Japan Series: DeNA Face SoftBank in Baseball Final
Listen to the story
The Yokohama DeNA BayStars and the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks are competing in Japan's Japan Series, the championship final of Japanese professional baseball.
Before the game, DeNA announced its starting lineup and made large changes. The team replaced several players batting in the fifth spot and below.
SoftBank also announced its lineup. Player Yuu Yamamoto is taking part in the game, even though he was hit by a pitch the day before.
A hit by pitch happens when a thrown ball strikes a batter. It can sometimes cause injury, but Yamamoto was able to continue playing.
The Japan Series is a yearly event between the champion teams from Japan's two baseball leagues. It is one of the most important sports competitions in the country.
As the game began, attention turned to which team would take the lead first. Taking an early lead can give a team a psychological advantage.
Baseball remains extremely popular across Japan, and the Japan Series draws large audiences every autumn.
Fans and reporters were closely following the match, waiting to see how both teams' lineup choices would affect the result.
Vocabulary10 words
- Japan Series
- the final championship series in Japanese baseball
- starting lineup
- the group of players chosen to start a game
- hit by pitch
- when a thrown ball hits a player
- take the lead
- to become first or ahead in a game
- championship
- a competition to find the best team
- league
- a group of sports teams that play each other
- injury
- damage to a person's body
- advantage
- something that helps you succeed
- audience
- people watching an event
- competition
- an event where teams or people try to win
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Quiz
Answer key
1. The Japan Series championship 2. They made large changes to their batting lineup from fifth place down 3. He was hit by a pitch
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Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
The Yokohama DeNA BayStars and the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks are competing in Japan's _____, the championship final of Japanese professional baseball.
Before the game, DeNA announced its starting lineup and made large _____.
The team replaced several players batting in the fifth spot and _____.
SoftBank also announced its lineup. Player Yuu Yamamoto is taking part in the game, even though he was _____ the day before.
A hit by pitch happens when a thrown ball _____ a batter.
The Japan Series is a yearly event between the _____ teams from Japan's two baseball leagues.
As the game began, attention turned to which team would take the _____ first.
Baseball remains extremely _____ across Japan, and the Japan Series draws large audiences every autumn.
Discussion questions
- Why do you think teams sometimes change their lineup before an important game?
- Do you think a player should still play after being hit by a pitch? Why or why not?
- Why might taking an early lead in a baseball game be important?
- Have you ever watched a championship sports event like the Japan Series? What was it like?
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