Following a meeting with the 12 clubs, Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) is aiming to start the 2020 season in the second half of June. The exact date for an opening day has not yet been decided.
Commissioner Atsushi Saito spoke to the press after the meeting saying, if and when conditions will allow for a season start, the NPB will use guidelines based on the neighbouring Taiwan and Korea leagues, who have already started their seasons.
The Kyodo News Agency quoted him as follows: "While keeping an eye on the infection situation until the end of the month, we will carefully assess the situation, carefully make preparations, and if all the requirements are in order, the 12 teams are in agreement to try to open the season somewhere between the middle and end of next month."
The regular season was originally made of 143 games. The 18 interleague games have already been cancelled. Further shortening the remaining 125-game schedule is a possibility.
NPB also decided to cancel the All-Star Game, that was scheduled for 19 and 20 July. The delay to the start of the season would have made the selection of the star players difficult. It is the first time that the All-Star Game has been cancelled since it was initially staged in 1951.
The next meeting between Commissioner Atsushi Saito and the 12 clubs is scheduled for Friday, 22 May.
NPB also announced that the NPB Girls Tournament, which has been held every year since 2013, has been postponed.
