Start of Japanese season postponed again

It became clear that the scheduled start of the NPB season in Japan will be abandoned. No new date is scheduled. 

In an online meeting the twelve owners of the NPB clubs decided not to start the season before the end of May. It was also decided to cancel eighteen scheduled interleague games. This leads to a 125-game schedule which may be hard to work with because of the raging corona pandemic.

”It was clear that we were going to have to reduce the number of games,” said Shosaku Yokota of the Orix Buffaloes. “We decided that in such a case, it was best to protect league games.”

Both leagues (Pacific and Central) were scheduled to start on March 20. Opening Day was then moved to April 10, and then again to April 24. Attempts to settle for a new starting date were abandoned earlier this month.

The season was scheduled in such a way, NPB players could get a three-week break to participate in the Summer Olympics. But with the Olympics being rescheduled for 2021, the NPB owners still had hopes the regular schedule could be played. But since Japan, like most other countries is still struggling with the coronavirus, the 2020 NPB season becomes more unlikely.