The 88th Intercity Baseball Tournament — known as the “midsummer ball,” hosted by The Mainichi Newspapers and the Japan Baseball Federation — has been a daily battle at Tokyo Dome for a week since opening on the 14th. By Game 1 on the 21st, half of the final eight were decided. Game 2 on the 22nd completes the quarterfinal field, and from Game 3 that day the quarterfinals begin… toward the final on the 25th, the tournament is entering its stretch.
A large yagura (bracket board) is also posted beside the first-floor east entrance of Palaceside Building, with results filled in (photo). Of the 32 teams, 20 had already exited by Game 1 on the 21st.
Looking at the companies, quite a few firms and groups have more than one team. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has the most: three teams from Nagasaki, Hiroshima, and Kobe/Takasago, plus Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems (Yokohama), which used to be Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Yokohama (the name changed when the power-plant business became a joint venture with Hitachi). To longtime fans it feels like four teams. The three that still carry the Heavy Industries name have already been eliminated.
Honda also entered three teams (Sayama, Saitama; Ozu, Kumamoto; Suzuka, Mie). Sayama lost in the first round, Kumamoto fell in Game 1 on the 21st, and Suzuka faces Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems on the 22nd for a quarterfinal berth.
JR companies are separate, but four teams entered: the club team Hokkaido Hardball Baseball Club (Sapporo) and JR East (Tokyo), West (Hiroshima) and Shikoku (Takamatsu). JR East has reached the final eight.
NTT has East (Tokyo, in the final eight) and West (Osaka, first-round exit). Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Kashima (Kashima, Ibaraki, first-round exit) and the club team Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Tokai REX (Tokai, Aichi) entered; REX is in the final eight.
All four Tokyo teams won their openers — a rare winning streak. After NTT East and JR East reached the final eight, Tokyo Gas faces Seino Transportation (Ogaki, Gifu) in Game 3 on the 21st, and Sega Sammy faces JR West in Game 2 on the 22nd.
The yagura as of the end of Game 1 on the 21st is below. How is your hometown team, or your favorite?
