The NPB announced today that Mazda will sponsor the All-Star Series for the sixth year in a row.

The All-Stars Series will take place at Sapporo Dome (July 19), Jingu Stadium (July 20), and Iwaki Green Stadium (July 22) this year.

Source: Sponichi 3/1/2013

The NPB announced today that they raised 19,572,771 yen through the Mazda All-Star Game 2012 Charity Auction that took place between August 9 and 16.  A total seventy-six items were auctioned off.

A slightly adjusted amount of 19,572,780 yen was donated to reconstruction efforts in northern Japan via the Japanese Red Cross Society on September 21.

Top Five Uniforms

Source: Nikkan Sports 9/24/2012, official announcement

The NPB announced the dates and stadiums for the 2013 All-Star Series.

• July 19 (Fri) - Sapporo Dome
• July 20 (Sat) - Jingu Stadium
• July 21 (Sun) - Extra Day
• July 22 (Mon) - Iwaki Green Stadium
• July 23 (Tues) - Extra Day

The third game of the series will once against be a part of the NPB's continued plans to help support northern Japan's rebuilding and revitalization efforts by holding an All-Star game in an area that was hit by the Tohoku Earthquake.  It should also be noted that this will be the first time an All-Star game is played in Fukushima.

Source: Sponichi 9/5/2012, Official announcement

The charity auction for the Mazda All-Star Game 2012 uniforms will begin on August 9 at 12:00 and end on August 16 at 23:00.

The uniforms will be up for auction at the following two auction sites:

Yahoo! Japan Auctions

Rakuten Auctions

A total seventy autographed game-day uniforms will be up for auction.  Six umpire game-day umpire shirts, that including official All-Star logos, will also be up for auction.

Proceeds from the auction will be donated to reconstruction efforts in northern Japan through the Japan Red Cross Society.

Some updates from July 24 (post will be updated throughout the day, as needed):

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As a winner of the SKYACTIV Technology Award, Katsuki Akagawa (Yakult) received a brand new car.  One problem: he does not have a license.

Said Akagawa, "I do not have a driver's license.  I do plan on getting one this year though...  I will give [the car] to my parents."

Source: Daily Sports 7/24/2012

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Akagawa became the fifteen player in All-Star history to toss three perfect innings and the first player in Swallows' history to toss three perfect innings during an All-Star game.

Central League pitchers also hurled nineteen consecutive shutout innings between the 2nd inning of Game 1 and the 2nd inning of Game 2.  That is the second longest streak in All-Star history (the PL holds the record with twenty-five consecutive shutout innings in 1952).

Source: Sponichi 7/24/2012

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Yoshinobu Takahashi (Yomiuri) became the first outfield in All-Star history to commit two errors in one game: a fielding error in the 3rd inning and a fielding error in the 4th inning.  Source: Sponichi 7/24/2012

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Kazuhiro Hatakeyama (Yakult) hit a home run during Game 3 on Monday and...

• ...now has two career All-Star homers, which is good for second on Yakult's All-time list (behind Roberto Petagine's three and tied with Norichika Aoki and Alex Ramirez's two a piece).
• ...gave the Swallows eighteen All-Star home runs.
• ...made him the first Yakult to hit an All-Star home run out of the clean-up spot.
• ...made him the first player from the Tohoku region to hit a home run in an All-Star game taking place at a stadium in the Tohoku region (out of four games, three in Sendai and one in Iwate).
• ...gave him his first Tohoku region home run in twenty games (regular season and All-Star games).

Source: Sponichi 7/24/2012

A third year junior high school baseball player from Kamaishi, Iwate caught Hatakeyama's home run.  Source: Nikkan Sports 7/24/2012

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Dai-Kang Yoh (Nippon Ham) hit his second All-Star home run of the year on Monday and became the seventh player to hit two or more home runs in his first All-Star Series (first in Fighters' franchise history).  He also joined Isao Harimoto (1962), Toshizo Sakamoto (1972), Katsuo Osugi (1972), Junichi Kashiwabara (1982), and Atsunori Inaba (2011) as the only players in Fighters' franchise history to hit two home runs during an All-Star Series (franchise high).

Yoh is the seventh player in franchise history to win an All-Star MVP and the third in franchise history to win an All-Star MVP in his first series (behind Harimoto in 1960 and Osugi in 1967).

Source: Sponichi 7/24/2012

Yoh also appears to be the first player in All-Star history to collect four RBIs out of the lead-off spot.  Source: Nikkan Sports 7/24/2012

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Daisuke Miura (Yokohama) threw his slow curve fives times on Monday night.  Source: Nikkan Sports 7/24/2012

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Kiyoshi Nakahata may not have wanted Miura (Yokohama) to pitch three innings on Monday.

When reporters informed him that Miura got hit in the 3rd inning, he replied, "I thought they decided on two innings.  There is [Miura's] next regular season game to think about so [I wanted him to pitch] as few innings as possible..."

Source: Sponichi 7/24/2012

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Hitoki Iwase (Chunichi) did not make an appearance in any of the three All-Star games this year (discomfort in left elbow).  The last player that made the roster but did not play in any All-Star games: Kazuo Fukumori in 2007.  Source: Sports Hochi Osaka 7/24/2012

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TV Ratings for the All-Star Series...

Game 1, TV Asahi - Kanto region: 10.8%, Kansai region: 13.5%

Game 2, TV Asahi - Kanto region: 10.8%, Kansai region: 12.4%

Game 3, Fuji TV - Kanto region: 9.6%

Game 1 last year was broadcast on TBS and pulled in ratings of 13.0% in Kanto and 16.9% in Kansai.

