The 2023 Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) season started on Thursday, 30 March with the Rakuten Golden Eagles defeating Nippon Ham Fighters in the opening game, 3-1. Former Major League Baseball (MLB) All-Star and Olympic gold medallist Masahito Tanaka recorded his first win.
The game inaugurated the Es Con Field in Kitahiroshima, just outside Sapporo. The brand-new ballpark can seat 35,000 fans.
Fighters and Golden Eagles trail behind the heavy favourites Orix Buffaloes and Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in the Pacific League.
Star right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who helped Japan win the WBSC Premier12 2019, the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and the 2023 World Baseball Classic, was instrumental in the 2022 Japan Series run for the Buffaloes.
The Hawks lost ace Kodai Senga to MLB's New York Mets but signed All-Star Kensuke Kondo (pictured above), another player who contributed to Samurai Japan's triumphs in 2019, 2021 and 2023.
The 2022 pennant winners Yakult Swallows look like the team to beat in the Central League. Olympic gold medallists Tetsuto Yamada and Munetaka Murakami are the core of a strong lineup.
The 2022 rivals Yokohama DeNA BayStars improved their pitching staff by signing right-hander Trevor Bauer, who earned Cy Young Award honours in MLB's National League in 2020.
The Hanshin Tigers, led by first-year manager Shofu Okada, count on the best pitching rotation. Top draft pick Shota Morishita looks like the rookie to watch.
The All-Star Game is scheduled on 19 July at Vantelin Dome in Nagoya. The 143-game regular season will finish on 2 October and the Japan Series are scheduled from 28 October to 5 November
