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| Nihonham opened the roof of Esconfield on the 13th and started the Orix match. Due to the chilly weather, the roof was closed after the 5th inning. Sports Chosun DB |
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| Famous actor Rie Miyazawa, who visited Esconfield on the 12th, took a commemorative photo with Nippon Ham's flagship hitters Kiyomiya and Reyes. Miyazawa posted the photo on his SNS, and Kiyomiya and Reyes hit home runs side by side on the 13th. Photo Source = Miyazawa Rie SNS |
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| Reyes, who hit a one-run home run in the fifth inning on the 13th. Photo capture = Nippon-Ham Fighters SNS |
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Japanese professional baseball has an overwhelming number of domed stadiums compared to other leagues. Six teams, half of the 12 teams in both leagues, are using the dome stadium as their home. The Yomiuri Giants of the Central League are home to Tokyo Dome and the Chunichi Dragons are home to Bantherin Dome (Nagoya Dome). In the Pacific League, four of the six teams use the dome stadium as their home ground. Softbank Hawks will play Paypay Dome (Fukuoka Dome), Orix Buffaloes will play Kyocera Dome (Osaka Dome), Seibu Lions will play Veruna Dome (Seibu Dome), and Nippon Ham Fighters will play their home games at Escon Field. Located in Tokorozawa City, Saitama Prefecture, near Tokyo, Veruna Dome is a type of roofing with columns erected in a general stadium. Unlike other domed stadiums, the inside and outside are open. Even though it is a domed stadium, they suffer from the heat in summer.
Of the six domed stadiums, Sconfield is the latest. Sconfield, located in Kitahiroshima near Sapporo, Hokkaido, opened in 2023. Nippon Ham left Tokyo in 2004 and moved to Hokkaido. He used Sapporo Dome with a professional soccer team and built a retractable home stadium himself. As the latest domed stadium, it boasts the best facilities.
The Orix match was held at Esconfield on the 13th. Nippon Ham won 4-0. He drove in three hits in the second inning to score the first run. In the fifth inning, center hitters added three runs with two home runs. No. 3 Guillaume Gota hit a two-run homer and No. 4 Franmil Reyes hit a one-run homer. Kiyomiya and Reyes made headlines again by appearing on famous movie stars Rie Miyazawa's SNS account. Miyazawa, who visited Escon Field on the 12th, posted a commemorative photo with the two players next to him. The two players showed their presence side by side with home runs the next day.
Five pitchers, including starting pitcher Fukushima Ren, continued their perfect pitching. The Orix lineup, the No. 1 team in both leagues with a team batting average, was blocked with six hits.
2-1 loss to Orix, who is competing for the lead, Winning Series. Nippon-Ham leads the pack with seven wins (one loss) in their last eight games. It has a 2.5 game gap with the second-place Softbank Hawks. He escaped the shock of three consecutive sweep losses suffered by Softbank earlier this month.
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| Sconfield, the home of Nippon Ham. It is the latest dome stadium that opened in 2023. Sports Chosun DB |
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During the game against Orix on the 13th, there was a rare occurrence. I opened the roof of Esconfield at 1 p.m. and started the game, but I closed the roof after the fifth inning. It didn't rain during the game either. If there had been a rain forecast from the beginning, the roof would not have even been opened.
Coach Tsuyoshi Shinjo explained the reason after the game. He said "I opened the roof and the players said it was cold. The players wore jackets one after another. The Orix players were just as cold." In other words, the roof was closed because the players could catch a cold in the cool temperature.
According to Japanese media, the highest daytime temperature in the Kitahiroshima area was 24.5 degrees Celsius. Looking at the temperature alone, it is a pleasant weather that is good for baseball games and watching. However, it is said that if the wind was strong and was in the shade, he could feel cold even in a long-sleeved top.
Hokkaido, the northernmost part of the Japanese archipelago, is different from the Honshu region, where Tokyo and Osaka are located, where the heat is raging in midsummer. It is located at a high latitude similar to Vladivostok, Russia. The average annual temperature is lower than in other parts of Japan. According to the KBO League standard, it is July, but it seems very unusual to close the roof of the dome stadium during the game due to the chilly weather. The average temperature from July to August in Sapporo is 25.4 to 26.4 degrees.
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| Nihonham continues its upward trend with seven wins in the last eight games. It is in first place, 2.5 games ahead of the second-place Softbank. Photo capture = Nippon-Ham Fighters SNS |
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The advantage of the dome stadium is that the game can be played regardless of the weather or temperature. Gocheok Sky Dome, the home ground of Kiwoom Heroes, provides the best environment in midsummer.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
