Yesterday was the opening day for the Eastern League (one of two minor leagues in Japan). The Chiba Lotte Marines faced the Nippon Ham Fighters in Kamagaya and the Marines got off to a good start only to be beaten by a final score of 11-7. The game was good but the Marines were sunk by an eight run inning early on after their starting pitcher was hit in the shin by a come-backer and couldn’t regain his rhythm. Both teams had thirteen hits and one error so it was a fun game to watch.

The Fighters facility in Kamagaya is the best facility in the Eastern league and I almost felt like I was watching a minor league game in the States. Here are some shots of the field and stands.

Here is the line-up card that I was given along with my press pass for the game. The Marines line up is on the left and the Fighters are on the right. As I said in my post on my first major league game in Japan this line-up card makes it a bit difficult to follow the game at times but with the position and uniform numbers it wasn’t too bad. I just can’t read the names in Kanji.

The game started with a presentation of flowers to the managers (my hubby is right center in the shot below) followed by some children singing the national anthem of Japan. After signing the anthem the children turned to face the Chiba Lotte Marines bench and said in unison “Gambate Marines” (Good Luck Marines) and then bowed in respect. They then turned to the Nippon Ham Fighters bench and did the same. It was something that you definitely would not see in the states and a great show of sportsmanship.

Benny Agbayani, formerly with the New York Mets, started his season with the Marines in the minor leagues and was the first base runner of the season. Later in the game he hit the first home run of he season for the Marines. Here he is taking a warm up swing.

Hosaya, our third baseman, had the honor of scoring the first run of the season for the Marines.

The Japanese fans are very dedicated and are definitely not a quiet bunch! These guys clap, cheer, beat drums and put their noisemakers to good use throughout the whole game. They must be exhausted by the end of nine innings. Here is a shot of the the Nippon Ham Fighters cheering section. This is a small group by major league standards in Japan but more on that in a future post.

I had a great day at the yard and am looking forward to doing it all again today!