2021 NPB All-Star Game

The 2021 NPB All-Star Games marked a return of the Games, canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Like in 2019, they were split between the Pacific League and Central League.

Game 1

The first game was held July 16 at MetLife Dome with an attendance of 8,992 (crowds were smaller due to COVID-19 mitigation policies). The Pacific League started off on a stronger note. In the bottom of the 2nd, LF Masataka Yoshida had a leadoff single off Yuki Takahashi and CF Leonys Martín walked. 1B Hotaka Yamakawa doubled in both. In the third, the PL made it 3-0 when DH Brandon Laird took Shosei Togo deep. The CL rallied in the 5th, when 2B Ryosuke Kikuchi got a hit off Naoyuki Uwasawa then C Ryutaro Umeno tripled him in. CF Koji Chikamoto singled in Umeno to make it a one-run game.

The CL went ahead in the top of the sixth. 3B Kazuma Okamoto singled off Uwasawa; with two outs, the slugger stole second base, followed by a Kikuchi home run. The PL tied it in the 7th against Scott McGough. After a scoreless 8th by Thyago Vieira for the Central League, the team took the lead for good in the 9th against Naoya Masuda. 1B Zelous Wheeler and Kikuchi singled (Kikuchi's 4th hit of the day; he would be game MVP). After a sacrifice, Chikamoto was intentionally walked to load them up. With two outs, SS Takumu Nakano drew a bases-loaded walk to force in the winner. Robert Suárez saved it, allowing one hit in the bottom of the 9th.

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Central	0	0	0	0	2	2	0	0	1	5	11	2
Pacific	0	2	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	4	10	0

Players used

Central League Starting Lineup

1. Hayato Sakamoto, SS (Yomiuri Giants)
2. Teruaki Sato, LF (Hanshin Tigers)
3. Seiya Suzuki, RF (Hiroshima Carp)
4. Kazuma Okamoto, 3B (Yomiuri)
5. Dayán Viciedo, DH (Chunichi Dragons)
6. Jefry Marté, 1B (Hanshin)
7. Ryosuke Kikuchi, 2B (Hiroshima)
8. Ryutaro Umeno, C (Hanshin)
9. Koji Chikamoto, CF (Hanshin)

• Yuki Takahashi, P (Yomiuri)

Backups Used

• Keita Sano, LF (Yokohama Bay Stars)
• Takumu Nakano, SS (Hanshin)
• Yohei Ohshima, RF (Chunichi)
• Munetaka Murakami, 3B (Yakult Swallows)
• Tetsuto Yamada, DH (Yakult)
• Zelous Wheeler, 1B (Yomiuri)
• Yuhei Nakamura, C (Yakult)
• Shosei Togo, P (Yomiuri)
• Noboru Shimizu, P (Yakult)
• Kazuki Mishima, P (Yokohama)
• Katsuki Matayoshi, P (Chunichi)
• Scott McGough, P (Yakult)
• Thyago Vieira, P (Yomiuri)
• Robert Suárez, P (Hanshin)

Pacific League Starting Lineup

1. Yuki Yanagita, CF (Softbank Hawks
2. Tomoya Mori, C (Seibu Lions)
3. Brandon Laird, DH (Chiba Lotte Marines)
4. Masataka Yoshida, LF (Orix Buffaloes)
5. Leonys Martín, RF (Chiba Lotte)
6. Hotaka Yamakawa, 1B (Seibu)
7. Nien-Ting Wu, 2B (Seibu)
8. Nobuhiro Matsuda, 3B (Softbank)
9. Sosuke Genda, SS (Seibu)

• Yoshinobu Yamamoto, P (Orix)

