Rain and empty stands greet players as long-delayed NPB season begins

Yokohama – If there’s one saying that rang true as a light rain fell on a cool night in Yokohama it was this one:

Better late than never.

Nippon Professional Baseball finally got under way across Japan on Friday night, almost three months to the day this coronavirus-delayed campaign was supposed to begin.

It was wet opening day as rain swept across many parts of Japan, though four of the six games were safely taking place in domes.

The Yokohama BayStars and Hiroshima Carp, though, saw their 6 p.m. start delayed 30 minutes because of the rain at Yokohama Stadium. The Tokyo Yakult Swallows and Chunichi Dragons were playing out in the elements at Jingu Stadium.

The league kicked off with a number of measures in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

There were no fans in the stands at any games, though there were cardboard cutouts of fans at some stadiums, like Yokohama, and messages of support taped to seating areas in other venues.

Players will be given PCR tests once a month during the season and have their temperatures checked before heading to the stadium each day.

The players have also been asked to refrain from high-fives and handshakes without gloves and managers and coaches will wear masks in the dugout. There is also plenty of hand sanitizer available for everyone.

The NPB season had originally been scheduled to start March 20. That plan changed March 9, when NPB delayed the start of the season amid the growing COVID-19 pandemic.

Five NPB players would later test positive for the virus, including reigning Central League MVP Hayato Sakamoto of the Yomiuri Giants.

The league announced its June 19 start date in late May and teams began playing practice games on June 2.

Because of the delay, teams are scheduled to play 120 games this season instead the usual 143. The All-Star Series and interleague play were both canceled for this year.

The Central League also eliminated its postseason Climax Series in order to have as much time as possible for makeup games in case of a high number of rainouts — a threat evident from the rain that fell on Yokohama and Tokyo Friday night. Only two CL teams regularly play their home games in domes.

The 2020 season is scheduled to end on Nov. 6 for Pacific League teams and Nov. 7 in the CL, though makeup games could be played after those dates.

On Nov. 14, the PL will play a four-game Climax Series Final Stage between its top two teams to determine its representative for the Japan Series.

The Japan Series is slated for a Nov. 21 start.

Source : Baseball – The Japan Times