Seoul’s Gocheok Dome, which hosted the Lotte Giants and Kiwoom Heroes on July 27-28, was packed for the second consecutive day. Despite the rainy weather, 16,000 tickets were sold out for the second consecutive game. Lotte fans in the Seoul metropolitan area flocked to the game as the team, which has been in the bottom half of the standings for the past five years, entered the race for first place this season. The Heroes’ home stadium, Gocheok Dome, felt like Lotte’s home.
In Nippon Professional Baseball, the Hanshin Tigers are on a roll. They’re leading the Central League and dominating the box office. Every Hanshin game is a crowd-pleaser.
The Hanshin Tigers played the Yomiuri Giants at Koshien Stadium in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture on April 26-28. The stadium was packed for three consecutive games.
On the first day of the three-game series, 42,615 people attended, 42,620 on the 27th, and 42,618 on the 28th. According to Japanese media, 토토사이트 Hanshin has been counting 42,600 as a full attendance since 2020. This is the third consecutive game with a full house.
The 42,620 fans who attended the game on the 27th is the highest attendance for a single game in Nippon Professional Baseball this season. The 28th game drew two fewer fans than the previous day.
Hanshin is a powerhouse in the Kansai region centered around Osaka. Together with Yomiuri, they are the most popular team in Nippon Professional Baseball beyond the Central League. Regardless of the team’s performance, they are supported by their devoted fans, and this year, they are overflowing with fans.
The three games on June 26-28 are the largest single-game crowds in Nippon Professional Baseball this year. The 1st through 13th largest crowds this season were at Hanshin’s home games at Koshien Stadium.
The Hiroshima Kappa home game before the three-game series against Yomiuri was similar. 42,600 people attended the Hiroshima game on the 21st and 42,598 people attended the game on the 20th at Koshien Stadium. These were the fourth and fifth largest crowds of the year. The last five games at Koshien Stadium have been the first through fifth highest grossing games of the year.
Hanshin surpassed the 1 million attendance mark after 27 games (including the opening three-game series at the Osaka Dome). This is the fastest pace among the 12 teams in Nippon Professional Baseball. The average attendance is over 40,000. The lowest attendance this year was 37,198 against Yomiuri on April 27.
Hanshin was excited in front of a full house. They swept the three-game series with Yomiuri. They have won eight straight games since April 20 against Hiroshima. They are in first place, six games ahead of the second-place Yokohama BayStars. A whopping 18 wins (4 losses) in 22 games in May.
Hanshin hasn’t been to the top since winning the regular season title in 2005. They lost the Japan Series that year to the Chiba Lotte Marines, who were led by Lee Seung-yeop.
