Today marks the semifinals of the Summer Koshien tournament, and this weekend the national champions of high school baseball will be decided. Next week on the 26th, the 97th Intercity Baseball Tournament (organized by Mainichi Shimbun and the Japan Amateur Baseball Association) will kick off at Tokyo Dome, setting the stage for fierce battles aiming for the pinnacle of adult non-professional baseball.
The tournament will run for 12 days until September 6, featuring a total of 32 teams: 31 teams that won their regional qualifiers, and the defending champion Oji (Kasugai City), who clinched their second championship in 21 years at the previous tournament. The opening match on the 26th will pit Kasugai City against JR Hokkaido Club (Sapporo City). Kasugai City will attempt to become the sixth team in history (seventh time overall) to win consecutive tournaments, a feat last accomplished by JX-ENEOS (Yokohama City, now ENEOS) in 2012 and 2013.
You won't want to miss the battles fought over the "Black Lion Flag," the highest honor in non-professional baseball.