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120-550: Miyagi Stadium is the third-oldest NPB stadium and the oldest in the PL. It was built in 1950 to host countryside NPB games and amateur baseball. Lights were added in 1973 for night games and to attract more professional games. The Lotte Orions began using it as a semi-home that same year and played five seasons the until 1977. In 1974 , the Orions brought the stadium its first postseason games, however Japan Series games were not held in

240-524: A swing affixed to the end. In addition to being available during game days, the attraction was also operated on non-game days when Smile Glico Park was open despite not being located within the Glico Park. Eagle Bridge was dismantled before the 2020 season. Miyagi Stadium is the third-oldest of twelve NPB stadiums and the oldest in the Pacific League. Other than the addition of lights in 1973,

360-542: A 69-73-1 record, and Tadahito Iguchi would be let go after that season, replaced by Masato Yoshii. The Marines would edge out the Hawks and Eagles in a close playoff race in 2023, finishing 2nd with a 70-68-5 record. They would defeat the Hawks in 3 games in the first stage, but lost in 5 games to the Buffaloes in the final stage, who also had a 1 win advantage for having the best record in Pacific League. That season would be

480-409: A café building was converted into a small, 4-room, Eagles-themed hotel named Rakuten STAY x EAGLES. in the park is also open to reservations for both game and non-game days. Rakuten opened a thrill ride at the top of the stands on the third base side in 2018. The ride, dubbed the "Eagle Bridge", consisted of two beams suspended 20 m (66 ft) above the ground, one to walk across and another with

600-486: A crush that killed three people and injured others. Outside the stadium, the overflow crowd also began climbing a fence in an attempt to gain entry. The fence collapsed, injuring 31 people, twelve seriously. As a local ballpark, Miyagi Stadium hosted only about two professional countryside games per season, on average. In the spring of 1972, former baseball scout Isao Uko lobbied for the installation of lights at Miyagi Stadium to allow for night games . He believed that

720-531: A domed facility costing ¥ 23.5 billion and ¥10 billion, respectively. Upon being selected as the new NPB team in November 2004, Rakuten president Hiroshi Mikitani traveled to Miyagi Stadium to sign a basic agreement with Shiro Asano , governor of Miyagi Prefecture, officially securing the ballpark as the Eagles' home field. There, he revealed the redevelopment details alongside an artist's rendition of

840-482: A large, concrete frame was constructed that expanded the concourses, allowing for restrooms and shops to be upgraded and added. In addition to stadium infrastructure, baseball facilities and amenities were also modified. The baseball field's outfield wings were extended from 91.4 to 101.5 metres (300 to 333 ft), the largest in NPB at the time, and its natural turf was replaced with artificial FieldTurf . A facility housing

960-406: A maximum capacity of theoretically 35,000, but lowered to 30,700 to abide by fire safety ordinances. Despite the lower capacity, it was far more luxurious, with seats being wider and made of fibre-reinforced plastic , so they wouldn't easily get hot. They also had larger fan concourses, and Japan's first luxury boxes in stadiums. 4 were meant for larger parties, and 1 for VIPs, intent on trying to get

1080-431: A mini fridge and put it in between their lockers. it also featured a feature in most NPB stadiums today, indoor bullpens, and also featured the first infield grass in NPB. It was also the first stadium to be built with light towers as part of the design, rather than them being added later, giving it the nickname "The Stadium of Light" by the media. The stadium had some downsides, such as it being narrow due to dimensions in

1200-423: A natural turf outfield and a dirt infield; the distances from home plate to the outfield wall were symmetrical: 91.4 metres (300 ft) to the foul poles and 122 metres (400 ft) to the center field wall. Rakuten's first renovation of the stadium prior to the 2005 season dramatically changed the field. The foul poles were pushed back to 101.5 metres (333 ft), the longest in NPB at the time, and also extended

1320-483: A nearby former Imperial Japanese Army training ground into Miyaginohara Sports Park, which would include a new baseball stadium and a general athletic stadium . The 28,000-capacity baseball stadium, dubbed Miyagi Stadium, opened in 1950 and Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) games were played there instead starting that same year. It hosted its first two official Pacific League (PL) games on May 5, three weeks before its completion on May 27. The games featured

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1440-702: A professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based in Chiba City , Chiba Prefecture , in the Kantō region , and owned by Lotte Holdings Co., Ltd. The Marines were a founding member of the Pacific League in 1950 as the Mainichi Orions when the Japanese Baseball League reorganized into Nippon Professional Baseball , where they won the inaugural 1950 Japan Series . Since 1992,

1560-484: A relatively small market for a baseball franchise in Japan. Furthermore, the stadium is located in a public park subject Japan's City Park Law, an ordinance dictating how much park space can be occupied by buildings, making it difficult to freely expand the facility. After the Eagles advanced to the Second Stage of the 2009 Climax Series , NPB became concerned about Miyagi Stadium's low seating capacity. Compared to

1680-468: A team. Mid-season in 2013, the Eagles were in first place in the Pacific League and selling out games played at Miyagi Stadium. To help meet fan demand, Rakuten erected two temporary seating sections in the ballpark. The resulting 936-seat section along the third-base line and the 1,249-seat section on the left field lawn increased Miyagi's capacity from 23,466 to 25,651. The seats opened to fans that September. However, NPB had been pushing Rakuten to increase

1800-484: A tie in the third game and Orix having the better record at 70-55-18, allowed the Buffaloes to advance. On April 10, 2022, Rōki Sasaki threw a perfect game , NPB's first in 28 years and the 16th in NPB history. Sasaki tied an existing NPB record by striking out 19 batters, and setting a new record by striking out 13 consecutive batters. It didn't do much to help the season, as the Marines finished in 5th place with

