Japanese Baseball - Spring Training
Spring Training for Japanese professional baseball has been underway since February 1st and for the first time in many years all of the teams will remain in Japan for Spring Training. This is a full two weeks ahead of MLB where most teams pitchers and catchers reported today.In the MLB spring training is divided between balmy Arizona and sun-drenched Florida. In Japan most teams head south for spring training but this spring has been unseasonably cold, wet and in some cases snowy!
As a result of the poor weather many teams have been forced to hold more practices indoors than outdoors. This leads me to one of the interesting things about Japanese baseball. Most teams have state of the art indoor facilities with weight rooms, pitching mounds and a full infield. Below is a photo of the minor league complex for the Chiba Lotte Marines which has an area of almost 22,000 square feet. Most minor league teams in the US could only dream of having such a facility at their disposal.
So where is your favorite Japanese team holding their spring Training? Here’s a run-down:
Central League
Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters - Nago, Okinawa
Seibu Lions - Miyazaki
Fukuoka Softbank Hawks - Miyazaki & Fukuoka
Chiba Lotte Marines - Ishigakijima Marines Ball Park in the Ryukyus & Okinawa
Orix Buffaloes - Miyakojima Island in Okinawa & Kochi, Shikoku
Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles - Kumejima, OkinawaPacific League
Chunichi Dragons - Chatan, Okinawa
Hanshin Tigers - Ginoza, Okinawa & Aki, Kochi
Tokyo Yakult Swallows - Urasoe Stadium, Okinawa
Yomiuri Giants - Miyazaki
Hiroshima Carp - Okinawa City, Okinawa & Nichinan, Miyazaki
Yokohama BayStars - Ginowan, OkinawaInformation summarized from an article in The Japan Times by Wayne Graczyk.
For some more information on this years spring training in Japan take a look at Jim Allen’s column with the Daily Yomiuri where he tells us about the Do’s and Dont’s of Spring Training in Japan and touches on the weather and training regimens of each team.
More next week on Japanese Baseball terminology.
The countdown continues….9 days until the first baseball game of 2008!
