1.
the Major Leagues; Major League Baseball
The top professional baseball league in the United States. Used in Japanese to refer to MLB, especially in the context of Japanese players competing there.
彼は大リーグで活躍している。
He is active in the Major Leagues.
大リーグに挑戦する日本人選手が増えている。
The number of Japanese players taking on the Major Leagues is increasing.
子供の頃から大リーグの選手になるのが夢だった。
Since childhood, my dream was to become a Major League player.
USAGE:
A Japanese coinage combining 大 (big, major) with リーグ (league). More colloquial and traditional than the loanword メジャーリーグ, which is also widely used. 大リーグ has a nostalgic feel, associated with classic baseball manga and older media coverage.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 大リーグに挑戦する (to take on the Major Leagues)
- 大リーグで活躍する (to be active in the Major Leagues)
- 大リーガー (Major Leaguer)
SIMILAR WORDS:
- メジャーリーグ: Major League — the loanword form, more common in current sports journalism