The Hanshin Tigers will not be playing baseball this weekend. On schedule was a three-game set against the Hiroshima Toyo Carp, but they experienced a Covid-cluster over the past week, and are quite short-handed at present.
Earlier in the week, reports came out that Ryosuke Kikuchi, Kaito Kozono and Yuya Shozui tested positive for the novel coronavirus, but that everyone else on the team tested negative on the PCR tests. However, just this morning, media divulged that five other players (Seiya Suzuki, Hisayoshi Chono, Ryutaro Hatsuki, Tomoki Ishihara, and Minoru Ohmori) have joined the positive crew. Also, one coach and one other staffer have the virus.
The result is that although the Tigers traveled to Hiroshima last night (around the time they should have been playing the Yakult Swallows), they have no games to play until May 25 (Tuesday) when interleague opens with the Chiba Lotte Marines coming to town.
This also means we fans have a lot of time between games… so what are you going to do with your “long weekend”? Watch other teams? Pursue other hobbies? Twiddle your thumbs???
See you next week, folks!