About
The "Dark Era" of the Yokohama BayStars (now Yokohama DeNA BayStars) primarily refers to the 14-year period from 2002 to 2015. During this time, the team finished in last place 10 times out of 14 seasons and managed to reach the "A-Class" (top 3) only once (3rd place in 2005), continuing a record-breaking slump. Because this period largely overlaps with the time TBS served as the parent company (2002–2011), it is also known among baseball fans as the "TBS Dark Era." Key Records of the Dark Era: From 2008 to 2012, the team suffered five consecutive last-place finishes, tying the worst record in Japanese professional baseball history.
Characters
While he struggled to establish himself as a regular early on, Uchikawa's talent exploded all at once in 2008. His batting average of .378 remains the highest single-season record for a right-handed hitter in NPB history. However, as he later recalled, "My batting average was better than the team's winning percentage." Despite his historic individual achievement, the team suffered 94 losses and finished dead last, a twisted phenomenon that symbolized the Dark Era. 3. The "Uchikawa Copypasta" Legend Due to the team's inability to win despite him getting hits almost every game, fictional parody stories (copypastas) known as "Chikku" or the "Uchikawa Copypasta (Beastly Penguin version)" were created in massive quantities on internet forums like 2ch. These depicted a "mentally broken Uchikawa due to constant losing" with black humor, becoming a widely established internet meme that highlighted Yokohama's disastrous state and his lonely struggle.
Known affectionately by fans and the media as "Otoko Murata" (Murata the Man) for his powerful playing style and straightforward personality. As seen in his cheer song lyrics "SPARKING SYSTEM Otoko Murata" and the scoreboard catchphrase "Otoko Murata, betting it all on one swing," he became the symbol of Yokohama as a premier right-handed slugger. His 46 home runs in 2008 were an outstanding record in the Central League at the time. He served as team captain starting in 2010, but he found himself carrying a team plagued by a collapsing pitching staff and a culture of defeatism, pushing him to his mental limit. The anecdote where he sat next to veteran Takahiro Saeki in the dugout and cried, saying, "Saeki-san, how much more are we supposed to lose?" and "I can't take losing anymore," symbolizes the misery of Yokohama and his isolation at the time.
Following the 1998 championship, the team weakened rapidly due to the exodus of key players and the change in parent company (the TBS era). The Mound of Total Responsibility With extremely little run support from the lineup and a bullpen in a state of collapse, an extreme situation persisted where the team felt like it "couldn't win unless Miura pitched a complete game or shut them down perfectly."
Intro
In the game against Hanshin... the ace Miura... has somehow held them to zero runs through the 9th inning!
Creator Comment
Release Date 2026.10.01 / Last Updated 2026.10.01