Source: Daily Sports 7/24/2012, Daily Sports 7/24/2012

Round 1

Game 1

Shinnosuke Abe - three home runs
Takeya Nakamura - one home run

Game 2

Sho Nakata - one home run
Kazuhiro Hatakeyama - one home run

Finals

Shinnosuke Abe - five home runs
Kazuhiro Hatakeyama - zero home runs

* Hatakeyama advanced since he received more HR Derby votes.

See also:

Mazda All-Star Game 2012: Game 1 Home Run Derby Results
Mazda All-Star Game 2012: Game 2 Home Run Derby Results

Some updates from July 23 (post will be updated throughout the day, as needed):

The teams arrived in Iwate on a chartered flight out of Matsuyama Airport.  A welcoming ceremony was held at Hanamaki Airport.  Source: Sanspo 7/23/2012

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Pre-game ceremony will include: Thelma Aoyama will sing the national anthem; the Japan Self-Defence Force will fly two F-2 fighters over Iwate Stadium; and haiku baseballs made by kids in Matsuyama will be presented to kids in Iwate.  Source: Sanspo 7/23/2012

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Daisuke Miura (Yokohama) wants to throw a slow curve at least once during his start -- he is shooting for something in the 80km/h range.  Source: Sanspo 7/23/2012

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Hideki Kuriyama told reporters, perhaps jokingly, that he expects Sho Nakata (Nippon Ham) to win the HR Derby and that if he will fine him if he does not.  Source: Sanspo 7/23/2012

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Takayuki Kishi (Seibu), Takahiro Shiomi (Rakuten), Koji Aoyama (Rakuten), and Hisashi Takeda (Nippon Ham) will likely get chances to pitch today.  Source: Sanspo 7/23/2012

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Hitoki Iwase (Chunichi) will not be available to pitch tonight because his left elbow is not feeling well.  He apparently missed Game 2 for the same reason.

Source: Sanspo 7/23/2012, Nikkan Sports 7/23/2012

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Masahiro Araki (Chunichi) could get a chance to test his left hamstring during an appearance in tonight's game.  Source: Nikkan Sports 7/23/2012

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Kyuji Fujikawa (Hanshin) will most likely not pitch today.  Source: Sanspo 7/23/2012

Fujikawa also approached Tony Barnette (Yakult) for some tips on how to throw the cutter.  Source: Sanspo 7/23/2012, Nikkan Sports 7/23/2012

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If Nobuhiro Matsuda (Softbank) gets the start at third base tonight, he has the chance of becoming the only player on either roster to play every inning of this year's All-Star Series.  Source: Nikkan Sports 7/23/2012

Central League vs Pacific League @ Morioka Stadium - 18:05
Announced Starters: Daisuke Miura (YOK) - Masahiro Tanaka (RAK)

Attendance: 14806 | Central leads series, 2-1-0 | Time: 2:33

(continue reading...)

Nikkan Sports has posted the CL's starting line-up for Game 3, as provided by Morimichi Takagi.

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Starting Line-up

Some updates from July 22 (post will be updated throughout the day, as needed):

The Central League won the All-Star Series after taking the first two games.  That means the 2012 draft will begin with the last place CL team.  Source: Sponichi 7/22/2012

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Kenta Maeda (Hiroshima) became the first pitcher in the NPB to win an All-Star MVP since Daisuke Matsuzaka in 2004 and the first Hiroshima pitcher since Yutaka Enatsu in 1980.  Other info:

• Maeda is the first Hiroshima pitcher to record two All-Star victories.  Hiroshima pitchers have recorded twelve All-Star victories in all.
• He is also the sixth pitcher in the NPB to record at least two victories in a row, in as many games, beginning with his first.  The other five: Hisahi Yamada (3 G, 3 W), Kenichi Kajima, Hiroaki Nakayama, Takashi Saito, and Koji Uehara.
• Hiroshima pitchers are in the midst of a seven-game winning streak that began with Hiroshi Nagadomi in 1989.  Seibu (Nishitetsu) is the only other team to have achieved the feat (beginning with Masaaki Ikenaga in 1966 and ending with Masayuki Matsunuma in 1984.

Source: Sponichi 7/22/2012, Nikkan Sports 7/22/2012

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At twenty-three years and seven months, Hayato Sakamoto (Yomiuri) is the first twenty-three-year-old player to bat in the middle of the order (three through five) and hit a home run since Hideki Matsui in 1997.  He is also joins seven other Yomiuri Giants with two or more All-Star home runs.  Source: Sponichi 7/22/2012

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Yoshihisa Naruse (Lotte) threw three knuckle-forkball type pitches during his outing on Saturday.  Source: Sponichi 7/22/2012, Nikkan Sports 7/22/2012

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Takashi Toritani (Hanshin) made the starting line-up at second on Saturday.  It was his first game at second since his first year at college.  Source: Nikkan Sports 7/22/2012

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There were  about 24,000 tickets to Saturday's game.  They were all sold off during advance-order sales -- same-day tickets were not available.  Source: Sponichi 7/22/2012

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Of the sixty-one All-Star Series that have taken place, the PL has been swept three games to none three times.  The PL suffered its first shutout loss since July 20, 2007.  For those wondering, the CL was last shutout on July 24, 2011.  Source: Nikkan Sports 7/22/2012

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The PL players got to Matsuyama about twenty minutes later than scheduled because their flight was delayed (weather).  While they did make it to the stadium in time for pre-game practice, they did not arrive until after 15:00pm.  FYI: visitor batting practice was scheduled to take place between 15:45 and 16:25.  Source: Sponichi 7/22/2012