The NPB (Nippon Professional Baseball) Thread

Discussion in 'Baseball' started by Sand Alchemist, Jul 19, 2009.

  1. unclesox

    unclesox BigSoccer Supporter

    Mar 8, 2003
    209, California
    Club:
    FC Barcelona
     
  2. unclesox

    unclesox BigSoccer Supporter

    Mar 8, 2003
    209, California
    Club:
    FC Barcelona
  3. Nerroth

    Nerroth Member

    Feb 9, 2008
    Ontario, Canada
    Nat'l Team:
    Canada
    Are there any thoughts on how the Fighters' new stadium in Kitahiroshima is shaping up for its inaugural NPB season?



    On a side note, I'm wondering if Consadole plan to stay as the sole tenants at the Sapporo Dome full-time going forward, or if they in turn hope to build a soccer-specific stadium somewhere in Ishikari Subprefecture.
     
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  4. unclesox

    unclesox BigSoccer Supporter

    Mar 8, 2003
    209, California
    Club:
    FC Barcelona
    It looks amazing but the funny thing is that the distance from home plate to the back stop is less than 50 feet. NPB rules say it has to be at least 60 feet. There was talk that the team wouldn't be able to play there this season but in the end NPB officials will allow the Fighters to play the 2023 season in the stadium but the distance has to be corrected by the start of the 2024 campaign.

    The other big news regarding stadiums is the possible demolition of Tokyo's Meiji Jingu Stadium, home of the Yakult Swallows and - opened in 1926 - is the second oldest stadium in NPB. It has caused quite an outcry among fans who have petitioned to keep the stadium as is. The land owners want to redevelop the complex by building the rugby park where the basell ground currently sits, while a new baseball stadium with a retrctable roof will be built where the current rugby stadium sits.
     
  5. Nerroth

    Nerroth Member

    Feb 9, 2008
    Ontario, Canada
    Nat'l Team:
    Canada
    #780 Nerroth, Feb 22, 2023
    Last edited: Feb 22, 2023
    One thing I wonder about as regards the new stadium is how the commute is going to be in either direction.

    The main option in both directions appears to be the Chitose Line, which might be of use for both "home" fans heading there from Sapporo Station in the one direction, and "away" fans arriving at the main airport in the other direction. But despite this (and other means of transportation reportedly being implemented to get fans to and from the new site), how might visitors gauge the ups and downs of these options relative to what the old commute to the Dome had to offer?
     
  6. Nerroth

    Nerroth Member

    Feb 9, 2008
    Ontario, Canada
    Nat'l Team:
    Canada
    A few NPB-related questions for the experts in the audience:

    -----

    With all of MLB now committed to using the Designated Hitter (I had to stop myself from typing "Designated Player" instead...) rule, has there been any talk of the Central League following suit?

    -----

    Are there any other NPB teams looking to switch from artificial turf to natural grass pitches?

    -----

    Does NPB have an MLS-style single-entity structure, or any other kind of revenue-sharing setup? Or do each of the teams stand (or fall) by themselves?

    -----

    In (ice) hockey, Japanese and South Korean teams used to play in separate leagues, yet now play in the Asia League. And of course, MLB itself has one (formerly two) team(s) in Canada.

    In a similar vein, has there ever been talk of perhaps merging NPB with the Taiwanese and/or Korean leagues, in order to create an "East Asia Professional Baseball" league?

    Much as the various Celtic nations in rugby union formed a combined league structure in order to stand up to the English and French professional leagues, I wondered if joining two or three of the East Asian baseball leagues might produce a combined entity with a higher degree of competitiveness - and a stronger financial footing - than any of them possess individually.

    I was thinking that, if this were to happen, the highest-finishing Japanese team could still be given the "Japan Series" title, with a new "East Asia Series" trophy awarded to the overall winner.
     