1920-593: A two-day strike on September 18–19. With the strike set to continue the following weekend, team representatives eased the rules of entry for new teams into the professional leagues and that one would be allowed to join the following season. Both Rakuten and Livedoor's team plans included basing the team out of Miyagi Stadium in Sendai. On November 2, NPB selected Rakuten over Livedoor to create a new Pacific League team to be based in Sendai. After being chosen, Miyagi Prefecture and Rakuten agreed on lease agreement that would allow

2040-488: A wave pattern to reflect the ocean currents off Chiba's coast. In 1995, this was changed to the logo's current design, while dropping pink and blue in favor of red, black and white (with red being dropped in 2019). The current logo's design features a baseball in the background with a seagull soaring, with the club's name around the circle. The team failed to reach the Japan Series again until 2005 . The Marines started

2160-409: Is a separateness of the team name. Originally Rine-chan wore a pink sports visor cap till the 2022 season when she wore the same baseball cap as her boyfriend while retaining the skirt, while Zu-chan wears the cap backwards and wears an apron instead of the jersey beginning 2022, before that he wore a shirt unless all three wear their team's special home uniforms. Mysterious fish (謎の魚, Nazo-no-sakana )

2280-400: Is known as M☆Splash!!. They were formed in 2004. Alongside the team's mascots Mar-kun, Rine-chan and Zu-chan, they entertain the crowd during Marines games, with 27 members. Mar-kun (マーくん, Maa-kun ) is a main mascot character of the Marines. With his girlfriend Rine-chan (リーンちゃん, Riin-chan ) and his young brother Zu-chan (ズーちゃん, Zuu-chan ), he entertains spectators at team games. Their name

2400-578: The 2005 season in first place behind American manager Bobby Valentine , who had returned after having managed the team to a 2nd place finish in 1995 behind the Orix BlueWave , but struggles between him and general manager Tatsuro Hirooka had him leave after that lone season, but fell behind the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks as the year progressed. Under the playoff format of the time, the preliminary five-game playoff round, prior to

2520-407: The 2013 Japan Series brought Miyagi Stadium's capacity to 28,120. Following the Japan Series, the temporary stands down the third-base line and in left field were dismantled. In the offseason, another temporary seating section was constructed in left field, bringing capacity to 25,717. Five months later, work was completed on new, permanent seating in the former location of the temporary stands down

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2640-577: The Imperial House of Japan to watch an NPB game, like had happened in Korakuen in 1959. The luxuries extended to even players, as clubhouses were much larger than Korakuen. Catcher Takeo Daigo , in particular, stated that in any other stadium, he couldn't change without bumping into other players. In Tokyo Stadium, he could spin in his chair with his legs out and he wouldn't bump into someone. In fact, when George Altman joined in 1968, they bought

2760-723: The Konami Cup Championships. In 2010 , the Marines clinched third place on the last day of the season to earn a berth into the Climax Series. They went on to become the first third place team to ever win the Climax Series, and faced off with the Chunichi Dragons in the 2010 Japan Series . The Marines defeated the Dragons in seven games, composed of four wins, two losses, and one tie, winning their second Japan Series in under ten years. In 2013 ,

2880-583: The Mainichi Orions playing the Nankai Hawks and the Daiei Stars and proved to be extremely popular. Spectators began arriving to the stadium the night before and thousands of fans had gathered by morning. In an attempt to quickly disperse the restless crowd, organizers moved the gate opening ahead from 10 am to 8 am. The crowd rushed into the stadium's entrance tunnel resulting in

3000-738: The Mainichi Orions , an inaugural member of the Pacific League , and were owned by the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper. The Orions were named after the constellation of the same name . The Marines won the inaugural Japan Series in 1950 . In 1958, the team was merged with the Daiei Unions and renamed the Daimai Orions , to reflect that both Daiei and Mainichi had a 50% stake in the team, with control being given to Daiei Film president Masaichi Nagata . In 1964 they became

3120-574: The Shinkansen , or the Sendai Airport Line , Rakuten operates a shuttle bus to and from the stadium from the station's east exit bus stop platform 76. In addition to rail service, several bus options also provide transportation to the stadium. Locally, Rakuten Seimei Park is served by Sendai City Bus routes 230, 233, and 308. Some intercity bus routes operated by JR Bus Tōhoku , Aizu Bus , and Fukushima Transportation throughout

3240-592: The Tokyo Orions , and the Lotte Orions in 1969. The franchise was slow to replicate its initial success: the Orions made the Japan Series in 1960 and 1970 , only to lose both years. The team played in central Tokyo until 1972. From 1973 to 1977 the Lotte Orions played in the northern Japanese city of Sendai . In 1974 , they beat the Chunichi Dragons , becoming the first Pacific League team to win

3360-404: The governor of Miyagi Prefecture Yoshihiro Murai and United States Ambassador John Roos was held before the game. After the disaster, NPB decided to move the final game of the 2011 All-Star Series from Tokyo Dome to Kleenex Stadium, the second time the Eagles hosted the event in four years. The Eagles clinched their first Pacific League title in 2013, making Miyagi Stadium the host of

3480-456: The 2004–2005 offseason. Kajima Corporation was hired for the project and demolition started in December, 2004. In the first week of the project, the infield seats were removed and the scoreboard was demolished; a new, fully-electronic board was installed in its place before the start of the season, . In addition to replacing all of the infield seats, new seating sections were also constructed. In

3600-419: The 2009–2010 offseason, an Aurora Vision video board developed by Mitsubishi Electric was installed in right-center field. The 20.6 m × 16.3 m (68 ft × 53 ft) high-definition LED screen is one of the largest in an outdoor stadium in Japan and was seven times larger than the screen embedded on the scoreboard at the time. The screen was erected to the right of the scoreboard to block

