The 2024 season of the Japanese professional softball league, JD.League, opened this past weekend with a total of 18 games in both divisions, East and West. Bic Camera Takasaki (3-0) and Hitachi Sundiva (2-0) remained undefeated in the East, while Toyota Red Terriers and Shionogi Rainbow Stokes are the only undefeated sides in the West.
During the regular season, a total of 232 games will be played, including 168 games divisional games and 64 games inter-divisional games. Each of the 16 participating teams will play 29 games, and the team with the highest winning percentage will eventually win the district championship.
The first half of the season will run until 16 June, allowing the Olympic champions Japan to get ready for the WBSC Women's Softball World Cup Finals, to be played from 15 to 21 July in Italy. The second half of the season will take place from 7 September to 27 October.
The top-three teams in both divisions, along with a wild card, will advance to the post season, with the divisional leaders qualifying directly for the Diamond Series. The play-offs will open with the wild card team (the fourth-place team with the highest winning percentage) playing against the third-place finisher from the opposing division. The winner will advance to the quarterfinals, where the two second-place finishers and the remaining third-place team await.
The winners of these two contests will then qualify for the Diamond Series 2024 against the top-seeded team after the regular season. This series comprises the two semifinals and the final.
Many of the world's top international players participate in the JD.League 2024 season, including Japan superstars Miu Goto and Yukiko Ueno, USA pitchers Ally Carda, Megan Faraimo and Jailyn Ford; British ace Georgina Corrick; Mexican Dallas Escobedo; Australians Kaia Parnaby and Stacey Porter; and Italian slugger Erika Piancastelli among others.
Last season, Goto guided Toyota Red Terriers to their first JD.League title, earning the West Division MVP award, along with the best ERA and best win-loss record. Kanna Kudo was the MVP and also the best hitter of the East Division.
Last season, the Terriers defeated arch-rivals Bic Camera Takasaki Bee Queen, 2-0, in the final of the Diamond Series.
