Japanese baseball fans, the wait is almost over. On the same day that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced an end to the nationwide state of emergency, Commissioner Atsushi Saito made an official announcement about the start of the season. All twelve teams will open the 2020 season in empty stadiums on Friday, June 19.
This means that exhibition games will be played from Tuesday, June 2 until Sunday, June 14. There will be no All-Star Games, no interleague play, and the Japan Series will begin on November 21. Because of the delay (but also due to gaining back the Olympic break), teams are expected to be able to play a 120-game schedule.
In an effort to assure dates for making up rainouts, the Central League, which has just two domed ballparks, is probably scrapping its playoffs and sending the pennant winner directly to the Japan Series. The Pacific, with its three domed stadiums, will apparently consider shortening the regular season schedule if necessary to make time for a Climax Series.
Amendments to the regular season schedule have not yet been released, although it is expected that the Central League will make adjustments allowing the Hiroshima Carp to stay in Tokyo for longer road trips in order to play its road games with minimal travel. The same, to a lesser extent, will be done for the Hanshin Tigers and Chunichi Dragons. The Pacific, on the other hand, has been rumored to be shuffling the schedule to have six-game series instead of the typical three.
There has also been some talk of putting a time limit on games. Back in 2011 when the start of the season was delayed due to the Tohoku Earthquake and its aftermath, tie games were not allowed to go extra innings beyond the 3.5-hour mark. It is possible the same rule be adopted for the 2020 season in order to lessen wear-and-tear on players, as well as to help reduce the risk of coronavirus infection.
Hanshin manager Akihiro Yano commented, “First of all, I hope our guys can confidently get ready for the scheduled start of the season. At the same time, COVID-19 has not been completely eradicated, so we need to continue to take necessary precautions as a team. We will get through this together with the fans, and we Tigers will fight hard to put smiles on everyone’s faces and jump in their steps.”