Joined: 13 Apr 2007 Posts: 12122 Location: It was fun while it lasted. Country:
Posted: Wed May 20, 2020 5:59 pm Post subject:
Another one bites the dust.
Summer Koshien tournament cancelled due to Corona virus pandemic
Japan’s annual Summer National High School Tournament at Koshien has been canceled amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, organizers said Wednesday.
The decision not to hold the summer tourney is the first time since World War II that it will not be held. The spring version also was canceled in March.
Joined: 13 Apr 2007 Posts: 12122 Location: It was fun while it lasted. Country:
Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2020 6:20 am Post subject:
Buy me some Asahi and rice crackers.
NPB season begins on Friday
JUN 19, 2020
YOKOHAMA – If there was one saying that rang true as a light rain fell on a cool night at Yokohama Stadium is was this one:
Better late than never.
Nippon Professional Baseball finally got underway across Japan on Friday night, almost three months to the day this coronavirus-delayed campaign was supposed to begin.
Players took the field in stadiums rendered empty by COVID-19 precautions, one of the many new realties they'll face this season.
"I think there'll be a lot of first-time experiences," Hiroshima Carp pitcher Daichi Osera said after his team's 5-1 win over the Yokohama BayStars at Yokohama Stadium.
The NPB season was originally scheduled to open March 20, but was delayed earlier that month as the COVID-19 pandemic worsened in Japan and around the world. Five players would later test positive for the virus.
The league announced its June 19 start date in late May and teams began playing practice games on June 2. The teams all began the 2020 season around 6 p.m. on Friday, with the exception of the Carp and BayStars, who had to wait an extra 30 minutes because of the rain.
The night felt abnormal without the constant singing and cheering that gives NPB its famously vibrant atmosphere.
"It's too quiet in here," Seibu Lions pitcher Zach Neal said to fans watching at home during his hero interview at MetLife Dome in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture. "I'm not used to it being this quiet in here. I'm excited for the day that you guys can come back in here and make it a little more rowdy and a little loud and get back to normal times."
In addition to starting the season behind closed doors, which NPB Commissioner Atsushi Saito apologized for in a statement on Friday, there were other COVID-19 measures in place.
Players gave each other air high-fives — and in Yokohama the mangers did an air handshake after exchanging lineup cards — in accordance with virus-prevention guidelines against touching with bare hands. Managers and coaches wore masks during games.
Hero interviews after games were also done with social distancing rules in mind.
Off the field, the players will be given PCR tests once a month and have their temperatures checked before heading to the stadiums.
The new measures don't change baseball itself, with the exception of games ending in ties after 10 innings, which will alter late-game strategy.
The silence, though, was extremely noticeable.
In Yokohama, instead of the fans providing the soundtrack, the thud of Osera's practice pitches hitting their mark echoed around the stadium during the top half of every inning. Exhortations yelled from the bench could be heard, as could players calling for fly balls.
Teams tried to add a little atmosphere in various ways. Some used cardboard cutouts, others put up messages of support around their stadiums. The BayStars put fans watching online on the stadium scoreboard to sing the team song and scream support for pitcher Shota Imanaga, who ended up with the loss. It's possible a limited number of fans could be allowed in stadiums in July.
Because of the delay in starting the season, teams are scheduled to play just 120 games, with no interleague or All-Star Series.
The Pacific League is scheduled to finish Nov. 6 and the CL on Nov. 7. The Japan Series is slated for a Nov. 21 start.
Joined: 13 Apr 2007 Posts: 12122 Location: It was fun while it lasted. Country:
Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2020 8:51 am Post subject:
So, it looks like MLB is going to have a season after all. But with these changes because of the Corona Virus it looks like games might last 5 or 6 hours now:
"All hitters will now have to bring their own pine-tar rags, bat donuts and other equipment to and from the on-deck circle — and will have to retrieve their own caps, gloves and sunglasses from the dugout if an inning ends with them on base or batting. All pitchers will now have to bring their own rosin bag to the mound and use only their own baseballs for bullpen sessions. And baseballs used in batting practice can be used only that day, then need to be cleaned and sanitized, and not be re-used for at least five days."
Joined: 13 Apr 2007 Posts: 12122 Location: It was fun while it lasted. Country:
Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2020 8:11 am Post subject:
In the immortal words of Homer Simpson, "Woo Hoo!!"
I was beginning to get worried. I thought I might turn out like one of those old geezer Red Sox' or Cubs' fans they used interview because their team hadn't won a World Series in 50 or 60 years.
Notwithstanding those cheating bastards in Houston.
Joined: 13 Apr 2007 Posts: 12122 Location: It was fun while it lasted. Country:
Posted: Wed Jun 23, 2021 5:38 pm Post subject:
Omedetou Yu!!
Yu Darvish fastest ever to 1,500 strikeouts
SAN DIEGO – Japanese right-hander Yu Darvish struck out 11 and tossed six innings of one-run ball, setting an all-time Major League Baseball record and helping the San Diego Padres beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 on Monday.
Darvish’s 11th strikeout was also his 1,500th major league strikeout and he reached the mark in just 197 games, fewer than any other pitcher in MLB history. Randy Johnson, who held the previous record, did it in 206.
“I knew I was close. I’m proud of myself for achieving (1,500 strikeouts) fastest in MLB history. I’ve had my share of hardships but I’m here today talking about my 1,500 strikeouts because of all the people who supported me,” he said.
Darvish’s 78th career win put him joint-third with Masahiro Tanaka on the all-time list for major league pitchers from Japan.
Joined: 13 Apr 2007 Posts: 12122 Location: It was fun while it lasted. Country:
Posted: Fri Jul 02, 2021 5:29 pm Post subject:
Shohei Ohtani first Japanese player voted to All-Star game since 2010
NEW YORK – Shohei Ohtani was named as a starter for the All-Star Game, MLB announced Thursday, making him the first Japanese player voted to start since Ichiro Suzuki made his final all-star appearance in 2010.
Voted the American League’s starting designated hitter in a fan ballot, the Los Angeles Angels’ two-way player, a first-time all-star, will be the fourth Japanese to bat in the midsummer classic after Ichiro, Hideki Matsui and Kosuke Fukudome.
He is the first Japanese designated hitter selected to an MLB All-Star team.
“I’ll do my best to put on a show that will excite the fans,” Ohtani said through the team.
Ohtani, who is also slated to be the first Japanese player to compete in the home run derby, could potentially bat and pitch in the All-Star Game at Denver’s Coors Field on July 13, when the designated hitter rule will be used.
Angels manager Joe Maddon was quoted as saying on MLB.com that he is “all for” Ohtani playing both ways in the All-Star Game, a day after he takes part in the home run hitting competition.
And a shout out to Mariners pitcher Yusei Kikuchi. His first two years in MLB looked like he was way in over his head. 2019 went 6-11 with a 5.46 ERA and last year 2-4 with a 5.17 ERA. But seems he's figured it out now. So far this year he's 6-3 with a 3.18 ERA.
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