Daiei Unions
| Daiei Stars | |
|---|---|
| League | |
| Ballpark | Korakuen Stadium |
| Year established | 1946 |
| Former name(s) |
Gold Star (1946) Kinsei Stars (1947–1948) |
| Former league(s) | Japanese Baseball League |
| Colors | white, red, sky blue |
| Ownership |
Komajiro Tamura (1946–1948) Daiei Motion Picture Company (1949–1956) |
| Manager | Sadayoshi Fujimoto (1948–1956) |
The Daiei Stars (大映スターズ Daiei Sutāzu?) were a Japanese professional baseball team that was founded in 1946, and played in various incarnations until 1957. Overall, the franchise only had three winning seasons, never rising higher than third place. They were in the second division, or B-class, for seven seasons, including their last four years. The Stars played in Korakuen Stadium in Bunkyo, Tokyo.
The franchise was founded as Gold Star, a new post-war team in the Japanese Baseball League. They were owned by textile manufacturer and Lucky Gold Star Telephones owner Komajiro Tamura, who also owned Pacific (formerly Asahi). Gold Star consisted mostly of former Asahi Baseball Club players, and was managed by Asahi's former manager Michinori Tubouchi. In the team's inaugural season, they won 43 games and lost 60, finishing 22 games out of first place.
The next year the team became the Kinsei Stars ("Kinsei" meaning gold star in Japanese) and signed long-time Tokyo Kyojin/Yomiuri Giants pitcher Victor Starffin (who came over from Tamura's other team, the Taiyo Robins [formerly Gold Star]). Starffin pitched for the franchise for six seasons, winning 80 games and losing 70. 1948 was also when the team hired Sadayoshi Fujimoto as manager (he stayed at the helm of the team until partway through their final season, 1956).
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