Photo/Illutration Teruaki Sato, center, and other Hanshin Tigers players celebrate the season's first win after defeating the Yokohama DeNA BayStars at Hanshin Koshien Stadium in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, on April 5. (Shiro Nishihata)

Ten years after Japan's defeat in World War II, a professional baseball team called the Tombo Unions (Dragonfly Unions) debuted in the Pacific League in 1955.

After completing their first season in the cellar, the Tombo Unions did not return for a second season and was never heard of again.

Their unflattering record of a 12-game losing streak from day one still lives on in the history of Japanese pro baseball.

"Why something fragile like a dragonfly and not a lion or hawk?" was the question that drove nonfiction writer Shoichi Hasegawa, 51, to researching anything pertaining to the Dragonflies.

Hasegawa sought out and interviewed former team members, then published a book titled "Saijaku Kyudan" (The weakest baseball team).

The team's predecessor was the Takahashi Unions, founded by Ryutaro Takahashi (1875-1967), whose financial success came from running a major beer brewery.

But the team ran into serious debt, and Takahashi sought funding from Tombow Pencil Co., a stationery maker.

However, one of the team's coaches ran in a municipal assembly election in mid-season, and he got his players involved in his campaign.

The team's popularity declined, and there was one game where only 29 tickets were sold.

"The more I learned of the strenuous efforts made by the team members, the deeper my attachment to the team grew," Hasegawa recalled.

Listening to him, my thoughts turned to the Hanshin Tigers, who are in bad shape this season.

Perhaps demoralized by the manager's preseason announcement of his intention to retire after this season, pitchers as well as batters are in a slump, extending the Central League record of a losing streak to start the season to nine games.

With the Dragonflies, it was the Russian-born pitcher Victor Starffin (1916-1957) who snapped the team's losing streak.

The legendary hurler, who emigrated to Japan after the Russian Revolution, begged the manager to let him "take care of Game 13."

He delivered, pitching his 83rd career shutout--an all-time Japan record.

Were the Tigers to rewrite the Tombo's losing streak of 67 years ago?

In a much-hyped home game at Koshien Stadium last night, they finally chalked up their season's first win.

The stadium was full of rejoicing, as if the team had won the league championship.

The fanatical devotion of fans, no matter how badly the team continues losing, is what makes the Tigers decisively different from the hapless Dragonflies.

--The Asahi Shimbun, April 6

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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