Baseball's WBC = World Baseball Classic Japan beat Italy in the quarterfinals to advance to the semifinals for the fifth consecutive time. The semifinals and finals will be held at Lone Depot Park in Miami, Florida, in the southern United States.
Opened in 2012 as an all-weather ballpark with a retractable roof, it is usually used by the MLB Marlins.
With a capacity of about 3,7000, it is the second smallest in a major league ballpark, and like a famous resort in Miami, there is also a bar behind the left fence where you can watch games.
When it first opened, it was a natural grass stadium, but because the roof was closed and games were often held, it was difficult to grow the turf, so four years ago, the latest artificial turf was introduced, which is rare for a major league baseball stadium.
Among Japan players, former Marlins pitcher Ichiro and Junichi Tazawa have played as home players, but this will be the first time Japan will play in the WBC.
Japan representatives are also dealing with time difference and climate, Group D will not travel
In this WBC, it is also the venue for Group D of the first round, and the winning team will also play the quarterfinals here, so Venezuela, who finished first in Group D, and Puerto Rico, who finished second in Group D, did not move until the end even if they reached the final.
Meanwhile, Japan is expected to enter the United States on the 1th, and will have to deal with the 1-hour time difference in just three days until the semi-finals on the 2th, as well as the nearly 17-degree Miami climate every day.
The local community is booming
On the left-stand walkway at Lone Depot Park, a large WBC tournament table is painted on the wall, recording daily scores and winnings so that passing fans can see at a glance.
In front of the tournament table, a replica of the championship trophy was displayed, and fans who visited formed a long line to take commemorative photos.
In addition, official merchandise of each team, including Japan, was sold at the shop set up in the stadium, and T-shirts of Shohei Otani with the number "16" were on display.
The only Japan uniforms and T-shirts sold in the stadium are those with Ohtani's name on them, and although the uniforms have already been sold out, they are considering selling additional ones in case Japan advance to the semifinals.
As soon as the gates opened on the 15th, many people visited the merchandise store, and local fans wearing American uniforms could be seen buying Japan goods.