Take me out to the ballgame...Go Hanshin Tigers!
On Saturday, my labmates and I went to Koshien stadium in Nishinomiya to watch the game between Hanshin Tigers and Rakuten. Koshien stadium is home to the Hanshin Tigers, so naturally, the whole stadium was filled with HT fans, all dressed up in various memorabilias. Apparently, Babe Ruth played there once in 1934! We were seating at the outfield reserves, with tickets priced at 1700¥. The game started at 4 and ended around 7. I absolutely LOVE the atmosphere there, the fans were so enthusiatic, cheering everytime a HT player comes to bat, chanting his name, banging the hollowed plastic bats we all brought along (we bought ours at Hanshin Departmental store), all to the beat of the drums and conductors stationed all around the outfield reserves. I had never watched a baseball game live and was not sure of the game's rules and had no idea what to do as a Hanshin Tigers' fan but nonetheless I got caught up with all the excitement generated by the fans. Especially when the players hit home runs. Poor Rakuten, they only had like a few, perhaps around 30 fans in the whole stadium? Besides the US, Japan seems to be the only other country where baseball is so huge. Bear in mind that we were sitting in the outfield, so for the close-up pictures of the players, I had to use the optical and digital zoom, so the pictures will not be sharp.
The outfield reserves where we were sitting. See if you can spot a small patch of red situated near the middle of the picture. Those are Rakuten fans, the rest..Hanshin Tigers!
Those were the plastic hollowed bats we bought to help cheer the team on. The right picture is of a HT fan with a very quirky baseball cap. Click on the pictures to get a clearer view.
Rakuten fans in red surrounded by a sea of yellow and white and black, the colours of Hanshin Tigers.
Stadium officials spraying water onto the infield before the game.
A true Hanshin Tigers' fan. She was the pom-pom girl for the game. One of the drummers, keeping the crowd in the right beat as we sang and chant. Click on the pictures to get a better view.
The Hanshin Tigers at their box watching the game.
Player 35 hit the ball and off he goes to first base as the other player at first base races to reach second base before he gets tagged out.
The first baseman (Rakuten in red) and the HT player getting ready.
I had to put this picture in a bigger size. Just look at his expression! He was one of the conductors guiding us while we were cheering our team along. He was just 4 meters away from me. If you look closely you can see the brown patch of infield behind him.
The HT fans, cheering on their team! Katobase! Katobase! That is Japanese for encouraging the player to hit a home run. We were also singing the team's song, Rokko Oroshi.
Player no 6, Kanemoto. I wanted to buy HT's pins and I bought his number. I gathered that he is very popular as many fans were wearing his number and that of no 53, Akahoshi.
Rakuten players huddling together dicussing strategy. They were losing. The picture is blur but somehow I like it.
Fans holding their balloons, ready to let go at the signal from the conductors. It is a tradition to let the balloons go at the 6th inning and when the team has won. As you can see, EVERYONE had a balloon.
The outfielder. Rakuten team.
The pitcher (Rakuten), the batter at the batter's box, the catcher and the umpire judge at the home plate.
Close-up of the Rakuten pitcher, getting ready to pitch.
Close-up of the Hanshin Tigers' pitcher, in the act of pitching.
The day was getting darker, the spotlights were switched on.
We stood up, I think we were singing or cheering, getting ready to let go of our balloons at the 6th inning. This was towards the end of the game when it was clear that the Tigers were going to win.
And up, up, up they go!
And down down down they came. The balloons were not tied at the end, so as the air inside ran out, it was raining balloons.
And finally, the end came. The Tigers won and the fans let go of their balloons for the second time, into the night.
The outfield reserves where we were sitting. See if you can spot a small patch of red situated near the middle of the picture. Those are Rakuten fans, the rest..Hanshin Tigers!
Those were the plastic hollowed bats we bought to help cheer the team on. The right picture is of a HT fan with a very quirky baseball cap. Click on the pictures to get a clearer view.
Rakuten fans in red surrounded by a sea of yellow and white and black, the colours of Hanshin Tigers.
Stadium officials spraying water onto the infield before the game.
A true Hanshin Tigers' fan. She was the pom-pom girl for the game. One of the drummers, keeping the crowd in the right beat as we sang and chant. Click on the pictures to get a better view.
The Hanshin Tigers at their box watching the game.
Player 35 hit the ball and off he goes to first base as the other player at first base races to reach second base before he gets tagged out.
The first baseman (Rakuten in red) and the HT player getting ready.
I had to put this picture in a bigger size. Just look at his expression! He was one of the conductors guiding us while we were cheering our team along. He was just 4 meters away from me. If you look closely you can see the brown patch of infield behind him.
The HT fans, cheering on their team! Katobase! Katobase! That is Japanese for encouraging the player to hit a home run. We were also singing the team's song, Rokko Oroshi.
Player no 6, Kanemoto. I wanted to buy HT's pins and I bought his number. I gathered that he is very popular as many fans were wearing his number and that of no 53, Akahoshi.
Rakuten players huddling together dicussing strategy. They were losing. The picture is blur but somehow I like it.
Fans holding their balloons, ready to let go at the signal from the conductors. It is a tradition to let the balloons go at the 6th inning and when the team has won. As you can see, EVERYONE had a balloon.
The outfielder. Rakuten team.
The pitcher (Rakuten), the batter at the batter's box, the catcher and the umpire judge at the home plate.
Close-up of the Rakuten pitcher, getting ready to pitch.
Close-up of the Hanshin Tigers' pitcher, in the act of pitching.
The day was getting darker, the spotlights were switched on.
We stood up, I think we were singing or cheering, getting ready to let go of our balloons at the 6th inning. This was towards the end of the game when it was clear that the Tigers were going to win.
And up, up, up they go!
And down down down they came. The balloons were not tied at the end, so as the air inside ran out, it was raining balloons.
And finally, the end came. The Tigers won and the fans let go of their balloons for the second time, into the night.
posted by AL LEE at 1:13 AM
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