From February 1, 11 professional baseball teams, excluding Seibu, entered the camp.
With the start of the WBC (World Baseball Classic) next month, attention will be paid to what kind of adjustments the players selected as representative members will make in a schedule that is different from usual.
Two Pacific League teams, Orix and Softbank, who won Japan's No. 1 in Miyazaki last season for the first time in 26 years, will camp in on the same day.
Rakuten, Lotte, and Nippon-Ham will also be camping in Okinawa.
Seibu, which will be camping in Nichinan City, Miyazaki Prefecture, will start camping from the 6th of this month, considering that the start of the season will be delayed due to the influence of the WBC.
Orix (Miyazaki)
Orix, who won the first place in Japan last season for the first time in 26 years, started the camp at Kiyotake General Sports Park in Miyazaki City on the 1st, aiming for the Pacific League for the third consecutive time and the first place in Japan for the second year in a row.
Children from a nearby kindergarten rushed to the entrance of the stadium and cheered each time a player passed in front of them.
General practice began before 10:00 a.m. After the players loosened up their bodies by running and stretching, they were divided into pitchers and fielders and practiced.
The pitchers played catch, and ace pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto carefully threw each pitch, paying attention to shifting his weight.
Oryx's camp will continue until the 2nd of next month.
Softbank (Miyazaki)
From early in the morning, enthusiastic fans gathered around the stadium to welcome the players as they arrived at Ikimemori Sports Park in Miyazaki City, the campground for SoftBank, which aims to become Japan's number one for the first time in three years.
And before practice, the players who came out to the ground threw autographed balls into the stands and interacted with the fans.
At around 11:00 a.m., practice finally began, and Takuya Kai, who was selected to represent Japan in the WBC, and Kensuke Kondo, a new member of the WBC, warmed up and loosened up their bodies.
A man in his 50s who came from Kitakyushu with his wife said, "It's my first time coming to camp, but I'm looking forward to seeing the athletes working hard up close."
Softbank's camp will be held until the 2nd of next month.
The Seibu camp-in starts on the 6th in Nichinan City, Miyazaki
Rakuten (Okinawa Kin Town)
Rakuten's 1st army camp, which aims to be the best in Japan for the first time in 10 years, started on the 1st in Kin town in the northern part of the main island of Okinawa.
Around 9:00 a.m., the new captain, Hideto Asamura, was the first to appear on the ground, batting repeatedly for about 20 minutes, and the sound of hitting balls echoed in the silent ground.
After that, a welcome ceremony was held by Kin Town for the first time in three years on the ground, and Mayor Nakama encouraged them, saying, "I want you to win the championship for the first time in 10 years."
All the players and staff formed a circle, and coach Kazuhisa Ishii, who has been in office for three years, called out, "There is only one thing we can achieve as a team. Let's always play brightly with this squad."
Rakuten's camp reopened spectators last year after taking measures to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, but this year the restrictions have been relaxed, and spectators are also in the infield seats.
A woman in her 40s from Nago City, Okinawa Prefecture, who was visiting, said, "She came to see me last year, but I'm happy to see the players up close this year."
Rakuten's first army camp will be held in Kin town until the 19th of this month, and regular battles will be held for the opening of the season.
Nippon-Ham started a training camp in Okinawa on the 1st, beginning their second season as head coach Tsuyoshi Shinjo, who has declared that he will aim for the top spot in Japan.
Nippon-Ham's 1st army will enter the camp in Nago City, and the 2nd army will enter the camp in Kunigami Village, and spectators can enter without restrictions this year.
The players entered the stadium one after another from before 8:00 am, and Tsuyoshi Matsumoto, who was the leading hitter last season, expressed his enthusiasm, saying, "I'm in a position to lead the team, so I want to show it from my back."
In addition, pitcher Takayuki Kato, who has been nominated by Manager Shinjo as the opening pitcher, said, "I want to make a solid pitch and build a body that can fight for a year."
Lotte (Okinawa Ishigaki)
Nippon-Ham (Okinawa Nago) will also have a red-and-white match in the afternoon
Nippon-Ham started a training camp in Okinawa on the 1st, beginning their second season as head coach Tsuyoshi Shinjo, who has declared that he will aim for the top spot in Japan.
Nippon-Ham's 1st army will enter the camp in Nago City, and the 2nd army will enter the camp in Kunigami Village, and spectators can enter without restrictions this year.
The players entered the stadium one after another from before 8:00 am, and Tsuyoshi Matsumoto, who was the leading hitter last season, expressed his enthusiasm, saying, "I'm in a position to lead the team, so I want to show it from my back."
In addition, pitcher Takayuki Kato, who has been nominated by Manager Shinjo as the opening pitcher, said, "I want to make a solid pitch and build a body that can fight for a year."
As he said, Kato entered the bullpen on the first day of the camp, threw 139 pitches with his characteristically good tempo, and showed a smooth adjustment to become the first opening pitcher.
In the last season, Coach Shinjo changed the players in the 1st and 2nd teams during the training camp to assess the abilities of the players, and had many players participate in the official games, but this season he is currently in the training camp. shows the policy to decide regular members.
February open game schedule
[2/23 (Thu)]
Yakult vs. Giants Okinawa Urasoe 13:00
[2/25 (Sat.)]
Nippon Ham vs. Rakuten Okinawa Nago 13:00
Giants vs. Hiroshima Okinawa Naha 13:00
Yakult vs. Hanshin Okinawa Urasoe 13:00
Chunichi vs DeNA Okinawa Chatan 13:00
[2/26 (Sun)]
Nippon-Ham vs Hanshin Okinawa Nago 13:00
Giants vs DeNA Okinawa Naha 12:30
Yakult vs Rakuten Okinawa Urasoe 13:00 Midday
vs Hiroshima Okinawa Chatan 13 Time