3720-487: The 2012–13 offseason when two new seating sections were built in left- and right-center fields that protruded from the existing outfield seating. These new sections effectively created a "lucky zone" on the field, a Japanese term that describes moving an outfield wall to make hitting home runs easier. The additions reshaped Rakuten Seimei Park Miyagi's field to its current dimensions of 100.1 metres (328 ft) to each foul pole and 116 metres (381 ft) and 122 metres to

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3840-685: The Central League team they played and NPB, as proceeds from Japan Series attendance are split among the three parties. NPB's concern led to some speculation that if the Eagles ever advanced to a Japan Series, the games would not be held in Miyagi Stadium. Instead of increasing Miyagi Stadium's seating capacity, Rakuten suggested that they could increase ticket prices to make up the difference. Team owners and NPB, however, requested that they increase capacity to at least 28,000, citing Rakuten's original pledge to do so when they were first awarded

3960-468: The Dragons; while "Pirates" was disregarded because the Chiba Pirates name was used by a team in a baseball manga , and since the team in that manga is terrible, executives didn't want the team to be associated by a team that was supposed to be awful, supported by the fact that by then, the Orions had finished their 6th consecutive losing season, finishing in 6th in 3 of the last 4 seasons, alongside

4080-465: The E-Wings, a new outfield wall was also constructed. This wall was shorter than the previous (2.8 to 2.5 metres (9.2 to 8.2 ft)) and featured padding for outfielder players. Rakuten removed much of the temporary seating added throughout the year during the Eagles' championship in 2013 and replaced it with a large, permanent seating area along the third base line. In addition to traditional seating,

4200-585: The Final Stage of the Climax Series for the first time and setting up the possibility of holding its first Japan Series games. In preparation for these games, Rakuten spent ¥100 million adding temporary seating to the park to increase its seating capacity for the events. Rakuten won the 2013 Climax Series , allowing Miyagi Stadium to host its first ever Japan Series, which the Eagles went on to win. The temporary stands were eventually dismantled and replaced with permanent seating options. The 2013 Japan Series

4320-460: The Japan Series, saw the teams with the best first and second half records face off. The Marines defeated the Hawks three games to two in the Pacific League championship, winning the rubber match despite entering the eighth inning trailing, 2–1. The Marines thus qualified for the Japan Series , the first time they had reached the tournament since 1974, a 31-year drought. In a one-sided series,

4440-515: The Japan Series, the only even that sold out that year was a wrestling event featuring former Giants pitcher Shohei Baba . The Orions would lose that Japan Series to the Giants, but the majority in attendance were Giants fans, which infuriated Lotte. So after that, they entered a deal to play a 2/3rd of their games in Sendai at Miyagi Baseball Stadium , with the rest being split between Korakuen and Kawasaki. After that, no one wanted to move in there, as

4560-494: The Lotte Orions only considered Sendai to be a temporary home until a new one could be found. Despite officially moving the team, the Orions continued to play only about half of their home games there with the other half being split among other stadiums primarily in the Kantō region . Furthermore, the team's offices remained in Tokyo and the players continued to reside in the Tokyo metropolitan area. The unusual home field situation led

4680-669: The Marines clinched third place to clinch a berth in the Climax Series and faced the Saitama Seibu Lions in the first stage. They defeated the Lions in 3 games to move onto the final stage. They would lose to the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in 5 games, who would go on and defeat the Yomiuri Giants in 7 games to win their first (and still only) Japan Series title. They would make it back in

4800-583: The Marines swept the Hanshin Tigers in four games, scoring ten runs in each of the first three games. The apparent ease with which the Marines defeated the Tigers added fuel to the ongoing debate concerning the need for a playoff system in the Central League , which was finally added in 2007 (see Climax Series ). The Marines went on to defeat South Korea's Samsung Lions in the final round of

4920-472: The Marines' home ballpark has been ZOZO Marine Stadium , located in the Mihama Ward of Chiba, seating 30,118 people. The "Marines" name originates from the name of the stadium they play in, which is officially named Chiba Marine Stadium , because the stadium is located right on the water. Through 2024, the franchise's all-time record is 4874-4844-405 (.502). The Marines franchise began in 1950 as

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5040-499: The Orions signed Major League Baseball player Leron Lee , who ended up playing for the team for eleven seasons, compiling a .320 career batting average and slugging 283 home runs with 912 career RBI. From his retirement to early 2018 (when surpassed by Norichika Aoki ), Lee held the Japanese record for career batting average (players with more than 4,000 at bats ). In 1978, Lee invited younger brother Leon Lee to play in Japan, and

5160-472: The Orions to be known as a "gypsy" team. After the Orions won the second half of the season in 1974, Miyagi Stadium hosted its first postseason games in that year's PL Playoffs . Lotte won the series and advanced to the Japan Series , however these games were not held in Sendai. Instead, because of Miyagi Stadium's relatively low capacity, their home games were held at Korakuen Stadium in Tokyo . After winning

5280-598: The Orions to play on weekdays, if they weren't moved to Kawasaki Stadium to also play second fiddle to the Taiyo Whales . With this, Daiei Film president Masaichi Nagata set out to build a stadium that would surpass Korakuen Stadium. The land the stadium was set to be built was a site of a former silk factory in Arakawa . Nagata would buy the land for ¥1 billion (or $ 2.8 million in 1960), then poured another ¥2 billion into construction. Construction began in 1961, and

5400-399: The PL with five teams instead of six for the 2005 season In the wake of the loss, two Internet service companies, Rakuten and Livedoor , applied to start new teams, however NPB representatives maintained that the 2006 season would be the earliest a new team could enter the league. The players wanted any new teams ready for the next season and when no agreement was reached the players staged

