Chunichi Dragons 6 at Hanshin Tigers 4 - August 1, 2013

In 2011, I reviewed the six Tokyo-area ballparks for Stadium Journey as they began covering international venues. The intention was to review all 12 NPB stadiums, but circumstances were not in my favour that year. In 2012, I moved to Singapore in May, but managed to get Sapporo, Sendai, Nagoya, and Fukuoka taken care of during the first month of the season. That left only the two stadiums in Osaka: venerable Koshien, which is home to the Hanshin Tigers and the Kyocera Dome, where the Orix Buffaloes play. There is a third stadium in the area, Kobe Green Stadium, that the Buffaloes use on occasion and I wanted to see all three on the same weekend. Naturally, there are few occasions when all three are in use over a three-day period, but the first week of August happened to be one. I booked my flights and hotels months in advance as I could not afford to let this opportunity slip away, and after an overnight flight from Singapore, I found myself in Nishinomiya city, where Koshien is based.

Koshien Stadium



Koshien is Japan's most famous stadium - not because the Tigers play here, but because it hosts two high school baseball tournaments every year. Both tournaments are known simply as Koshien and it is every Japanese boy's dream to play a game at the stadium. The spring invitational tournament takes place in late March and early April, just as the NPB season kicks off, while the summer competition, which features a team from each prefecture, is played through the middle two weeks in August. The high school games take priority, so the Tigers have to play on the road during the tournaments (although some home games are scheduled for the Osaka Dome). Can you imagine the Red Sox vacating Fenway for two weeks in August just so some high schoolers can play?



Opened in 1924, Koshien is the oldest ballpark in the NPB, beating Jingu Stadium by two years. By the 2000s though, it was in need of an overhaul. The last game I saw there around 2006 was painful since the seats were so cramped, having been designed for the average Japanese man in 1924. Thankfully, the powers that be recognized this and instituted a comprehensive renovation program between 2007 and 2010 that completely reshaped the inside of the park while leaving its iconic ivy and arches untouched. Capacity dropped from 53,000 in 2003 to 47,757 and the new seats were slightly bigger and more comfortable. This change vaulted Koshien to the top of my NPB stadium rankings, since the fans and the atmosphere were already the best in the country.



Koshien is easy to get to - the Hanshin (yes, the owner of the Tigers also owns a major railway) main line goes straight from Umeda station, which is right in the center of the city. Avoid the local train and take an express instead, the Koshien stop is just 12 minutes away. You can usually spot Tigers fans in their distinctive yellow and black paraphernalia and following them to the train is a good bet. When you get there, make sure to buy your return ticket as that can be very crowded after the game.

You might have a bit of trouble finding the stadium at first, because it is blocked by two highways that pass right in front of it. Only those distinctive arches are visible as you can see in the photo above. Once you walk under the overpasses though, you will see this beautiful ballpark.



Take the time to walk around and see what is on offer. You will of course notice the ivy, inspired by Wrigley Field. There are some small concession stands but avoid those as the food inside is an experience in itself. Around the back is the Koshien museum which costs 500 yen and provides a detailed history of the park, with much of the focus on the high school tournaments rather than the Tigers. There are numerous plaques such as the one below commemorating a Tigers championship.



There is also a concrete pillar marking 90 years of the summer and 80 years of the spring tournament.

There are just three types of seats available to the general public. The first are those located in the infield, known as Ivy Seats and costing 4,000 yen. These seats come with drink holders and seat backs and are a better option considering the average Japanese baseball game takes well over 3 hours. I was fortunate to get a seat in row 23 just past third base, which was high enough to avoid the fencing and give me a clear view of home plate.



The second group of seats is the Alps seats, so named for the steep incline. At 2,500 yen they are cheaper but the seats have no back and you are down in the corners. The picture below is taken from the Alps seats down the left field line.



