It would be an understatement just to say there was a decline in offense in Japanese baseball last season.
The 2011 season was not a good one for sluggers or fans of the long ball, as power numbers went down at a torrid pace. Where 2010 was highlighted by the exploits of sluggers such as Alex Ramirez, who hit 49 homers, and Craig Brazell, who finished with 47, 2011 was punctuated by a parade of hitters trudging back to the dugout after long outs.
Many observers placed the blame on the NPB's newly mandated official ball, which the league warned wouldn't carry as far as the balls that were previously in use.