During my time I Japan, I always wanted to see Koshien, the Japanese National High School Baseball Championship that is held at Koshien Stadium every August. But finding the time was not easy and I never had the chance. On this trip however, a friend mentioned that he had attended a couple of games over the weekend and that got me to thinking: with no work to worry about and the cheap yen, why not see the championship game?
I had to wait until the semifinals were completed on Wednesday to learn that tickets for the final did not go on sale until Thursday morning. I was able to pick up a seat under cover (critical as the game started at 10 am in blistering heat) for 4,200 yen ($30). I then booked an ANA flight to Itami airport using United miles (a bargain for those considering domestic flights in Japan at the last minute, you can do the same with American for JAL flights) and from there took a bus directly to the stadium, arriving an hour before first pitch. The stadium is celebrating its hundredth year, making this quite a special occasion.
The two schools participating were Kyoto Kokuritsu (Kyoto International), which was founded as an institution for students of Korean descent (its school song is written in Korean) and reached the semifinals just three years before, and Kanto Daiichi from East Tokyo. Kanto is the wider area that surrounds Tokyo, while Daiichi means first, implying there are other schools in the system.
School flags from previous champions are on display outside the stadium, a very colourful addition.
I wrote about the stadium in detail when I visited in 2013, and it hasn't changed much in the meantime. With the new park in Sapporo opening last year, Koshien might not be the best ballpark in Japan any longer, though this would certainly generate some debate, much as the Wrigley/Fenway vs. Oracle/PNC question does in the States. The view from my seat is below.
The crowd is certainly different than a Tigers game, with more colour and noise from the Alps seats, while the outfield seats are mostly quiet. Attendance was 36,000 for the final, leaving about 11,000 unsold seats, which surprised me as I expected it to sell out.
I picked up a sushi roll and a cup of sake, then bought a beer at my seat from one of the many girls pouring them from kegs on their backs. The poor lass who served me was sweating buckets at 9:30 in the morning, but I guess that builds character (and not the type of character that drinks at 9:30 in the morning). Note that cute little table that comes out of the side of the chair (like in an airplane bulkhead row) and allows you to relax a bit rather than hold your drink. By the way, all three items cost about $10 total.
The game started at 10 sharp (first pitch below) and the first two innings took just 15 minutes as players swung and fielders fielded and no baserunners reached. Kyoto managed two hits in the top of the third but stranded them, while Kanto got their first hit in the fourth, but he too was unable to score.
Both teams had chances on multiple occasions but neither could capitalize and the game remained scoreless into the late innings. In the 9th, Kyoto had men on first and third but did not score, while Kanto loaded the bases with two outs, but a fly ball ended the threat.
We went to extras, where teams start with runners on first and second. Kyoto started with a single to load the bases, and a walk followed for the first run of the game. A sacrifice fly made it 2-0, but they could not add to that. Kanto started their half with a bunt single to load the bases and then a fielder's choice allowed one run to score. A walk loaded the bases and Kanto had two chances to tie or win the game, but a grounder to first was forced at home, and the final batter struck out to give Kyoto Kokuritsu, a school with just 160 students, the national championship. It was certainly more exciting than I am describing it here.
The celebrations were fairly quick, as the closing ceremonies needed to be conducted. The players and umpires met at home plate and bowed to each other to officially end the game.
There's the final score below, the game finished at 12:10, that's just 13 minutes per inning. There is no wasted time in Japanese high school baseball (other than the 10 minutes to redo the field after the fifth inning).
I stayed for part of the ceremony, as the pennant and plaques were handed out after a speech honouring all the teams and the stadium itself.
In the end, I don't know if an international school winning will cause consternation among the Japanese fans, but for me, being considered international when in Japan, it was a nice way to finally get to see Koshien. I'd certainly recommend it for anyone who has yet to be, and thanks to Mike for the inspiration.
Notes
I grabbed a Shinkansen back, arriving at my hotel less than 12 hours after I left. Travelling in Japan is so efficient that you can easily make plans like this without too much worry about having things go wrong. This is such a difference between America, where I have often missed games due to flight delays or other transport malfunctions that are not weather related.
Best,
Sean
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