The Nippon Ham Fighters have announced their annual Yankees Day promotion will be held on Sunday, Sept. 3, when the team will play host to the Chiba Lotte Marines in a Pacific League game to begin at 1:30 p.m. at the Tokyo Dome. AIWA Co., Ltd., will sponsor the event and, as usual, the Nippon Ham club has provided 3,000 free tickets for foreign fans in the Kanto area (or from anywhere you'd like to come).
The Fighters have held Yankees Day, sometimes referred to as "gaijin day," for more than 20 years to honor their working agreement with the American League Yankees and to recognize foreign players and fans in Japan.
An opening ceremony will include international entertainment and the performance of the American and Japanese national anthems by members of the U.S. Air Force Band of the Pacific -- Asia from Yokota Air Base. American children will present floral bouquets to the foreign players on the Fighters and Marines. AIWA and other sponsors will provide door prizes to be won by fans and an MVP prize for the outstanding player in the Yankees Day game.