50th Japan Men’s Softball League to open April 9th
The Japan Softball Association (JSA) has unveiled the schedule of the 2021 Japan Men’s Softball League, which runs from April to November. The 18 participating teams will open the season on 9 April in Onomichi, Hiroshima Prefecture. The championship tournament is planned for 13-14 November in Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture.
After a year off, the Japan Softball League will be playing its 50th season this year. The regular season will be played in four stages, planned for 9-11 April, 5-6 June, 3-5 September and 16-17 October. The top five teams in the regular season standings will advance to the championship tournament.
Last year, JSA was limited to organising a three-day knockout tournament in November due to the pandemic. Hirabayashi Metal, the champions of the 2019 Japanese Men’s Softball League, won the tournament, after beating Japan Ecosystem, 10-9, in the final.
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Along with the best players in Japan, some of the top men’s softball international stars participated in the 2019 Japan Men’s Softball League, like Argentina’s fireballer Huemul Mata, Australian left-hander Andrew Kirkpatrick and New Zealand legend Donnie Hale.
Japan is the top-ranked nation in the men’s softball world, holding the WBSC U-18 Men’s Softball World Cup title and the WBSC Men’s Softball World Championship silver medal.
