Home Runs Fall at Japan's Summer High School Baseball Tournament
Listen to the story
Koshien is one of Japan's most famous baseball events for high school players. It takes place twice a year, in spring and summer.
This year's summer tournament has seen a surprisingly low number of home runs. Only seven have been hit so far, which could become the lowest total ever recorded for the event.
The games have also shown a high number of errors, with 117 mistakes counted. This has raised questions about the quality of play.
A respected senior figure in Japanese baseball has criticized the current level of high school baseball. He asked whether new star players, similar to famous former players Kiyohara and Matsui, will ever appear again.
He also raised concerns about problems with coaching. Some coaches have faced accusations of power harassment, a term used when someone in a position of authority treats others badly.
In addition, he said that parents are becoming too involved in team management. He believes this excessive involvement is damaging the quality of coaches.
If the low number of home runs continues, it will create an unusual situation. The summer tournament would have fewer home runs than the spring one. This has happened only once in the past 52 years, and only once since metal bats were introduced in 1974.
The low home run count and high error total have sparked wider debate about the future of high school baseball in Japan.
Vocabulary6 words
- tournament
- a sports competition with several games
- home run
- a hit that scores a run without stopping
- error
- a mistake made during a game
- coaching
- training and guiding players
- power harassment
- treating someone badly because of higher position
- metal bat
- a baseball bat made of metal, not wood
Quiz
Answer key
1. The number of home runs 2. Some face accusations of power harassment 3. It has happened only once in 52 years
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
Koshien is one of Japan's most famous baseball events for high school _____.
This year's summer tournament has seen a surprisingly low number of _____.
Only seven have been hit so far, which could become the lowest total ever _____.
The games have also shown a high number of _____, with 117 mistakes counted.
A respected senior figure in Japanese baseball has _____ the current level of high school baseball.
He asked whether new star players, similar to Kiyohara and _____, will ever appear again.
Some coaches have faced accusations of power _____.
He said that parents are becoming too _____ in team management.
This has happened only once in the past 52 years, and only once since metal bats were _____ in 1974.
The low home run count and high error total have sparked wider _____ about the future of high school baseball.