Finally there are the outfield seats, which are 1,900 yen. The experience of sitting in the outfield cannot be described, you will be surrounded by Tigers fans cheering all game long. I prefer the relative comfort of the Ivy Seats which are closer to the action, but if you want a unique experience, try sitting in the outfield instead.



I did find some special box seats that seemed to be a good set up for four friends with a small table to put your food on but they were at the top of the seating area and a bit far away.



After entering the stadium, you will notice the concourses are rather narrow, but this didn't prove problematic because there are three levels and fans are guided to the best level for their seat.



Along each concourse are dozens of concessions and this was the biggest surprise for me. Not the number of concessions itself, but the variety and quality. In general, eating options at Japanese ballparks are much more diverse than what you get back home, and healthier as well, but often the food is not the greatest. Not so at Koshien. I started with a kushiage shumai - that's four Chinese dumplings fried and put on a skewer. With a touch of mustard, it was fantastic and a bargain at just 300 yen. I then had a large mango kakigori, which is shaved ice covered with mango juice and even a few pieces of the fruit. Perfect for such a hot and humid day and took me nearly half an hour to finish, well worth the 400 yen. My main meal was a beef and kimchi (spiced cabbage) combo with a cold draft beer that was just 1,000 yen and was surprisingly tasty. I usually don't write much about the food at ballparks, but recommend that you come hungry when you visit Koshien.



At your seat, you can quietly take in the ambiance of this stadium. The all-dirt infield and grass outfield are instantly recognizable for any Japanese baseball fan and the once colourful seats now are all Kelly green, making the park seem more professional than it used to. You can walk around the Alps and Ivy concourses without a problem but you cannot get to the outfield from there for vice versa. As well, you can only enter the seating area through the proper aisle shown on your ticket. My aisle was 3-L, which meant the 3rd floor, aisle L. It's not that hard to figure out.



As game time nears, fans begin to pour in so by 6:00 the stadium is full of 40,000 rabid Tigers supporters and a smattering of visiting team fans, relegated to a small section high in left field. Though on this night, it was they who would have the last laugh.

The Game



Starting for Chunichi was Masahiro Yamamoto (above), who turns 48 next week. His first game was in 1986, the same year as Jamie Moyer. Yamamoto has spent his entire 27-year career with the Dragons and is still bringing it with a 4-2 record and a 3.72 ERA. On this night though, he struggled somewhat, giving up 3 runs in 4 laborious innings. His mound opponent was Akira Iwamoto, a 2nd-year righty making his first appearance of the season. Iwamoto was slightly better, giving up just 2 runs in his 4 innings. The Central League allows pitchers to hit, and both managed to bunt into a double play in their only plate appearance of the night.



With the Tigers still up 3-2 in the 6th, manager Yutaka Wada brought in Ken Nishimura to replace Kazuya Tsutsui who had retired all four batters he had faced. The crowd was not happy with the move and they were right to be upset- Nishimura gave up a single and two walks (including one to former Padres prospect Matt Clark, pictured above) before being sent to the showers. In came Kosuke Kato who promptly gave up a grand slam to Shuhei Takahashi (below), who drove the ball deep over the center field fence to silence the home fans.



Although Hanshin got one back in the bottom of the 6th, the Chunichi bullpen of setup man Warner Madrigal (briefly with the Texas Rangers in 2008-09) and closer Hitoki Iwase shut the door for the 6-4 win, with Iwase getting his 23rd save.




Notes

The Wave is not allowed at Koshien. I hope this is a sign of things to come around the world.

The Dragons catcher was Motonobu Tanishige, no spring chicken at 43 himself. That means their battery was a combined 90 years old! I would guess that is some sort of record but have no way of confirming it.

If you used to read this blog while I lived in Japan, you will remember how I used to carp on about the length of Japanese baseball games, and this one was no different, lasting 3 hours and 50 minutes! The NPB has failed to reduce the average time over the past 5 years and in fact, the length of a typical game here has increased to 3:16. Given how quick high school, college, and industrial ballgames are here, I can't figure out why the pros take so long to get things done. Many fans have to leave by 9 pm in order to get their trains home and the league should really make a serious effort to speed things up.