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  7. unclesox

    unclesox BigSoccer Supporter

    Mar 8, 2003
    209, California
    Club:
    FC Barcelona
    #782 unclesox, Mar 1, 2023
    Last edited: Mar 1, 2023
    I've passively been watching NPB since roughly 2010-ish but mainly only Hanshin Tigers/Central League games. It's only about the last 3-4 years that I've really drifted away from MLB and gone just about all in on NPB including the Pacific League.
    Even though I'm basically the only one who posts in this thread I'm no expert by any means. I still have lots to learn but I'll attempt to answer what I can.


    The only thing I've read is from a blog or two from hard core followers who think the pitch clock may be used within five years.
    But the Central and Pacific Leagues very much appear to do their own thing. so since the the P.L. is often more willing to take chances on rule changes I can see them using the pitch clock first.

    Regarding NPB possibly adopting the new MLB rules for 2023, there's this quote...

    2022-09-26 Ichiro quote.jpg


    Of the 13 main stadiums used throughout NPB only five have natural grass, including ES CON Field Hokkaido, the new home of the Nippon-Ham Fghters.
    Of the eight with artificial turf, 5 are in domed stadiums. (Fukuoka, Osaka, Saitama, Nagoya and the Tokyo Dome) So I can't see any of them changing.
    This leaves 3 venues:
    - Historic Meiji Jingu will be demolished to make way for a new stadium. Unknown what kind of playing surface will be installed but the new venue will include a roof over the field.
    - Chiba Marine Stadium was built in 1990 and sits right off Tokyo Bay, which has often resulted to fierce windy conditions. There was consideration in the past of adding a dome to the venue, but more recently the talk has been about a full scale renovation or even a new stadium from the ground up. I don't know how the windy conditions translate into which kind of turf is better to use.
    - Yokohama Stadium - which hosted the baseball and softball events at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics - uses FieldTurf, which is among the most popular artificial surfaces used in stadiums throughout the world. So I can't see that one switching over to grass any time soon.


    While NPB oversees the whole of professional baseball, the Central League and Pacific League operate as separate entities.
    - Although all TV rights for games are always held by the game's home team, the Pacific League is pretty much a single-entity when it comes to broadcasting games. They have a website and youtube channel set up for viewing game highlights. The Central has no such platform which frustrates many fans of Central League teams. It is infinitely tougher to find highlights of C.L. games than it is P.L. games.
    - The P.L. has used the DH since 1975 while pitchers still bat in the C.L.
    - The P.L. was the first to use the post-season Climax Series format (2004) to determine its representative for the Japan Series. The C.L. continued using the final league standings to determine their Japan Series representative before finally adopting it (basically out of necessity) in 2007.
    In 2020 when covid delayed the start of the season until late-July, the P.L. used the three-team Climax Series format while the C.L. reverted back to their champion being decided by the end-of-the-season standings.


    Goodness, I hope nothing like that ever happens.
    MLB scouts have often rated NPB as the second best talent in the world, ranking below MLB but above Triple A. So (imo) Japan doesn't need to merge with any other Asian league.

    Although they weren't league structures, there was the brief Asia Series that lasted for 7 years while the KBO-NPB Club Championship was only played twice.
     
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  8. Nerroth

    Nerroth Member

    Feb 9, 2008
    Ontario, Canada
    Nat'l Team:
    Canada
    #783 Nerroth, Mar 6, 2023
    Last edited: Mar 6, 2023
    One of the Fighters' gaikokujin players has posted this preview look a the new stadium:



    So one should probably not hold one's breath as regards the Central League reconsidering its stance on the Designated Hitter rule, then...

    Perhaps one option for some of these venues might be to consider a "hybrid" pitch, akin to the one adopted at BMO Field when the CFL's Argonauts moved in?

    It might not be an ideal solution, but at least it would be preferable to sticking with a fully artificial turf surface.

    Apparently the Australian baseball league - to include its team in New Zealand - has an MLS-esque single entity setup. So if NPB were to consider it someday, there'd be at least one example in the baseball world from which one might gauge the pluses and minuses of that approach.

    Oh, I dunno. Once Rapidus gets its recently-announced plant up and running near New Chitose Airport, the Fighters could set up a "Semiconductor Series" against Tsinchu's Dragons... (Or perhaps an "On-Brand Stadium Series" with Taichung's Brothers.)

