BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / Sac Bunts

Pandemic-era Japan Series has more than a title chance on the line

A volunteer holds up a sign reminding fans to follow infection prevention measures as the Hawks' PayPay Dome admits a crowd of over 10,000 for the first time since the start of the pandemic on Sept. 19 in Fukuoka. | KYODO

By Jason Coskrey
Staff writer

Nov 17, 2020

The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks and Yomiuri Giants are about to meet in the most consequential Japan Series in recent memory.

Not because of what might happen on the field — though either the Hawks winning a fourth straight title or the Giants pulling off a, well, giant-killing would be big — but because of everything going on around the finale of this coronavirus-afflicted 2020 season.

The Series arrives as COVID-19 cases around Japan are rising again and during a week in which International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach visited the country to express his confidence not only that Japan can stage the postponed 2020 Olympics next summer, but that fans would be in the stands to see it.

Pandemic-era Japan Series has more than a title chance on the line

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