Structure of Japanese baseball is like American one. NPB (Nippon Professional Baseball) also consists of two leagues (the Pacific League and the Central League). In the Pacific League, there is a rule of the designated hitter while the Central League hasn’t such rule. Also, there are two Minor Leagues where affiliate teams play.

Winners of Leagues play between each other until the seventh victory in the World Japan Series. The main difference between NPB and MLB is that in MLB matches it cannot be a draw because the game lasts until the victory of one team. In the matches of NPB there is no draw as well because the game is played maximum to 12 innings (while in Japan Series it lasts to 15 innings) and if there is no winner after 12 innings the game is considered to end with draw.

Japanese baseball players often play in MLB but per the agreement between MLB and NPB it is necessary to pay a monetary compensation for the player. Sometimes it reaches a huge amount of money, as Japanese Clubs are rather rich. Nevertheless, not every MLB club is ready to pay such money. For example, the pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka, two years ago, moved to the Boston Red Sox for 50 million dollars. Clubs more often prefer to wait for the moment when player`s contract runs out with one of clubs and then it will be possible to invite him.

Also, Japan has three independent leagues, these are: the Shikoku and Kyushu Island League, the Baseball Challenge League and the Kansai Independent Baseball League.