Chiba – In case anyone didn’t see the image on the scoreboard at Zozo Marine Stadium, Chiba Lotte Marines PA announcer Emi Taniho relayed the message loud and clear herself.
« Welcome back. »
After starting the season behind closed doors on June 19, NPB teams welcomed fans back into ballparks, in limited numbers, on Friday.
Despite COVID-19 cases rising again in some areas — Tokyo reported 243 cases on Friday — NPB went ahead with its plans for teams to allow up to 5,000 fans to attend games.
In accordance with governmental guidelines, the league is hoping to raise the number to half of capacity beginning Aug. 1.
In Chiba, where the gates opened at 4 p.m., fans had their temperatures checked and were asked to use hand sanitizer. Wearing a mask was a condition to get into the stadium and fans were spaced apart in the stands.
But although there were fans in the stands, it didn’t sound like a typical NPB game. Spectators were asked to refrain from their usual styles of cheering, including singing and shouting, as a way to help lower the risk of spreading the virus.
The crowd in Chiba went along it with it, clapping and letting out the occasional oohs and aahs. When the Lions’ Hotaka Yamakawa homered in the first inning, Seibu fans imitated his famous dosukoi pose — a celebration he borrowed from the sumo world — but did so by lifting their hands without screaming.
When Lotte’s Seiya Inoue homered in the bottom of the third, some Marines fans did air high-fives in the stands.
Source : Baseball – The Japan Times