Backups Used

• Takashi Ogino, CF (Chiba Lotte)
• Ryoya Kurihara, 3B (Softbank)
• Hiroaki Shimauchi, LF (Rakuten Golden Eagles)
• Yutaro Sugimoto, RF (Orix)
• Takeya Nakamura, PH (Seibu)
• Takuya Kai, C (Softbank)
• Shogo Nakamura, 2B (Chiba Lotte)
• Hiroto Kobukata, SS (Rakuten)
• Tatsuya Imai, P (Seibu)
• Naoyuki Uwasawa, P (Nippon Ham Fighters)
• Chihaya Sasaki, P (Chiba Lotte)
• Kaima Taira, P (Seibu)
• Naoya Masuda, P (Chiba Lotte)

Umpires

• Fumihiro Yoshimoto (Home), Norihiro Akimura (1B), Kunio Kiuchi (2B), Shoji Arisumi (3B), Masao Yanada (LF), Koichi Nagai (RF)

Game 2

The second game took place July 17 at Rakuten Seimei in front of 14,852. The CL got the first run this time, when RF Teruaki Sato homered off rookie Hiroya Miyagi in the second. In the bottom of the inning, the Pacific League came back when their right fielder also went yard, Yutaro Sugimoto hitting his shot off Yuya Yanagi. In the bottom of the third, the PL took the lead. C Takuya Kai singled off Masato Morishita, then CF Takashi Ogino doubled and LF Hiroaki Shimauchi singled them both home.

It was quiet from there until the 8th, when the CL rallied off Taiwanese hurler Chia-Hao Sung. Yesterday's hero Kikuchi got it going with a pinch-hit single and Hayato Sakamoto hit a pinch-hit double. After an out, CF Yohei Ohshima hit into an error to score one run, then PH Jefry Marté singled in the tying tally. The lead did not last long. In the bottom of the inning, SS Hiroto Kobukata drew a walk from rookie sensation Ryoji Kuribayashi. With one out, Shimauchi hit the game-winning double for a 3-RBI, 3-hit day. Yuki Matsui closed it out with a 1-2-3 9th.

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Central	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	3	6	2
Pacific	0	1	2	0	0	0	0	1	x	4	8	2

Players used

Central League Starting Lineup

1. Yamada, 2B
2. Ohshima, CF
3. Wheeler, 1B
4. Murakami, 3B
5. Okamoto, DH
6. Sato, RF
7. Sano, LF
8. Takuya Kinoshita, C (Chunichi)
9. Nakano, SS

• Yuya Yanagi, P (Chunichi)

Backups Used

• Viciedo, 1B
• Marte, PH
• Y. Nakamura, C
• Suzuki, DH
• Chikamoto, LF
• Umeno, C
• Kikuchi, 2B
• Sakamoto, SS
• Masato Morishita, P (Hiroshima)
• Suguru Iwazaki, P (Hanshin)
• Koyo Aoyagi, P (Hanshin)
• Yasuaki Yamasaki, P (Yokohama)
• Ryoji Kuribayashi, P (Hiroshima)
• Yuhei Takanashi, P (Yomiuri)

Pacific League Starting Lineup

1. Kobukata, SS
2. Ogino, CF
3. Shimauchi, LF
4. T. Nakamura, DH
5. Laird, 3B
6. S. Nakamura, 2B
7. Sugimoto, RF
8. Kurihara, 1B
9. Kai, C

• Hiroya Miyagi, P (Orix)

Backups Used

• Genda, 3B
• Mori, C
• Yamakawa, PH
• Wu, 1B
• Yuki Matsui, P (Rakuten)
• Yoshida, PH
• Matsuda, 3B
• Yanagita, CF
• Martín, IF
• Wataru Matsumoto, P (Seibu)
• Yuki Tsumori, P (Softbank)
• Takahiro Norimoto, P (Rakuten)
• Chia-Hao Sung, P (Rakuten)

Umpires

• Nagai (Home), Yanada (1B), Arisumi (2B), Kiuchi (3B), Akimura (LF), Yoshimoto (RF)

Sources

• NPB site (English)
• NPB site (Japanese)
• Kyodo News