NPB Tracker

Fan Voting for the Mazda All-Star Game 2009 has begun. Fans are able to vote online, at ballparks, in convinience stores, at Ticket PIA booths, in about 200 book stores around Japan, and at one of the 69 service areas on highway roads. Voting is open until June 21st.

The games will take place on July 24th and 25th with the first game at the Sapporo Dome (home of the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters) and the second game being at the new Mazda Zoom-Zoom Stadium (home of the Hiroshima Toyo Carp). There will be a home-run derby event before each of the games and fans will be able to vote on the players participating in the derby as well.

Restrictions have been put in place in recent years due to an unfortunate problem in the fan voting system which occured in 2003 known as the Kawasaki Matsuri. An online movement to vote for injured player Kenjiro Kawasaki made him the number one vote getter in the Central League ahead of then Hanshin Tigers ace Kei Igawa. Because of this incident, the All-Star voting has been restructured and now registration is required to vote online. Some rules fan who may be voted on have been included, such as pitchers who have pitched more than ten innings and appeared in five or more games, and fielders who have appeared in more than ten games with at least twenty at bats.

Besides from the fan voting and managers’ votes, the players have a say in the All-Star game as well. Players are able to vote who they would like to play with or who they would like to see in the event. Players and coaches are not allowed to vote for players on their own teams.

The practice uniforms for the All-Star Game has been introduced. The two colors of red and blue both demonstrate the home colors of the Hiroshima Toyo Carp and the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, the two home teams hosting the 2009 All-Star Games.