Underwear maker celebrates new Japanese baseball team with special bra

TOKYO (AFP) - An underwear maker celebrated the birth of Japan's first new professional baseball team in 50 years with a commemorative bra shaped like baseballs each bearing the team mascots.

The bra is made of synthetic leather and has dolls of the team's furry mascots "Clutch" and female "Clucchina" clutching the side of each bra cup turned baseball.

Completing the theme, the bra is trimmed with a real eagle's feather, underwear maker Triumph said.

The single commemorative bra will be sold by an internet auction closing Wednesday, a day ahead of the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles' home debut in the northern city of Sendai.

"We would like the lucky individual who bids down this single set edition ... to wear the bra and support the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles at their opening game in Sendai," a Triumph statement said.

Bidding began Friday with a symbolic offer of 88 yen, the uniform number of the Golden Eagles' manager. Eighty-eight yen is equal to 83 US cents.

The Golden Eagles were formed after the merger of two money-losing teams in Japanese baseball. The national sport is in crisis due to soaring salaries and in September the first strike by players.

Nippon Professional Baseball chose as the new team's owner Internet shopping site Rakuten, which will join the old boys club of Japanese pro baseball dominated by railway firms, media conglomerates and food companies.