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- The Opening of Major League Baseball’s Ultimate Showdown──Postseason Matchups Set, Tournament Bracket of Fate Revealed
- インサイトエクスプレス
- ──First, please provide a news explanation. ──Yuzu Oda: The MLB postseason matchups have been finalized. The opening begins with the Wild Card round on Wednesday, October 1 (Japan time), followed by the Division Series, the League Championship Series, and finally the World Series. In Japan, the main viewing options are NHK-BS, J SPORTS, SPOTV NOW, MLB.TV, and Amazon Prime Video, with schedules announced in Japan time. A total of 12 teams advance, six from each league. This includes three division winners and three Wild Card teams with the best records. The team with the best record and the second-best division winner in each league bypass the Wild Card round and enter directly into the Division Series. The Wild Card round is a best-of-three, the Division Series is best-of-five, and both the League Championship Series and the World Series are best-of-seven. Several teams with Japanese players have advanced. The Los Angeles Dodgers feature Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Roki Sasaki. The San Diego Padres include Yu Darvish and Yuki Matsui. The Chicago Cubs have Shota Imanaga and Seiya Suzuki, while Masataka Yoshida plays for the Boston Red Sox. Different media outlets highlight different aspects. Sports-focused outlets emphasize start times, broadcast schedules, and easy-to-read “tournament brackets.” General news outlets focus on explaining the qualification system and format for first-time viewers. Independent blogs often highlight win-loss trends, spotlight teams like the Yankees, Blue Jays, Cubs, and Dodgers, and compare this year’s postseason to previous ones. Key dates: Wild Card games run October 1–3, Division Series begins around October 5, League Championship Series starts the week of October 13, and the World Series opens on Saturday, October 25, with the potential to extend until Sunday, November 2 (all Japan time). In short, “the advantages built up over the long season are now being tested in short battles.” With the bracket set, newcomers can focus on the impact of format and rest days, while seasoned fans will watch how pitching rotations and travel days shape the outcomes. ──How do you perceive this news, and what do you feel about it? ──Yuzu Oda: What moves me is not the moment the bracket is finalized, but the way fans’ daily lives begin to bend toward baseball. Circling wins on a bracket taped to the fridge, brewing coffee stronger, setting an extra alarm to catch a dawn broadcast in Japan time—hope lives more in these preparations than in predictions. Cheering grows stronger not through loud shouts but through quiet habits. When a favorite pitcher is announced, work gets shifted forward a step. To prepare for extra innings, a light meal is chosen to protect the stomach. On a losing night, the score is reviewed once and then closed. On a winning night, highlights are watched three times and then saved for tomorrow’s energy. These small adjustments carry fans through the long autumn. The rhythm changes by generation. For children, turning the batting order into cards and making their own lineup transforms the game into play. For those in their working years, using travel days wisely helps avoid sleep deprivation. For older fans, the soft sound of radio broadcasts eases the eyes while letting them savor each pitch. When losses pile up, cheering can feel heavy. What helps is adjusting expectations. On a night without hits, praise the “courage to lay off.” On a night when a pitcher cannot finish, respect the “decision to step down.” Shifting focus from results to choices keeps the heart from breaking. And when the wave of victories comes, restraint is just as important. Quietly noting pitch counts, travel distances, and rest days helps align joy with stamina. To cheer for the long haul is not to dilute joy, but to learn the craft of carrying it into the next night.
- 投稿日時:2025/09/29 15:19
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