1.
baseball club; school baseball team
The baseball club at a Japanese school or company. School baseball clubs are central to Japanese sports culture and the route to events like the National High School Baseball Championship (甲子園).
野球部に入った。
I joined the baseball club.
兄は高校の野球部でキャプテンを務めていた。
My older brother served as captain of his high school baseball club.
野球部の練習は朝早くから夜遅くまで続くことが多い。
Baseball-club practice often runs from early morning until late at night.
Compound of 野球 (baseball) + 部 (club). Most often refers to school clubs, particularly at the middle-school and high-school level.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 野球部に入る: to join the baseball club
- 野球部を辞める: to quit the baseball club
- 野球部の顧問: faculty adviser to the baseball club
- 野球部の合宿: baseball-club training camp
CULTURAL CONTEXT:
Japanese high-school baseball clubs are famously demanding — daily practice, strict hierarchy by school year, and dreams of reaching 甲子園. The image of the 野球部員 (baseball-club member) is a stock figure in Japanese media.