Japan Junior High Baseball Players Practice Ahead Of Their National Tournament

YOKOSUKA, JAPAN - JULY 30: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) Yokohama Minami team clothing is hung out to dry behind the dugout during a practice game between the Shonan Boys and the Yokohama Minami on July 30, 2014 in Yokosuka, Japan. The games were the final practice session for the teams, before heading to the National Tournament starting on August 2. The Japan Boys League consists of 742 teams across Japan for Junior High School players between 4th and 9th grade. Baseball was introduced in Japan by U.S teacher Horace Wilson in 1872 and has since become one of Japan's most popular sports.The Japan Boys league prepares players to move into Japan's prestigious and gruelling High School Baseball league and a chance to play at the National High School Baseball Championship. (Summer Koshien) Held annually in August, Summer Koshien, is the largest amateur sporting event in Japan and the largest high school baseball tournament in the world, with 49 teams competing. The two week event is broadcast across the country and has produced some of Japan's biggest stars including Ichiro Suzuki and Hideki Matsui. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)