5520-509: The Series in ten years, as the Yomiuri Giants had claimed the prior nine titles behind the Oh – Nagashima attack. After beating the Dragons, their owners, Lotte Holdings, decided to hold their victory parade in Tokyo, which shocked fans in Sendai. This eventually caused their attendance there to crash, from sold out games in 1973, to only about 2000-3000 for their last few years in Sendai. In 1977,

5640-636: The Swallows and Toei Flyers were fine with their venues, and so it sat for 5 years before being demolished in 1977 to build a multi-purpose facility for Arakawa citizens. Taking overall design inspiration from Candlestick Park in San Francisco and Comiskey Park in South Side Chicago , the stadium was given a more open air feel, with the concourses being out in the open, rather than fully enclosed. It wasn't as big as Korakuen, with

5760-546: The Tōhoku region also provide direct-to-stadium options on game days. For fans not using public transportation, the stadium is accessible by car via the Tōhoku Expressway (E4) on the west and Sendai-Tōbu Road (E6) on the east. The stadium has an on-site and an off-site parking lot as well as on-site parking for bikes and motorcycles. Lotte Orions The Chiba Lotte Marines ( 千葉ロッテマリーンズ , Chiba Rotte Marīnzu ) are

5880-501: The ballpark. In 2007, for the first time in fifteen years and since becoming the permanent home of an NPB team, a game in the All-Star Series was played at the stadium. Two seasons later, it hosted its first Climax Series when the Eagles qualified for the 2009 postseason for the first time. Two weeks before the start of the 2011 season, the Tōhoku region was struck by the largest earthquake in Japan's history. The quake and

6000-519: The brothers formed a feared cleanup for the Orions for five seasons — in 1980, Leron had 33 home runs, 90 RBI, and a batting average of .358; while Leon slugged 41 home runs and drove in 116 runs, with a batting average of .340. In 1978 the team returned to the Tokyo area, settling in Kawasaki 's Kawasaki Stadium, at one time home to the Taiyo Whales (today's Yokohama DeNA Baystars ). In 1992,

6120-479: The company had violated labor law. After this incident, Fullcast's contract was terminated several months early, and its name was removed from the ballpark. After Fullcast's contract was cancelled in 2007, Miyagi Prefecture began soliciting applications for a new naming sponsor that same year. Nippon Paper Industries committed to a ¥750 million contract to rename Miyagi Stadium "Nippon Paper Kleenex Stadium Miyagi" beginning on January 1, 2008. However, just before

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6240-492: The company's mobile carrier subsidiary. Miyaginohara Station on JR East 's Senseki Line is the closest train station to Rakuten Seimei Park. Nicknamed "baseball station", it was repainted crimson red in 2005 to celebrate the founding of the team. Additionally, atop the station's entrance sits a large Eagles helmet, it features images of the team's mascots, and trains play a clip from the team's song "Habatake Rakuten Eagles" as their departure melody . Tsutsujigaoka Station ,

6360-482: The damage caused by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake took precedent. Following the 2012 season, Rakuten continued its redevelopment of Miyagi Stadium and again focused on implementing their "ball park concept". The box seats along the first base side were expanded farther toward the outfield and included a party deck. The bigger change, however, came with the addition of the new E-Wing seating sections. These two sections were built in right- and left-center fields protruding from

6480-474: The existing outfield seating. The construction of these seats changed the shape of the outfield and decreased the distances to the wall; both distances down the first and third baselines were reduced from 101.5 to 100.1 metres (333 to 328 ft), and middle left and right fields were shortened from 117 to 116 metres (384 to 381 ft), effectively creating a "lucky zone", the term used to describe moving an outfield wall to make hitting home runs easier. Along with

6600-403: The facility as not only a place to watch a baseball game, but also as an entertainment destination for people of all ages. One year later and in the middle of the contract, Rakuten again changed the stadium's name, the third time in five years. The new name, " Rakuten Seimei Park Miyagi ", was chosen to raise the profile of Rakuten's life insurance business. After this, fans became frustrated with

6720-494: The facility in 2004, Miyagi Stadium accommodated approximately 28,000 people. This relatively low capacity factored into the decision to not play the 1974 Japan Series in the Stadium. Initially, Rakuten's announced renovation design revealed that the ballpark's seating capacity was planned to be 23,000 by the start of the 2005 season and 28,000 by the following spring. After the two-stage renovation, however, its seating capacity

6840-541: The facility into one that more closely resembles a Major League Baseball stadium. The stadium's Smile Glico Park is modeled after Petco Park 's Park at the Park and intended to help attract non-baseball fans to Miyagi Stadium. The transformation of Miyagi Stadium away from a traditional Japanese-style park slowly started a trend in NPB, with Mazda Stadium and ES CON Field following suit in 2009 and 2023, respectively. From its completion in 1950 until Rakuten began renovating

6960-405: The fact that they were unsure if they could even use it to begin with, due to Japanese copyright laws . "Marines" was ultimately chosen because the team believed it meant "heroes of the sea" (and because the letter "M" was available), yielding the club name Chiba Lotte Marines . Originally, the club used pink, blue, and white on their logo, which included a pirate ship, with a seagull below it, and

7080-401: The feasibility of maintaining a natural turf field in Sendai's cold climate by collecting data on grass installed on a practice area next to the stadium in 2014. During the last major seating alteration following the 2018 season, a four-story tower was constructed and the first base side infield seats were upgraded. The new 25 m (82 ft)-tall tower, dubbed "Eagles Tower", sits just beyond

