A country shaken by a deadly earthquake and tsunami and a worsening radiation leak finally had something to celebrate.
Tuesday was Japan’s opening day in baseball.
A crowd of 22,525 attended the Pacific League opener at QVC Marine Field in Chiba, a suburb of Tokyo, where the Sendai- based Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles beat the defending Japan Series champion Chiba Lotte Marines 6-4. Sendai is in the area hardest hit by last month’s catastrophe. The Golden Eagles are unable to use their stadium until April 29.
“During training camp, I went to a shelter and I saw people there with energy in their faces,” Golden Eagles infielder Kazuo Matsui, who played on the Rockies’ 2007 World Series team, told The Associated Press. “I went there expecting to cheer them up, but instead they cheered me up. “
