Last week began with a crowd of 17,712 at Tokyo Dome for a showdown between the Hanshin Tigers and Yomiuri Giants, the top two teams in the Central League.
There were 15,345 fans present at the Big Egg on Sunday, when the Kyojin faced the Hiroshima Carp.
The tally for this week, however, will be zero, as Japanese baseball moves partially behind closed doors due to the start of Japan’s third state of emergency — covering Tokyo, Hyogo, Kyoto and Osaka prefectures — on Sunday Starting Tuesday, games hosted at Tokyo Dome, Jingu Stadium, Koshien Stadium and Osaka Dome will be played in front of empty seats until the measure ends, which is scheduled to happen May 11. Five games were postponed in hopes they can be played in front of fans at later dates.