7200-598: The first two companies to buy them. Since 2014, Rakuten has purchased the stadium's naming rights, using it to promote their Kobo eReader , life insurance and mobile carrier . The stadium has been named Rakuten Mobile Park Miyagi since 2023. Prior to the 1949 Japanese professional baseball reorganization , Hyojogawara Stadium in Sendai hosted various countryside Japanese Baseball League games beginning in 1948. However, in October 1949, Miyagi Prefecture began redeveloping

7320-407: The first- and third-base foul lines would be extended from 91.4 meters to 99.7 meters, a video screen would be installed on a new fully-electronic scoreboard, and the field would possibly be replaced with artificial turf . Mikitani compared the stadium's new plan to that of a Major League Baseball (MLB) stadium. The first phase of Rakuten's renovation of Miyagi Stadium was completed entirely during

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7440-418: The following season to the outfield seating areas and the right field lawn section was converted to a group seating area that provided tables for groups up to five people. Upgrades continued in 2009 and 2010 when the sunken backstop seats were enclosed to help create the new "Prestige" section, and the large video board was installed in right field, respectively. Renovation plans were halted in 2011 when repairing

7560-421: The foul pole on the first base side and can hold up to 103 spectators. Miyagi Stadium's name had remained unchanged since it opened in 1950. However, before the start of Rakuten's first season in Miyagi Stadium, the team and the prefecture agreed to sell the naming rights to the stadium to help pay for team management costs. The agreement stipulated that the rights would be renegotiated every three years and

7680-407: The frequency of the changes. Rakuten renewed their contract a third time at the end of 2019 for the same amount as the previous contracts, ¥603 million. After keeping the name for five years, Rakuten changed the stadium's name again starting in 2023 with their fourth three-year, ¥603 million naming rights contract; the stadium's current name, " Rakuten Mobile Park Miyagi ", takes its name from

7800-473: The game's line score. It was demolished and replaced with a larger, partially-electric scoreboard prior to the start of the 1973 season. In addition to the new electric inning-by-inning scoring and indicator lights, the new board featured handwritten batting lineups and umpire listings as well as a clock. This scoreboard was used until 2004, when it was demolished on December 6 during Rakuten's renovation of Miyagi Stadium. The stadium's third scoreboard iteration

7920-408: The infield, two sections that cut into foul territory down the first and third baselines were added. Additionally, an area was dug out behind the backstop and seats were installed to allow for spectators to view the game from a lower perspective. Since the stadium only had lawn seating in the outfield prior to the renovation, new permanent seating needed to be built. On the far left- and right-sides of

8040-630: The last for ZOZO Marine Stadium public address announcer Emi Taniho . Originally, she was given a farewell ceremony on October 7, 2023, her supposed last home game, which included many former Marines players, but she was given extended duty, as the Marines were appearing to make a run for the Climax Series. That game was also her 2,100th game announcing. Her actual last day with the team was on December 20. Pitchers Catchers Infielders Outfielders Manager Coaches Catchers Outfielders Manager Coaches Active: Former: Retired: The Marines' cheer dancing squad

8160-458: The left- and right-center field walls to 117 metres (384 ft). Two seating sections were also constructed on the field along the first and third baselines, greatly reducing the stadium's foul territory. Additionally, this renovation converted the natural turf and dirt field playing field to an artificial surface using FieldTurf . This artificial turf had to be replaced once after the 2007 season. The outfield dimensions changed one last time during

8280-554: The lights could help attract up to 30 professional games to the stadium annually. With investments from businesses in the Tōhoku region such as the Kahoku Shimpō , Tohoku Baseball Company was created to help fund the project. Six 32-metre-tall light towers were installed along with a partially-electric scoreboard before the start of the 1973 season . At the same time lights were being installed at Miyagi Stadium, Tokyo Stadium

8400-436: The loss, the Orions advanced to the 1977 Pacific League Playoffs and again played their games at Miyagi, however this time they failed to advance to the Japan Series. It would be another 28 years before the stadium had another full-time NPB tenant. Immediately after relocating to Kawasaki, Lotte continued to hold approximately ten countryside games annually at Miyagi Stadium. In 1978, Hankyu Braves pitcher Yutaro Imai threw

8520-598: The money from the each contract would be split between the team and the prefecture at a three-to-one ratio, respectively. Additionally, any new stadium name must include the word "Miyagi". The first contract was awarded to the only bidder, staffing firm Fullcast, and in early 2005, the ballpark's name was changed to " Fullcast Stadium Miyagi " for ¥600 million. However, in August 2007, the Tokyo Labor Bureau ordered Fullcast to suspend operations after it found that

8640-416: The next season. That night, the Orions fought for a playoff spot during their last regular season game. When they lost the lead in the ninth inning, fans threw cans and bottles onto the field which required the game to be temporarily suspended. Lotte manager Masaichi Kaneda appealed to the crowd on the public address system to let the players finish the game explaining that they were trying their best. Despite

8760-546: The next station west of Miyaginohara on the Senseki Line, also brings passengers to within walking distance of the stadium. Sendai Subway 's Tōzai Line can also be used to get to Miyagi Stadium, with the line's Yakushido and Rembo Stations both bringing passengers to within a fifteen-minute walk. For fans arriving to Sendai Station via various lines, including the Sendai Subway Namboku Line ,

8880-494: The other stadiums in NPB that all held at least 30,000 people, Rakuten's approximate capacity of 22,000 was significantly lower. Though they were eliminated in the Second Stage, if Rakuten had won and advanced to the Japan Series, NPB claimed that there would have been a ¥100 million profit difference per game held at Miyagi Stadium compared to the Sapporo Dome . This loss of profit would have not only affected Rakuten, but also

