Rakuten Eagles to play opening series at Koshien Stadium
by Gen on Mar.21, 2011 @ 2:25 pm, under NPB
It appears there's a good chance the Rakuten Eagles will open the season at Koshien Stadium (three game series against Orix). There was also talk of the Eagles starting their year at Hotto Motto Field Kobe (university games are scheduled in the afternoon on the 16th and 17th) and Kyocera Dome (an AKB48 event is scheduled on the 16th), but neither will be available for all three games. And while the Eagles could play night games at Hotto Motto on the 16th and 17th, the PL is making a concerted effort to play as many day games as possible.
Incidentally, for those wondering, the Hanshin Tigers will be on the road during the Eagles opening series (they'll be playing the Chunichi Dragons at Nagoya Dome).
The team also announced on Sunday that repairs to Kleenex Stadium will officially begin tomorrow.
UPDATE 3/22 @ 1:41am
It's official, the Rakuten Eagles will be playing their opening series against the Orix Buffaloes at Koshien Stadium.
There's also an update on Kleenex Stadium: it appears owner Toru Shimada is hoping re-open the stadium on 4/29.
Said Shimada, "It doesn't matter what the [stadium] looks like. As long as we can guarantee fan safety. We want to life spirits by playing baseball in the best possible situation."
On Monday, the Eagles borrowed the Koshien indoor practice facilities for practices.