Next Up

Heading to the Osaka Dome tonight for the Orix Buffaloes and Chiba Lotte Marines. The same two teams play tomorrow at Kobe's Green Stadium and I will see that one as well. Check back Monday for a recap of both games.

Best,

Sean

Read More

Fukuoka Softbank Hawks 2 at Chunichi Dragons 1 (Western League) - April 20, 2012

After enjoying the Dragons' victory over the Giants on Thursday night, I awoke Friday in time to head to Nagoya Stadium to see the minor league team taking on the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.

When I left the hotel it was drizzling but by the time I reached the ballpark, it had turned into a steady shower. I've been at other games where the same amount of rain led to a delay or postponement and wasn't expecting them to play. I was told that if the game was called, I could get my money back, so I bought a ticket for 1,000 yen and entered the ballpark.

Nagoya Stadium

Located just one stop away from Nagoya Station at Otobashi, this ballpark was built in 1948 and hosted the big-league Dragons from then until 1996, when they moved into the Nagoya Dome. The stadium was renovated with most of the 35,000 seats being removed and training facilities added so that the minor league team could use the facility.



The stadium was the site of a fire that broke out during a game in August 1951. Three fans were killed and 68 seriously injured when a cigarette was dropped into a paper dumpster in the wooden bleachers behind home plate. The stadium was destroyed and was rebuilt using concrete and steel in time for the 1952 season.



The ballpark is visible from the Shinkansen (passing by on the left in the picture above). There is a concourse and a small concession that offers "bari-soba" a hard noodle covered with sauce and the best ballpark food I've had in a while.

If you want foul balls, this is the best place to be as there are seats all the way down the lines that are practically empty. I saw one guy collect four or five foul balls during the game just because he was the only person in his section.

As far as Japanese minor league parks go, this is the best one I've seen. I just hope that next time I go the weather will be a bit better.

The Game

When the starting lineups were announced, I was surprised to hear Henry Blanco's name as the starting first baseman for the Dragons. A four-year veteran in the NPB, he was the Central League's HR and RBI leader in 2009. He was injured last year and has struggled early on this season so he was sent down to work out the kinks.



The Hawks started an ikusei pitcher who lasted only 2 innings before Angel Castro (below) came on in relief. The 29-year-old Dominican pitched 4 scoreless frames, striking out three. Meanwhile Chunichi starter Yudai Ohno threw six shutout innings as the rain was clearly affecting the batters more than the pitchers.



Finally, in the top of the 8th the Hawks mounted a rally off a pair of relievers. With runners on second and third, Kenta Nakanishi singled to score the first run of the game and Yuki Yanagita followed with a sacrifice fly for some insurance.

In the bottom of the 9th, Akihiro Yanase came on to close things out. He's been with the team since 2006 but is struggling to return from an injury suffered in 2009. He didn't do so well here, giving up two singles and two walks leading to a run. I was in fear of extra innings as I had to catch a train back to Tokyo, but Yanase got Atsushi Fujii to fly out to end the game. Despite the low score, the game took 3:13 and I just made it back to Nagoya for the 4:30 train home.



Notes

This is the second Western League game I have seen and Chunichi has been the home team both times. The other game was in Hiroshima where they made up a rainout from Nagoya.

Next Up


Thus ends my sports-watching time in Japan. There are no other games that I'll see before I leave here in two weeks. I'll post here on occasion over the next month but generally it will be quiet until I head home in mid-May. Check back then to see what's happening.

Best,

Sean

Read More

Yomiuri Giants 1 at Chunichi Dragons 4 - April 19, 2012

The Chunichi Dragons are a long-standing team in Japanese baseball, having begun play in 1936. They used to host games at Nagoya Stadium, an outdoor field constructed in 1948, but the Nagoya Dome opened in 1997 and the Dragons moved in, relegating their old grounds to the minor league squad. Despite nearly 70 years of existence, the Dragons have only won two Japan Series, the most recent in 2007. Lately though, they have been the strongest team in the Central League, taking 5 of the last 8 pennants.