9000-420: The outfield wall. The outfield scoreboard installed prior to the 1973 season still displayed team batting lineups via old-fashioned panels with players’ names hand-painted on them. Renovations to the aging facility were an important part of the selection process when NPB was in talks with Livedoor and Rakuten to form new teams to be based in Miyagi Stadium. Prior to the selection hearings, professional baseball sent

9120-582: The outfield walls in left/right-center and center fields, respectively. Miyagi Stadium's artificial turf was eventually removed and natural grass was again introduced prior to the start of the 2016 season. Instead of the black soil used in Koshien Stadium 's infield, Miyagi Stadium's infield uses the red clay featured in MLB ballparks. It remains the only natural turf field in the Pacific League. Miyagi Stadium's first, simple outfield scoreboard only displayed

9240-406: The outfield, two new sections were constructed, while grass seating was maintained on either side of the new scoreboard. Beyond the left field seating, an 8-metre (26 ft) high mound dubbed "Rakuten Mountain" was created using leftover dirt excavated during construction. The sloped hill connected the area behind the stadium to the grass seating area in left field. Around the front of the stadium,

9360-507: The park is a 16 gondola, 36-metre-tall ferris wheel from which fans can watch the game that was requisitioned from the closed Sendai Hi-Land amusement park. A merry-go-round and a playground were added to the park, as well as other temporary attractions such as a climbing wall and a double-decker bus . Fans have access to the amusement area with purchase of a ticket to an Eagles game, however individual tickets to Smile Glico Park are also sold separately and on non-game days. In 2020,

9480-413: The pitchers' bullpens was added on the outside of the stadium along its third base side, allowing fans to watch players warm up. Construction concluded on March 20 and the Eagles held their first game at the stadium on April 1, 2005. Work on the second phase of the project started the following offseason in October 2005. The concrete frame constructed around the front of the stadium during the first phase

9600-521: The playoffs in 2015. They defeated the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in 3 games in the first round, then got swept by the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks , who received a one game advantage for having the best record in the Pacific League. The following season, they returned to the playoffs. They would make a much earlier exit, as they were swept by the Hawks in 2 games in the first stage. It would not be until 2020 when they returned to

9720-475: The playoffs. The Hawks, with a 1 game advantage, would sweep them again in the first stage. They bounced back the following year by defeating the Eagles in 2 games in the first stage, including a tie in the second game which allowed them to advance as they had the better record at 67-57-19, while the Eagles had a 66-62-15 record. They got swept by the Orix Buffaloes in the final stage in 3 games, however

9840-420: The price of the naming rights was lowered to ¥600 million. The company's name was also added back into the stadium's official name, making it " Nippon Paper Kleenex Stadium Miyagi ". In 2013, Nippon Paper decided not to renew its contract to purchase Miyagi Stadium's naming rights for a third time. Two companies applied after the prefecture opened applications, and Rakuten, the baseball team's parent company,

9960-571: The property. Center field was the standard 120 meters (393 feet), but left and right field was 90 meters (295 feet), not helped by the fact the walls weren't high. Said walls were made of concrete with no padding, instead of wood. It took 4 years for this to cause injury, with pads being added after that. The scoreboard was also smaller compared to other stadiums, so any names with complex Kanji characters would have to be transcribed in Katakana to be easily deciphered from distances. The overall location

10080-609: The right time. Despite being friends with Mar-kun, they do not get along very well. In 2016, he was retired by the team. The Marines farm team plays in the Eastern League . The team was founded as the Mainichi Glitter Orions in 1950. Tokyo Stadium (1962) Tokyo Stadium ( 東京スタジアム ) was a baseball stadium in Arakawa, Tokyo , Japan. It was the home of the Lotte Orions until they moved to Miyagi Baseball Stadium in Sendai in 1972. The stadium

10200-420: The second and last perfect game at the stadium against the Orions. However, the number of games the team held there decreased drastically after they moved to Chiba in 1992. Miyagi Stadium stopped hosting Lotte games altogether after 2004. In addition to collaborating with Lotte, Tohoku Baseball Company also worked with the other Pacific League teams as well as some Central League teams to host countryside games at

10320-534: The second, both Orions wins. In fact, things were looking so good, that the Orions refused to entertain the idea of renting the stadium out, something that would be a grave mistake later on, with Nagata being adamant that this stadium was his, and for his company's team, so much so, he changed the name of his team to the Tokyo Orions in 1964. In fact, teams like the Toei Flyers and the Swallows would only use

10440-470: The section also featured seats with tables, box seats, party decks, and standing seats. It was completed in August 2014, with a 6 m × 35 m (20 ft × 115 ft) LED screen added to the top the following September. The following offseason, a new entrance gate and standalone Eagles' merchandise store were built in the plaza in front of the stadium and a geodesic dome was erected on its third base side. A restaurant for season ticket holders

10560-423: The selection subcommittee to the stadium to assess its state. During the hearings, the two applicants discussed their plans to renovate the infield seating, add outfield seating, increase capacity, upgrade concessions, replace the scoreboard, and extend the foul lines, among other topics. At this time, general contractors Takenaka Corporation and Kajima had also put together proposals to convert Miyagi Stadium into

10680-485: The series, Lotte held their victory parade in Tokyo as well. Local Sendai fans were disappointed with the team's attitude toward the city. Lotte's attendance, which had been the highest in the Pacific League in 1973, dropped to second place the following season. After five years playing in Sendai, it was announced on October 4, 1977, that the team would relocate to Kawasaki Stadium in Kanagawa Prefecture

10800-432: The smallest attendance figure that year still being a solid 15,000, a weekday game against the Chunichi Dragons . Swallows games would draw a healthy 20,000 people, and would often sell out if the starting pitcher that day was Masaichi Kaneda . The Orions, despite winning the 1960 Pacific League pennant, only drew around 10,000 fans on good conditioned days. In fact, scheduling also favored the Giants and Swallows, relegating

