Is it a real exhibition game with 41,839 spectators? The baseball craze that shook Koshien Stadium, Hanshin was hit by Tanaka with cheers and applause
Mar 10, 2025
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Cloud spectators flocked to five stadiums across the country where the KBO League exhibition game was held last weekend. On the 8th, 67,264 people entered five games, setting a record for the highest number of spectators per day in the exhibition game. However, a new record came out in a day. 71,288 people filled the stands on the 9th. For two days from the 8th to the 9th, a total of 138,552 baseball fans soothed the hunger they endured throughout the season. Baseball's popularity is on the verge of skyrocketing.
The Daegu Lions Park, where the Samsung Lions invited SSG Landers, attracted 25,563 people on the 8th. It sold out 23,063 seats on the 9th. More than 20,000 spectators poured into exhibition games, not regular-season big matches and not postseason. Cheongju Stadium, the match between the Hanwha Eagles and the Doosan Bears, sold out 9,000 seats for two consecutive days.
Baseball fever has also hit Japan. Koshien Stadium, the home ground of the Hanshin Tigers, was even hotter. The exhibition game against the Yomiuri Giants on the 9th was sold out in advance. As many as 41,839 people watched. This is Hanshin's record for the largest number of spectators in an exhibition game.
Hanshin is based in the Kansai region centered on Osaka. There are a lot of big fans. Last year, he was the only one of the 12 teams in both leagues of the Japanese professional baseball to have an average audience of over 40,000. However, even if baseball is the most popular sport in Japan, 40,000 spectators at exhibition games are very unusual. 37,525 people entered the Yokohama BayStars match held at the same place on the 8th.
A number of situations matched. The traditional rivals Hanshin and Yomiuri games were held over the weekend. It was the first face-off between the two teams this year.
His recent performance is good, and his track record is good this year. Hanshin ranked first in the Central League in 2023 and lifted the Japan Series trophy for the first time in 38 years that year. Yomiuri, which is full of star players, won the league last year. The two teams competed for first place until the end. The most popular teams ranked first and second side by side.
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On the 9th, there was a strong boom in the box office. Right-hander Masahiro Tanaka (37), who has a record of '197 wins', took the mound for the first time in the exhibition game against Hanshin. Tanaka, who broke up with the Rakuten Eagles, moved to the Yomiuri Giants and is looking forward to '200 wins'. It became a hot topic throughout the offseason from the transfer process. He was winless last year due to injury and desperately needs a rebound. Every time he takes the mound, attention is bound to be focused.
Hanshin fans, who filled the stands of Koshien Stadium, welcomed Tanaka with cheers and applause. Tanaka said in a post-match interview that `I was surprised and pleased that I didn't think there would be a cheer.' Tanaka is from Itami City, Hyogo Prefecture, the home of Hanshin. When he was a child, he played baseball with Yomiuri infielder Hayato Sakamoto. In boy baseball, Sakamoto was the pitcher and Tanaka was the catcher.
Tanaka finished his second appearance in the exhibition game with one run in three innings. He gave up two hits and struck out two. After pitching two scoreless innings against Yakult Swallows on the 2nd, he continued his stable pitching. The fastball hit a maximum speed of 145 km/h. Tanaka started the game against Yakult in the regular season on the 30th
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On this day, Hanshin revived the jet balloon event for the first time in six years. At the end of the seventh inning, the crowd flew yellow balloons, the symbol of Hanshin. The sky at Koshien Stadium turned yellow. It is a performance that was discontinued during the Corona period.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
