TheDaiei Stars (大映スターズ,Daiei Sutāzu) were aJapanese professional baseball team that was founded in 1946, and played in various incarnations until 1957, when it merged with another team. Overall, the franchise only had three winning seasons, never rising higher than third place. The team was in the second division, or B-class, for seven seasons, including its last four years of existence. The Stars played inKorakuen Stadium inBunkyo, Tokyo.

The franchise was founded in 1946 asGold Star, a new post-war team in theJapanese Baseball League. They were owned by textile manufacturer and Lucky Gold Star Telephones ownerKomajiro Tamura,^[1] who also owned thePacific Baseball Club (formerly known as the Asahi Baseball Club). Gold Star consisted mostly of former Asahi players and was managed by Asahi's former managerMichinori Tubouchi.^{[citation needed]} In Gold Star's inaugural season, they won 43 games and lost 60, finishing 22 games out of first place. One of the team's losses that season set the record for highest run differential in Japanese professional baseball history.^[2]

In 1947 the team became theKinsei Stars ("Kinsei" meaningmade of gold in Japanese) and signed long-timeTokyo Kyojin/Yomiuri Giants pitcherVictor Starffin, who came over from Tamura's other team, theTaiyo Robins (formerly Asahi). Starffin pitched for the franchise for six seasons, winning 80 games and losing 70.^{[citation needed]}

The team acquiredMichio Nishizawa mid-season 1946, during the period he was transitioning from a once-dominant pitcher to a fearsome hitter. His two full seasons with the team were unremarkable, however, and he returned to his original team, theChunichi Dragons in 1949, where he really hit his stride with the bat.

In 1948, the team hiredSadayoshi Fujimoto as manager; he stayed at the helm of the team until partway through their final season, 1956.

In 1949, after being bought byMasaichi Nagata/Daiei Film, the team changed its name to theDaiei Stars, with Nagata serving as team president. OutfielderMakoto Kozuru hit .361 for the Stars in 1949, leading the league in hitting and earningBest Nine Award honors.

In 1950 the Stars became charter members of thePacific League when the JBL reorganized intoNippon Professional Baseball and split into the Pacific League and theCentral League. OutfielderShigeya Iijima was a leagueBest Nine Award-winner in 1950–1951. He led the Pacific League in batting in 1952, hitting .336, while his teammateGiichi Hayashi led the league in innings pitched, with 269-2⁄3.

In 1957, the Stars merged with theTakahashi Unions to form theDaiei Unions. The Unions existed for a single season, finishing last in thePacific League, at 41-89-2, 43-1/2 games out of first. PitcherMasayoshi Miura led the Pacific League in losses, with 21.

In 1958, the Unions merged with theMainichi Orions (founded in 1950) to form theDaimai Orions. This enabled thePacific League to shrink from the ungainly seven-team arrangement caused by the 1957 merger to a more manageable six teams. The Orions, after a number of relocations and name changes, are now known as theChiba Lotte Marines.

• 1946–1947:Michinori Tubouchi
• 1948–1956:Sadayoshi Fujimoto
• 1956–1957:Kenjiro Matsuki

• Baseball teams in Tokyo
• Baseball teams established in 1946
• 1946 establishments in Japan
• Defunct Nippon Professional Baseball teams
• 1957 disestablishments in Japan
• Baseball teams disestablished in 1957

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