10920-405: The stadium due to its relatively low capacity. Following Lotte's departure, the park again hosted yearly NPB countryside games and the first of four All-Star games was held there in 1992. After the 2004 NPB realignment , Rakuten created a new NPB team to be based in Sendai and renovated Miyagi Stadium in several phases. With Major League Baseball stadiums as inspiration, the field was enlarged,

11040-429: The stadium if their home, Meiji Jingu Stadium , was being used by others, such as the university league Tokyo Big6 Baseball League , or if at that point in the season, the teams were just playing a dead rubber game. The downfall of the stadium began by 1964, when Opening Day only drew 5,000 people. In fact, the Pacific League, thanks to the rise of television, and the fact 2 media giants owned teams in Central League,

11160-402: The stadium on the first base side. These facilities housed the team's offices and clubhouse, two indoor practice areas, and a parking garage. With phase two concluded, Rakuten had spent ¥7 billion in total on the two-year modernization project. Prior to the 2007 season, the first ribbon display at a baseball stadium in Japan was added to Miyagi Stadium's backstop. Two more ribbons were added

11280-438: The stadium post-renovation. Rakuten initially planned to spend approximately ¥3 billion to modernize the stadium in two phases. The first phase would bring the ballpark's seating capacity to 23,000 by the following spring and phase two would increase the capacity to 28,000 by the spring of 2006. Extra seating would be placed in foul territory to bring fans closer to the field and box and VIP seating would be added. Additionally,

11400-412: The stadium's capacity to at least 28,000, specifically if the stadium needed to host Japan Series games, therefore Rakuten continued to add more temporary seating in early October as the postseason neared. Before it hosted its first Final Stage during the 2013 Climax Series , more temporary and standing seats brought the stadium's capacity to 26,965. Finally, the addition of 1,155 standing seats before

11520-507: The stadium's concourses were expanded, seating was updated, and its capacity was increased. In the outfield, two full-LED video boards were erected and the amusement park was built. The exterior was also significantly updated. The stadium hosted its first Climax Series and Japan Series in 2013 , when the Eagles went on to win the championship. Naming rights for the stadium have been sold in three-year increments several times since 2005. Staffing firm Fullcast and Nippon Paper Industries were

11640-476: The stadium's first perfect game on October 10 against the Taiheiyo Club Lions . After utilizing Miyagi Stadium as a semi-home in 1973, the Pacific League and Lotte agreed to move the team's protected area from Tokyo to Miyagi for following the season. NPB opened a season in Tōhoku for the first time with a Lotte game in Miyagi Stadium on April 6, 1974. Contrary to local expectations, however,

11760-415: The stadium's only other significant renovation was the reconstruction of the stands directly behind home plate to include individual seats in 1984. By 2004, the 54-year-old ballpark still featured simple bench seating down the first and third baselines, and the outfield section was a lawn with no formal seating. The playing field had a dirt infield and short distances down the right and left field foul lines to

11880-495: The stadium. An All-Star game was held in Miyagi Stadium for the first time when it hosted the third game in the 1992 All-Star Series . It was the first time the event was held in a countryside stadium. In addition to holding some NPB events, the stadium also continued to host local amateur baseball games. During the 2004 NPB realignment , the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes merged with the Orix BlueWave , leaving

12000-427: The start of the season, it was revealed that Nippon Paper had misled the public about how much recycled paper was being used in their products. In the wake of the news, the contract wasn't terminated, however, it was agreed that the company's name would be dropped from the stadium leaving " Kleenex Stadium Miyagi ". Near the end of the three-year contract period, all parties agreed to renew for another three years, however

12120-472: The subsequent tsunami devastated the region, including the city of Sendai. Following the event, 47 areas of Miyagi Stadium were identified as needing repairs, with its lighting towers sustaining the most damage. While the stadium was being repaired, the Eagles played their home games at Koshien Stadium and Hotto Motto Field . Baseball returned to Sendai on April 29, when the Eagles played their first game at their home field. An opening ceremony attended by

12240-494: The team moved to Chiba City 's Chiba Marine Stadium on the eastern shore of Tokyo Bay . They held a fan vote for a new name for the team; the name "Dolphins" won, while another popular choice was "Pirates". However, the name "Dolphins" was thrown out because though an unrelated team named the Nagoya Golden Dolphins (later known as Nagoya Kinko ) was long defunct, the letter "D" in broadcasts was already taken by

12360-459: The team to play in the prefecture's stadium for a modest ¥ 50 million per year. Furthermore, the team was allowed to manage the facility, giving them access to all revenue collected from the sale of all advertising, goods, and concessions within Miyagi Stadium. In exchange, Rakuten agreed to pay for the costs of renovating the stadium. After moving to Sendai, Rakuten renovated Miyagi Stadium in several phases, drastically changing and modernizing

12480-472: The team was sold to Lotte , and attendance wasn't getting better, only drawing an average of 8,500 fans despite winning the PL pennant that year, not even selling out a single game that year, only getting close when they clinched the pennant against the Nishitetsu Lions , when attendance recorded was 26,000. The 4 games after that got attendances as low as 800. In fact, aside from games played during

12600-571: The third-base line. The 3,019-seat section pushed the stadium's capacity over 28,000 once again. The last large-scale renovation of Miyagi Stadium occurred in the 2015–16 offseason that dramatically increased its capacity one last time. The project removed the temporary stands in middle-left field that could seat approximately 4,000 spectators and instead constructed a park capable of accommodating around 7,000, bringing Rakuten Seimei Park to its current capacity of 30,502 people. From its opening in 1950 until 2004, Miyagi Stadium's playing field featured

