On the 1st, Rakuten announced that the name of their home stadium, "Rakuten Mobile Park Miyagi" will be changed to "Rakuten Mobile Saikyo Park Miyagi" from January 1st next year. The team is implementing reforms to live up to its name, including the acquisition of former Dodgers pitcher Kenta Maeda (37) and the construction of a new outfield wall, aiming to win the league championship for the first time in 13 years and become the best team in Japan.
The two letters engraved into the stadium's name are being proven through results. The team has renewed its naming rights, which have been in place since 2014, and in an unprecedented move in the baseball world, the name "Saikyou" (Strongest) has been added to the stadium's name. This comes in conjunction with the renewal of the naming rights contract with parent company Rakuten Group, and will run for three years until the end of 2028. Rakuten Mobile, a subsidiary of Rakuten Group that handles mobile phone services, offers a pricing plan called the "Saikyou Plan" (starting at 880 yen per month).
On November 26, they announced the acquisition of Maeda, a former Dodger and current member of the Yankees' 3A affiliate. On November 14, the team also acquired Roancy Contreras pitcher (26), formerly of the Rockies, to strengthen the starting lineup, which had been an issue for the team. Also outfield wall newly established, the left-center area was moved forward by up to 6 meters, and the right-center area by up to 4 meters, both in front. Itsuki Murabayashi infielder (28) said of the current situation, "The wind is strong and the ballpark is wide, and I think it is a difficult ballpark for hitter," and guessed that the long-distance hitter are especially pleased.
With the team strengthening and stadium renovations underway, all that's left is for the players to respond with their play. Murabayashi is enthusiastic, saying, "If we win, we can prove we're the strongest." Next season, the Inuwashi Warriors will seize the top spot for the first time in 13 years and become the strongest team.
◆ Major stadium name changes Currently, eight of the 12 teams have naming rights for their home stadiums. Softbank changed the name to "Mizuho PayPay Dome Fukuoka" on April 25th of last year through joint naming rights. Carminique, used by Seibu 's second team, is officially called "CAR3219 Field." Kufu HAYATE Ventures Shizuoka joined Western League last year, is called "Churu Stadium Shimizu." Many of the names are the names of companies, products, or brands that have acquired the naming rights. Other names have ties to the region, such as Akita Komachi, Kurashiki Muscat, and Matsuyama Bochan.
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