Baseball for All Conquered America from Japan

Baseball is very popular in Japan. Now a new baseball game is based on the popular, decades-old version of the game.

It enables people with and without disabilities to enjoy the joy of playing on the pitch.

Baseball for everyone

Called Universal Baseball, the game was developed by Hori Shario Denzo Corp., a railway maintenance company based in Tokyo. was created. In Japan, it has been played about 200 times in 2019.

Now it was played for the first time in America – on April 21 in New York. Former Yankees player Hideki Matsui was the special guest.

No physical strength required

The game works by having the player pull a string attached to the racket. The cord needs to be pulled only a centimeter and no physical strength is required. This makes it possible for almost everyone to play the game.

The result is measured by determining where the ball lands on the 5×5 meter baseball field. Areas are marked as Out, Base Hit, Double, Triple and Home Run.

Remembers baseball toys

Looking at the stadium, the structure is reminiscent of a much larger version of the toy baseball game that first appeared in the 1950s and has evolved into many variants in Japan over the years.

Hideki Matsui is excited: “People need to know that a baseball game like this exists,” he said.

Make the game known in America too

The idea for the game came from Tetsuro Nakamura, a former high school baseball player who came into contact with a boy in a wheelchair. The idea found fertile ground with his employer, Hori Shario Denso, who supports the disabled.

He is currently enjoying watching children play sports in America. “Anyone can play and be attracted to it, so I think we've made a great game.”