Japan All-Star Series

The Japan All-Star Series is a semiannual match-up of players from Major League Baseball against players from Nippon Pro Baseball. It was first played in 1986 and grew out of the tours by Major League teams in the previous fifty years. It was not played from 2007-2013 then was reinstated in 2014. After a three-year break, it was held in 2018.

Series Results

Series		Winner					Results		Loser					Most Valuable Player
		Team	Runs	Average	Home Runs				Team	Runs	Average	Home Runs		Player	Team
1986		MLB	59	.284	19		6 - 1 - 0		All-Japan	21	.242	2		Tony Pena Sr.	MLB
1988		MLB	38	.268	7		3 - 2 - 2		All-Japan	24	.212	3		Barry Larkin	MLB
1990		All-Japan	34	.245	3		4 - 3 - 1		MLB	35	.250	8		Ken Griffey Jr.	MLB
1992		MLB	49	.258	15		6 - 1 - 1		All-Japan	25	.203	4		Mark Grace	MLB
1996		MLB	46	.301	11		4 - 2 - 2		All-Japan	38	.256	3		Steve Finley	MLB
1998		MLB	44	.290	11		5 - 2 - 0		All-Japan	24	.219	1		Sammy Sosa	MLB
2000		MLB	42	.284	9		5 - 2 - 1		All-Japan	37	.301	2		Barry Bonds	MLB
2002		MLB	38	.306	9		4 - 3 - 0		All-Japan	38	.304	8		Torii Hunter	MLB
2004		MLB	35	.262	9		5 - 3 - 0		NPB	21	.221	1		Vernon Wells	MLB
2006		MLB	41		16		5-0-0		NPB	24		5		Ryan Howard	MLB
2014		NPB	16	.253	3		3-2-0		MLB	13	.197	3		Yuki Yanagita	NPB
2018		NPB	37	.288	4		5-1		MLB	28	.271	10

Leaders

Series		Batting Average						Home Runs						Runs Batted In
		NPB			MLB			NPB			MLB			NPB			MLB
1986		Hiromitsu Ochiai	.261		Jesse Barfield	.450		Hiromi Matsunaga Koji Yamamoto	1		Jesse Barfield Von Hayes	4		Hiromitsu Ochiai Daijiro Ohishi	3		Jesse Barfield	9
1988		Kazuhiko Ishimine	.348		Barry Larkin	.476		Akinobu Mayumi Makoto Sasaki Fujio Tamura	1		Ellis Burks	2		Makoto Sasaki	4		Paul Molitor Vance Law	5
1990		Koji Akiyama	.259		Ken Griffey Jr.	.421		Katsumi Hirosawa Hiroo Ishii Hiromitsu Ochiai	1		Jesse Barfield	2		Four Players	3		Barry Bonds	6
1992		Kenjiro Nomura	.348		Cecil Fielder	.440		Takahiro Ikeyama Takehiro Ishii Hiromitsu Ochiai	1		Mark Grace	3		Hiromitsu Ochiai Satoshi Takahashi	4		Ken Griffey Jr.	9
1996		Hideki Matsui	.290		Barry Bonds	.292		Hideki Matsui	2		Andres Galarraga Mike Piazza	2		Hideki Matsui Yutaka Wada	7		Steve Finley	9
1998		Ichiro Suzuki	.346		Sammy Sosa	.481		Hideki Matsui	1		Sammy Sosa	3		Ichiro Suzuki	6		Sammy Sosa	10
2000		Toshihisa Nishi	.444		Barry Bonds	.321		Hideki Matsui Norihiro Nakamura	1		Barry Bonds	4		Tatsuhiko Kinjyoh Tsuyoshi Shinjo	5		Barry Bonds	9
2002		Kazuo Matsui	.423		Ichiro Suzuki	.355		Alex Cabrera Kazuo Matsui Norihiro Nakamura	2		Barry Bonds	3		Kazuo Matsui	7		Barry Bonds	6
2004		Akinori Iwamura	.440		Vernon Wells	.407		Takahiro Saeki	1		David Ortiz Vernon Wells	2		Akinori Iwamura	4		Vernon Wells	7
2006								Five players	1		Ryan Howard	4
2014		Yoshitomo Tsutsugo	.429		Jose Altuve	.429		Sho Nakata Nobuhiro Matsuda Hayato Sakamoto	1		Justin Morneau	2		Yuki Yanagita	4		Justin Morneau	6
2018		Seiji Uebayashi	.476		Yadier Molina	.500		Yuki Yanagita	2		Rhys Hoskins J.T. Realmuto Juan Soto	2		Shogo Akiyama	7		Carlos Santana Juan Soto	5

Further Reading

• Robert K. Fitts, Bill Nowlin and James Forr eds.: Nichibei Yakyu: US Tours of Japan, Volume 2 1960-2019, SABR, Phoenix, AZ, 2023. ISBN 978-1-960819-15-4