Nagoya Dome



When I first visited the Nagoya Dome when it opened in 1997, there was no convenient station close by. That changed in 2000 when the Nagoya Dome Mae - Yada subway stop was opened. It seems to be part of the stadium itself with dozens of old Dragons' photos as well as a shot of each player on the current roster. Because this walkway is crowded before and after games it is tough to stop and look at everything on display but if you can get there a few hours before the game, it should be easier to enjoy.



The dome is quite nice from the outside, its silver geodesic dome shining in the sunlight. There are a couple of restaurants outside one of the gates but I would avoid these and go inside where there is more to see and do. Take note of the roof which has been double glazed to allow natural light through. Each section on the roof can be individually shaded which allows for intricate patterns to be displayed, although this doesn't happen during the game.



There are five seating levels, each painted a different colour. Sitting down low is more expensive and the view is blocked by the screen all the way down the lines, so I chose the cheaper upper deck seat at 2,500 yen. Even this was not optimal as the people in the first row lean over the ledge and block your view from time to time, and it was rather cramped as well. I did notice that the seats in the lower bowl don't face home plate forcing those fans to spend the game with their bodies turned sideways.



The outfield seats are actually reserved unlike most other ballparks here. The view is not bad as you are well above the field as you can see below.



There are some other special seating areas including the Prime Twin, a pair of seats meant for couples, as well as Prime Box, where four fans can sit together at a table. Above the outfield seats is Arenaview, a restaurant that offers a panoramic view of the ballpark.



You can freely move between the upper and lower levels here, with the better concessions down below. The concourses are relatively narrow and rather dated but it was still easy to get around.



The standard fare is available at stands named after their location, such as Snack Home, behind home plate. Of course, this leads to the beverage booth near first base to be called Drink First, a message designed to throw recovering alcoholics off the wagon. The most memorable item was a shrimp and avocado salad dog which I did not try as it looked disgusting. Some of the concession stands had MLB memorabilia above them, including a very old Chisox jersey (below). When walking around, keep your head up, there are a few surprises to be found.



If you want more than just a stadium snack, the third floor has a large food court with 6 choices, including a sushi place that was packed. Judging from the crowd, this would be worth trying but you probably have to arrive just as gates open to ensure a seat.



The third floor also houses the Dragons' Museum, a large collection of memorabilia including the 1954 Japan Series championship plaque. All of the explanations are in Japanese only but it is worth visiting as it is free. It is only open on game days so you do need to buy a ticket to get in.



Overall, this is a decent venue for a dome. I enjoyed the friendly staff and food selection. The seating issues make it difficult to relax. I think only the first row in the upper deck offers a purely unobstructed view among the infield seats, and those tickets can be tough to get. With no unreserved seating area, you'll be stuck with whatever ticket you buy, so be aware of that before going to the ticket window.



The Game



Two top pitchers were starting tonight with Dicky Gonzalez (above) taking the hill for the Giants against ace Kazuki Yoshimi for Chunichi. Things got off to a rough start for Gonzalez, who gave up a leadoff single to Yohei Oshima who was quickly sacrificed to second by Masahiro Araki (below). After Masahiko Morino grounded out, clean-up hitter Takeshi Yamazaki, a 43-year-old veteran, brought Oshima home with a single to make it 1-0 Dragons.



The Giants tied it up in their half of the second when Shuichi Murata led off with a double and scored on Yoshinobu Takahashi's single. Takahashi advanced to second on the throw home, but when the throw went wild, he tried for third. Yoshimi, backing up the play at home, threw to third and Takahashi retreated. Again the throw was too high and Takahashi reversed field yet again, only to be gunned out at third by the throw from left field. The old 9-1-7-5 play if you are scoring at home. The inning ended when Gonzalez grounded out and he must have hurt himself as he was removed from the game after warming up in the bottom of the second. Jumpei Ohno was brought in and took another three minutes to get ready, meaning a seven-minute break between innings.

