As can be expected, the top two teams of the first half, the Central League's Hiroshima Carp and Pacific League's Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, were well represented during this year's NPB All-Star Series.
Seven members of the Carp were on the CL roster, while the Hawks had six players flying the PL banner.
"The team's condition is really good right now," Carp pitcher Yusuke Nomura told The Japan Times on Saturday at Yokohama Stadium before Game 2 of the All-Star Series. "I'm really happy we're able to be here."