The game appears at 10 a.m. due to the heat of murder, but inevitable changes in the era when the abnormal climate became the new normal (Min Chang-ki's Japanese baseball)

Jul 19, 2025

The game appears at 10 a.m. due to the heat of murder, but inevitable changes in the era when the abnormal climate became the new normal (Min Chang-ki's Japanese baseball)
Seibu ace Imai suddenly complained of abnormal symptoms after the second inning against Nippon Ham on June 27. It was replaced by heat stroke caused by the heat. Photo capture = Sports Nippon Homepage



The summer heat is literally a heat wave (暴炎). This year, the highest daytime temperature has soared to 30 degrees Celsius since the beginning of June, followed by a special heat wave warning. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, the average temperature in June was the highest ever. In addition, tropical nights appear at the earliest period of all time and are rampant. Due to the abnormal climate, heat waves and extreme heavy rains have become new normal, not unusual.

The abnormal high temperature also directly affects professional baseball. The humid heat in midsummer threatens the health of not only the players running on the ground, but also the new edition and spectators. The same applies not only to Korea, which mainly plays outdoor games, but also to Japan, where the average temperature is higher than that of the Korean Peninsula.

The high school baseball championships and summer Koshien tournaments, which will be held after qualifying for 47 prefectures from July to August, eliminated midday games around 2 p.m. The competition will be held in the morning and evening hours when the murderous heat is less severe. They even discussed ways to shorten the game to '9 innings' to '7 innings'.




Even professionals can't escape the heat. When playing in an outdoor stadium, the home and away teams are worried about the cooling problem. There is a limit to installing a large air conditioner in the dugout. Most teams reduce the training time before the game as much as possible. Preferably, players should stay inside air-conditioned before the game.

Seibu Lions ace Tatsuya Imai was replaced by heatstroke during the game, evoking the heat problem once again. Imai started the match against the Nippon Ham Fighters at the notoriously hot Beruna Dome (Seibu Dome) on June 27. However, after two outs in the fourth inning, he suddenly crouched down. After leaving the ground for treatment, he changed to another pitcher. His 81st pitch, 156km/h fastball, became the last pitch of the day. It was like that even though it was a night game.

The game appears at 10 a.m. due to the heat of murder, but inevitable changes in the era when the abnormal climate became the new normal (Min Chang-ki's Japanese baseball)
Nishinomiya Koshien Stadium, Hyogo Prefecture, where the Koshien Competition will be held in August next year. It is the home stadium of the Hanshin Tigers. Sports Chosun DB
The Hanshin Tigers use Koshien Stadium as their home. broke a long taboo. Starting this year, I will train wearing shorts. Fujikawa Kyuji made a decision in consideration of the heat. Hanshin, who started anew under closer legend Fujikawa, is leading the Central League. It is overwhelmingly No. 1, nine games ahead of the second-place Yomiuri Giants.




The Chunichi Dragons, who use the Banterin Dome (Nagoya Dome), sometimes have outdoor training instead of a pleasant home turf. It is a measure to prepare for away games that must be played in an outdoor stadium.

According to Japanese media, the Japanese Baseball Organization (NPB) and the Japanese Professional Baseball Association discussed measures to deal with heat stroke in midsummer on the 17th. It is said that there have been talks about holding the second-tier day game from July to August at 10 a.m. from next season.

Some stadiums where the official second-tier games are held do not have lighting facilities. In the current situation, a weekly game is inevitable. The professional baseball league has previously called for the abolition of midsummer daytime games. He explained and emphasized that the weather should be considered different from before.




You have to move early in the morning to play at 10 a.m. The home team players who train first usually arrive at the stadium three to four hours before the start of the game. The consent of the players involved is required. It also has no choice but to affect the spectators who enter. There needs to be more discussion, but changes are inevitable in any way
The game appears at 10 a.m. due to the heat of murder, but inevitable changes in the era when the abnormal climate became the new normal (Min Chang-ki's Japanese baseball)
Sconfield, the home of Nippon Ham. Six of the 12 Japanese professional baseball teams are using the dome stadium as their home. Sports Chosun DB
It is. The heat of murder in the middle of summer has become a constant.

In August, when the heat is overwhelming, the day game of the second division stands out. On Sunday, August 3, the Yakult Swallows-Oy6 Niigata match and the Hiroshima Carp-Softbank Hawks match will be held at 12:30 p.m., the Nippon Ham-Seibu match and the Kuhu Hayate Ventures-Junichi Dragons match will be held at 1 p.m., and the Yokohama BayStars-Rakuten Eagles match will be held at 2 p.m. There are no first-team day games in August.





This article was translated by Naver AI translator.