    So if a full-on merger was off the cards, perhaps a re-working of the Asia Series - with certain adjustments to the NPB, KBO, and CPBL domestic schedules made in order to make a broader tournament more viable over the longer term - could be worth considering at some point?

    Just as J-League, K-League, and other association football teams in the region benefit from their inclusion in the AFC Champions League, I'd hope that some degree of baseball club competition across East Asia could make a meaningful return.
     
  9. Nerroth

    Nerroth Member

    Feb 9, 2008
    Ontario, Canada
    Nat'l Team:
    Canada
    Another time-lapse clip from Kitahiroshima:

     
  10. unclesox

    unclesox BigSoccer Supporter

    Mar 8, 2003
    209, California
    Club:
    FC Barcelona
    In 2022 it was the Chiba Lotte Marines signing Roberto Osuna.

    In 2023, the Yokohama Bay Stars made their controversial signing.

    2023-03-13 Bauer 4x4.jpg
     
  11. unclesox

    unclesox BigSoccer Supporter

    Mar 8, 2003
    209, California
    Club:
    FC Barcelona
    Senbatsu, the two-week National Invitational High School Baseball Tournament held every March, also commonly referred to as 'Spring Koshien' begins on Saturday in Japan (Friday night in the U.S.).

    All games will take place Koshien Stadium in Nishinomiya, near Kobe in Hyōgo Prefecture.
    Weather permitting, 3-4 games are normally played everyday until the semifinals.

    It looks like Yahoo Japan will again be streaming the entire tournament live. Hopefully it won't be geo-blocked. (I was able to watch it last year from California with no problems.)

    The first game is scheduled for Saturday 10:30am JT (tonight, Friday 9:30pm US ET) with the championship game set for Friday 31 March.

    https://sports.yahoo.co.jp/livestream/senbatsulive/hsb/games/live
     
  12. unclesox

    unclesox BigSoccer Supporter

    Mar 8, 2003
    209, California
    Club:
    FC Barcelona
    Weather has delayed the start of play.
    First game is now scheduled for 12:00 noon JT (Friday 11:00pm U.S. ET)
    Three games still on the cards for Day 1.
     
  13. unclesox

    unclesox BigSoccer Supporter

    Mar 8, 2003
    209, California
    Club:
    FC Barcelona
  14. Nerroth

    Nerroth Member

    Feb 9, 2008
    Ontario, Canada
    Nat'l Team:
    Canada
    Another look at the interior of Es Con Field:

     
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  15. unclesox

    unclesox BigSoccer Supporter

    Mar 8, 2003
    209, California
    Club:
    FC Barcelona
  16. Nerroth

    Nerroth Member

    Feb 9, 2008
    Ontario, Canada
    Nat'l Team:
    Canada
    Since this is technically not a question about the 2023 season in and of itself, I felt it better to ask it here:

    As demonstrated by the recent news from MLB regarding the Athletics, the tectonic plates beneath a given professional league continue to be prone to upheaval. (Technically-speaking, the Fighters' move to Es Con Field might count as a "relocation", albeit a much more localized one.)

    So, whether it be through the adding of one or more additional teams to NPB (as was the case for the Golden Eagles), and/or the relocation of a current club to a new home (as had happened when the Fighters moved to Hokkaido), where - if anywhere - in Japan would make for a viable home for a professional baseball club, which does not presently have one?

    On the one hand, there are places on the Shinkansen network, such as Hakodate, Kagoshima, or Aomori, which would at least have local rivals they could travel to and from via bullet train. On the other hand, there are places like Okinawa or Shikoku, which might have to lean more heavily on air travel - particularly if a would-be Shikoku team was to be placed in Kochi, rather than in one of the prefectures facing the Seto Inland Sea. And then there is Nagasaki, where it remains to be seen when - or indeed if - the local Shinkansen line will be extended as far north as Hakata Station...

    Although, given the travel distances involved, might a would-be Okinawa team be better off seeking permission to play in the CPBL?
     

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