Fukuoka Red Warblers00
Mie Three Arrows00

Seasons
Year # of Teams First Half Second Half Full Season
20054NoneNoneKochi Fighting Dogs
20064Kochi Fighting DogsKagawa Olive GuynersKagawa Olive Guyners
20074Kagawa Olive GuynersKagawa Olive GuynersKagawa Olive Guyners (2)
20086Kagawa Olive GuynersEhime Mandarin PiratesKagawa Olive Guyners (3)
20096Nagasaki SaintsKochi Fighting DogsKochi Fighting Dogs (2)
20105Kagawa Olive GuynersKagawa Olive GuynersKagawa Olive Guyners (4)
20115Tokushima Indigo SocksKagawa Olive GuynersTokushima Indigo Socks
20124Kagawa Olive GuynersEhime Mandarin PiratesKagawa Olive Guyners (5)
20134Kagawa Olive GuynersTokushima Indigo SocksTokushima Indigo Socks (2)
20144Tokushima Indigo SocksTokushima Indigo SocksTokushima Indigo Socks (3)
20154Kagawa Olive GuynersEhime Mandarin PiratesEhime Mandarin Pirates
20164Ehime Mandarin PiratesEhime Mandarin PiratesEhime Mandarin Pirates (2)
20174Tokushima Indigo SocksKagawa Olive GuynersTokushima Indigo Socks (4)
20184Kagawa Olive GuynersEhime Mandarin PiratesKagawa Olive Guyners (6)
20194Ehime Mandarin PiratesTokushima Indigo SocksTokushima Mandarin Socks (5)
20204UnknownUnknownTokushima Indigo Socks (6)
20214Kagawa Olive GuynersKochi Fighting DogsKagawa Olive Guyners (7)
20224Kochi Fighting DogsTokushima Indigo SocksKochi Fighting Dogs (3)

References
  1. Gen. "Island League: Nagasaki Saints to be dissolved," Yakyubaka.com (Sep.30, 2010).
  2. Gen. "Mie Three Arrows in a tough spot, has just 1 player on the roster," Yakyabaka.com (Nov.08, 2011).
  3. Gen. "Island League, BC League to establish Japan Independent Baseball League Organization," Yakyubaka.com (Aug.30, 2014 ).
  4. "北米遠征Can-Amリーグ公式戦・第19戦 最終戦勝利で飾る！通算成績8勝11敗". Shikoku Island League Plus (in Japanese). July 1, 2016. Retrieved January 21, 2017.
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