That still wasn't enough time for Ohno to get loose as he gave up a single to Hirokazu Ibata and then a monster homer to Ryosuke Hirata, his 4th of the young season. After a groundout, Ohno walked Yoshimi and gave up singles to Oshima and Araki to load the bases. That was it for him as Satoshi Fukuda relieved and retired Morino on an RBI groundout before striking out Yamazaki. Two innings were in the books and over an hour had passed. I slumped in my seat, fearing another four-hour marathon, but as it turns out, that was all the scoring.



Yoshimi (above) settled down, giving up a walk and 2 singles the rest of the way, retiring the last 11 batters in a row for the Dragons' first complete game of the season. Fukuda and two other Giants' relievers were equally good, giving up just 2 hits themselves as the final seven innings were completed in just 90 minutes. It was one of the quickest games I have seen in Japan and as the Giants lost, one of the most enjoyable as well.



Notes

The Dragons' mascot Doala (a Dragon and Koala mix I guess) tries to land a running backflip during the 7th-inning break. The team keeps his record of success and failure, so far 2-5. He missed again below.




Best,

Sean

Read More

Hiroshima Carp 14 at Chunichi Dragons 11 - Western League - September 2, 2010

The Western League is the minor league based in Western (duh) Japan. With just 5 teams spread over a relatively large area, it's not a roadtrip-friendly circuit, so this was my first WL game. Although it was in Yuu Stadium in Yamaguchi prefecture, home of the Hiroshima Carp, Chunichi was the home team for this game to make up for a rainout earlier in the season in Nagoya.

Yuu Stadium

Yuu City is just over an hour west of Hiroshima on the Sanyo Line. It's 950 yen from Hiroshima and there are 2 or 3 trains an hour, although you might need to switch at Iwakuni. It's a nice train ride, especially near the end as you are right along the coast and the view of the islands is quite impressive.

One you are in Yuu, you have two choices to get to the stadium. If you are lucky, there will be a bus waiting. The right side of the schedule is for getting to the stadium, stop 21 in pink is Yuu station, the10:54 bus will get you there in time for a 12:00 game and cost 450 yen. The 9:27 train from Hiroshima fits nicely with this bus. If you arrive at another time, you are likely taking the second option, which is a taxi. There are cabs right outside the station and it is a 1,500 yen flat rate to the stadium. Most people drive though, out of the attendance of 160 there were only 5 fans on the bus.

It's a nice ride through the hills and at the end, you will be dropped off outside the entrance to the grounds from where you will have to walk up a hill (above), through the parking lot, and then up a steep staircase before you arrive at the field. It's certainly a difficult place to get to, but well worth it. Nestled in the hills, the stadium is certainly the most scenic of any in Japan, but that is its best feature. There are no seats here and much of the good areas are blocked off to fans. Most people bring a portable chair or ground sheet and sit on the grassy hillside down the baselines, but some fans venture beyond the outfield fence, where you can sit in the shade provided by the forest.

You can walk around the whole stadium, though there's not much to see other than the great views of the surrounding hills. Beyond the left field fence is a practice field but it was not being used when I walked by.

There are a few small vans selling rice balls, tacos, and curry, as well as shaved ice. It seems like they started from this year, as previous reports suggested that no food was available. If you want a full meal though, buy something in advance. There is no convenience store at Yuu station either, so if you are coming from Hiroshima, you may want to buy something there.

The scoreboard is manually operated and the player names are displayed on boards. Most players named are professionally printed but if a player is acquired mid-season, his name might be painted on.

As you can see in the picture below, the players spend time outside of the dugout warming up and horsing around during the game. Would be nice if they opened that area up for fans instead. You can also see that the foul area is quite large.

