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Day 12: A taste of Japanese culture & baseball
SENDAI (Japan) - The Dutch Olympic Softball Team had the day off on Sunday, their last full day in Sendai and the hottest day of their stay in Japan. On Monday, the team makes the almost 8-hour busride back to the Tokyo-region to stay overnight at Narita, then flies to Beijing on Tuesday for the Olympic Games.
After breakfast, some of the players and staff members took a touristical busride to view the city, while other remained at the hotel to relax or do their packing, or do some shopping.
At 5:00 PM, the team left for Kleenex Miyagi Stadium, the home of the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, which plays in the Pacific League, one of the two Japanese Major Leagues.
After the All Star-break, two All Star Games were played last Thursday (at Osaka) and Friday (at Yokohama), the regular season resumed again today for the second half of the season.
The Golden Eagles were playing against the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters and the Dutch Team was invited by the Sports Promotion Section of the Planning and Community Affairs Bureau for the City of Sendai to attend the game.
The team was welcomed by Mr. Yoshiaki Shimizu, the Assistant Director of the Sports Promotion Section, and was given tickets for box seats on the fifth floor of the big stadium.
Besides that, all players and staffmembers also got a cap of the Golden Eagles.
Through this website, the Dutch team wants to thank Mr. Shimizu and the City of Sendai for the wonderful evening at the stadium. We really enjoyed it.
The Golden Eagles played a great game and won, 11-4, outhitting the Ham Fighters, 15-9. In the Pacific League, the Ham Fighters are currently in second place, while the Eagles are in sixth.
It was a great atmosphere in the stadium, with the more than 20.000 spectators cheering their favorite team the entire almost 3-hour game.
In leftfield and rightfield were the cheering teams of both squads accompanied by huge flags and drums.
Between innings, cheerleaders entertained the spectators, as did the mascots, there was fireworks and a special 7th inning stretch with balloons.
Around the stadium, there were a lot of stands, even including one for the opposing team, and all kinds of entertainment for the spectators and children.
It was a great night to get a taste of Japanese Major League baseball.
Kleenex Miyagi Stadium, the home of the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in Sendai
The team is being welcomed by Yoshiaki Shimizu, the Assistant Director of the Sports Promotion Section
of the Planning and Community Affairs Bureau for the City of Sendai
and is handed the tickets for the game
Some players and staffmembers pose with Golden Eagles-geishas
(photo taken by Nathalie Timmermans)
The beautiful stadion of the Golden Eagles
Saskia Kosterink and Rebecca Soumeru take photos & videos
Views of the home of the Golden Eagles in Sendai
The press room on the sixth floor of the stadium
The game between the Golden Eagles and Ham Fighters in full action
The spectators in leftfield and rightfield are the cheerleaders in the stadium
accompanied by huge flags, they lead the audience in cheering their favorite team
The immense scoreboard above the 'batter's eye' in centerfield
Britt Vonk, Petra van Heijst and Daisy de Peinder at the stadium
Greetings at home after a 3-run homerun in the second inning
Nr.7 is Takeshi Yamasaki, the DH of the Golden Eagles, who singled
in the winning run last Thursday in the first NPB All Star Game in Osaka
Nathalie Timmermans and Sandra Gouverneur enjoy the game
Daisy de Peinder gets a Golden Eagle-shirt from Yoshiaki Shimizu
Another view of the stadium, which was filled with over 20.000 spectators
Judith van Kampen with her personal guards
Media Officer Marco Stoovelaar, Coach Rob Walgien, Petra van Heijst
and Physical Therapist Rob Oskam in their box seats
(photo taken by Judith van Kampen)
Members of the Dutch Team were asked to pose for photos by Golden Eagle-fans
American Rick Short is welcomed at home by a cheerleader, a TV-crew,
the Golden Eagle-mascots and receives a present after hitting a homerun
Marjan Smit, Ellen Venker and Daisy de Peinder pose for a reporter of Japanese TV
Go back to the schedule of the Japan Tour
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