Timeline of
Asian Baseball Leagues
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NPB: 1936-
(86 seasons)
Founded as the Japan Occupational Baseball League, often referred to as "Japanese baseball", or locally, Puro Yakyū (プロ野球).

JPL: 1950-
(72 seasons)
Member of Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. Winner of the league faces Central League champ in Japan Series.

JCL: 1950-
(72 seasons)
Member of Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. Winner of the league faces Pacific League champ in Japan Series.

JBL: 1936-1949
(14 seasons)
Originally Japan Occupational Baseball League, renamed the Japanese Baseball League in 1939.

KBL: 1947-1947
(1 season)
Monopolistic practices of the dominant Nippon Professional Baseball Leagues helped bring an end to the new rival league.

KBO: 1982-
(40 seasons)
Originally called the Korea Baseball Championship, is the highest level league of baseball in South Korea.

CPBL: 1989-
(33 seasons)
Gained popularity when Taiwanese little league teams won numerous World Series championships in the 1970s and 1980s.

AUBL: 1989-
(33 seasons)
The league is the owner of each team and players are paid in a number of tiers based on experience level.

TML: 1997-2003
(7 seasons)
Established by TV tycoon after dispute over broadcasting rights. The CPBL absorbed the TML in 2003.

CHBL: 2002-2016
(15 seasons)
Professional baseball league under the administration of Chinese Baseball Association, founded in 2002.

BP: 2007-2012
(6 seasons)
Disbanded in 2012, but through universities and other private organizations, baseball continues to thrive.
what a year. the competitiveness of the ABL really brought the NBA out of its duldrums.