To get back to Yuu Station, you have to hope that the game ends by 3:30 or so. The left side of the bus schedule above is for returning to Yuu and the #1 stop is the ballpark. As you can see if you miss the 3:52 bus, you've got a 2.5 hour wait. Or you'll be calling a cab. By the way, there is a 4:20 train out of Yuu so it dovetails nicely with the bus.

Yuu Stadium is a lot of fun to get to and a great place to watch a game, particularly if you live nearby and can bring along the chair, sunbrella, home cooked meal, a few beers, etc. For us road trippers though, it's a literal pain in the ass after sitting on the ground for a few hours. Regardless, a worthwhile place to visit for any baseball fan.

The Game

Given that I was planning to catch the 3:52 bus, I was hoping for a reasonably long game. But as they say, "Be careful what you wish for". I was rewarded with perhaps the worst baseball game I have ever seen.

The first inning was the only one in which no runs were scored. Chunichi batted around in the 2nd to take a 4-0 lead and added another in the 3rd. But Hiroshima replied with 3 in the fourth and then sent 13 men to the plate in the 5th, scoring 7 of them for a 10-5 lead. The highlight was a 3-run homer from Shota Dobayashi (below), who pitched his high school to the national championship last summer but is playing third base in the pros.

Chunichi had blown a 5-run lead and now it was Hiroshima's turn. The Dragons added 3 in the bottom half of the fifth and two more in the 6th to tie it at 10. These first 6 innings took over 3 hours, helped along by a 10-minute break to clean the field after 5 frames.

At this point I knew that catching the bus was not possible so I talked to a fellow bus rider who was also visiting from Tokyo and we agreed to split a cab and stay for the whole game. Which was good because there were more runs to come.

The Carp got a singleton in the 7th when rookie Hayato Shoji tripled and then 3 unearned runs in the 8th, highlighted by a 2-run shot from Yoshihiro Maru. That's the homer below.

Trailing by 4 in the bottom of the ninth, the Dragons got 4 straight singles, including one by Masaaki Koike (below) to score a run and had the winning run at the plate but Hiroki Nakagawa grounded into a double play to finally, finally, end things.

The game took 4:19 in the searing heat. Except for Chunichi starter Junki Itoh (shown warming up below), the pitching was abysmal. Both teams used 7 hurlers, there were 15 walks and 3 hit batsmen, 103 batters went to the plate and there were 363 pitches thrown (likely inaccurate as I was often distracted and might have missed a few pitches). This translates to a ridiculously slow rate of 1.4 pitches per minute.

Hiroshima used 24 players in the game, moving players from position to position and making a mess of my scorecard. There was also the typical overuse of the sacrifice bunt; that's Tomohiro Abe doing the job with the score at 11-10. With such horrible pitching, why not keep hitting?

Overall, this was an exasperating and tiring afternoon. Fortunately in Japan you can drink beer in public so after getting a cab back to the station (we had to get a driver waiting for some players to request another cab for us) I bought a can and my newfound friend and I enjoyed the ride back to Hiroshima with a frosty brew.

Notes

The Carp are the most futile team in Japan, having missed the post-season for 19 consecutive seasons. I found the sign below which shows their 1992 slogan "Value of Victory" to be rather depressing as their last Central League championship was in 1991.

Jeff Fiorentino (below) started in right field for the Carp but only played 3 innings before being replaced. He then had to endure the rest of the game from the dugout, but at least it was shaded.

My fellow Tokyo traveler is also a sports road tripper, but one on a very tight budget. He used the Seishun 18 ticket which allows unlimited travel on local trains for 5 days. What this means is that it took him 16 hours or so to get to Yuu from Tokyo. He was in amazingly good spirits though, as you can see below.

Although the game sucked, the experience was certainly memorable and I'm glad I went. Having such a beautiful ballpark combined with such a terrible tilt will ensure that this trip remains with me for a long time to come.

Best,

Sean

Read More