12720-421: The view of residents of an apartment building located behind the stadium's right-center field bleachers. Six years later, the center-field scoreboard was renovated for a third and final time; it was converted to a Panasonic full-LED video screen capable of displaying additional team and player statistics. When the newly renovated Miyagi Stadium opened in 2005, Rakuten Mountain, the left-center field seating area,

12840-421: Was a character known simply as Bubble-Boy (バブル坊や, Bable-Boya ) who only appeared as a logo. In 2005, the Marines introduced a mascot named Cool-kun ( かっこいいくん, Kakkoi-kun ), a penguin who was known for his acrobatic stunts and would often challenge mascots like Doala and B.B to acrobatic stunt contests at rival games. He also would be stuck up and rude at times, but he would burst to tears or show great emotion at

12960-464: Was a mascot character that was introduced in May 2017. He is a weird fish with legs. He has collaborated with Hawaiian Airlines that former Marines' player Benny Agbayani works for, since 2018. However, the person playing the mascot announced after the 2021 season that he would retire, which also meant the mascot was officially retired. Back when the team were known as the "Lotte Orions", their mascot

13080-477: Was a turf lawn until a temporary seating section was erected there in 2013. During the 2015–16 offseason, the temporary stands were removed and the area was redeveloped into a "park within a park" to further push Rakuten's "ball park concept". Named Smile Glico Park for sponsor Ezaki Glico , the resulting 4,000 m (43,000 sq ft) recreation area accommodates approximately 7,000 people and includes amusement attractions and game seating. The highlight of

13200-408: Was also constructed in the ballpark. The last large-scale renovation of Miyagi Stadium occurred during the 2015–16 offseason. The ¥3 billion project converted the field from artificial turf back to natural grass, updated the scoreboard to a full LED screen, redeveloped the center-left stands into an amusement park, and made minor alterations to several seating sections. Rakuten first began testing

13320-424: Was awarded the contract for ¥603 million. The ballpark was named " Rakuten Kobo Stadium Miyagi " from 2014 through 2016 to promote the company's ebook and e-reader subsidiary, Kobo Inc. When Rakuten renewed the contract at the end of 2016, the name was modified slightly to " Kobo Park Miyagi ". The word "park" was inserted into the stadium's name to help convey the team's new "ball park concept" that promoted

13440-399: Was completed in May the following year, opening on June 2, 1962, with every Pacific League team attending. Nagata closed the ceremony by saying to "please love the Pacific League." The Orions would win their first game there the same night, a 9-5 victory over the Nankai Hawks . Both would play a doubleheader the next day, which had a solid attendance figure, 18,000 in the first game, 20,000 for

13560-501: Was expanded upon and completed, resulting in a five-story structure that contained a food court, box seats, the TV and radio booth, the press box , and a premium lounge. Additional infield seating was added via a new section erected atop the building that houses the bullpens on the third base side and box seats and an enclosed lounge with a video screen above it built along the first base side. Four other adjoining buildings were built adjacent to

13680-461: Was facing a downturn in popularity, combined with the rise of the Giants V9 dynasty. This was worsened by the fact that the declining movie and film industry in Japan caused Daiei Film to lose money, heavily combined with the fact Nagata spent ¥3 billion in the stadium as this decline was looming. The stadium's massive lights were also expensive, combined with the fact Japan's electricity at the time

13800-502: Was getting ready to close following the 1972 season. This closure left the Lotte Orions without a home field next season. Miyagi's new lighting equipment helped lure the Orions to Sendai and the team agreed to play a portion of its games there in 1973. Lotte's first game at the ballpark on May 22, 1973, was also the stadium and the Tōhoku region's first night game. The ballpark hosted 32 NPB games that season, including 26 Lotte games. That year, Orions pitcher Soroku Yagisawa threw

13920-523: Was installed in March 2005, just before the start of the Eagles' inaugural season. The 25.5 m × 10.5 m (84 ft × 34 ft) board was created by Toshiba and its layout was similar to its predecessor; the lineups and line score, however, were presented via electric display along with the batter's average and pitching speed. New to the scoreboard was an 8 m × 6 m (26 ft × 20 ft) full-color LED screen . During

14040-511: Was mostly from fossil fuels, and that the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant had just began construction and wouldn't be complete for another 7 years. The aforementioned hubris of Nagata that the stadium was only meant for the Orions meant they were losing out on revenue. The final blow came with the infamous Black Mist Scandal of 1969 and 1970, where ace Fumio Narita was suspended for a month, but by then

14160-451: Was only 20,000 and 23,000, respectively. Almost yearly redevelopment caused the number to continually change. It was reduced to 22,187 in 2008 and 22,098 in 2009, but expanded to 23,026 in 2010. By the start of 2013, capacity was increased to 23,451 and again to 23,466 by April. Rakuten was cautious about rapidly expanding the stands because of the stadium's location in a public park and Sendai's population of approximately 1 million people,

14280-456: Was opened in 1962 and had a capacity of 35,000 people. In 1960, despite the Daimai Orions having won the Pacific League pennant in 1950 and 1960, and having won the Japan Series in the former year. they were getting tired of low attendance figures at Korakuen Stadium . They, at the time, were sharing the stadium with the Yomiuri Giants and Kokutetsu Swallows , who drew much larger crowds. For instance, Giants games regularly sold out, with

14400-445: Was the last time the stadium hosted a postseason game, however it was again hosted an All-Star game in 2021 , its fourth time. Miyagi Stadium was first built in the style of a traditional Japanese-style baseball stadium, a facility with symmetrical stands and outfield wall. When Rakuten began renovating the facility in 2004, however, they implemented a "ball park concept" that expanded seating and entertainment options. The plan modified

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