‘Japan’s most popular team’ Hanshin uses scalping tickets to challenge for the championship for the first time in 38 years… Selling 10 times the regular price & selling high-value tickets worth 2 million won one after another

As the Hanshin Tigers, one of the most popular teams in Japanese professional baseball, is attempting to win the Japan Series for the first time in 38 years, ticket scalpers are rampant.

Japanese media outlet Full Count reported on the 27th, “There is a series of ticket scalpers hoarding tickets and reselling them for large amounts in the Japanese series between Hanshin and Orix, which starts on the 28th at Kyocera Dome. “There are scalped tickets worth more than 200,000 yen (approximately 1.81 million won) per ticket on the ticket distribution site,” he said.굿모닝토토 도메인

Hanshin, which enjoys equal popularity as a rival to Yomiuri, the most prestigious team in Japanese professional baseball, has only won once so far, unlike Yomiuri, which has won the Japan Series 22 times. Since winning the Japan Series for the first and last time in 1985, his attempts to win the championship have been repeatedly frustrated. In Japan, the ‘Curse of Kernel Sanders’, which prevents Hanshin from winning, is famous. Japan Series runner-up finishes were in 1962, 1964, 2003, 2005, and 2014.

However, this year, they recorded 85 wins, 5 draws, and 53 losses, winning the Central League championship for the first time in 18 years since 2005. As the league champion, they advanced directly to the Climax Series final stage and defeated Hiroshima with 4 wins and 0 losses, successfully advancing to the Japan Series for the first time in 9 years since 2014, when Seung-Hwan Oh (Samsung) played as the closing pitcher.

Hanshin fans are already looking forward to the first Japanese series in 38 years since 1985. At the time of the league championship, Hanshin fans flocked to dive into the Dotonbori River that flows through downtown Osaka. Moreover, in this Japan Series, Orix, which is based in Osaka, the same as Hanshin, will be the opposing team, and numerous Hanshin fans are expected to visit the stadium for each game.

Full Count said, “With the Kansai Series being held for the first time in 59 years, ticket sales that began on the 26th were sold out immediately. However, scalped tickets are being sold at high prices on ticket distribution sites. He explained that ticket scalpers are rampant, saying, “There are cases where reserved outfield seats, which have a regular price of 3,700 yen (approximately 30,000 won), are sold for over 30,000 yen (approximately 270,000 won).” He added, “Voices of anger are rising on the Internet, saying, ‘Don’t buy tickets,’ and ‘I couldn’t buy tickets because of scalpers.’”

The Japan National Baseball Organization (NPB) posted on its website that “rights, resale, or transfer of tickets are prohibited.” “We are considering taking action against those involved in resale in the Japanese series, etc., so please be careful in handling purchased tickets.” Nevertheless, fans who could not get tickets continue to complain on the Internet.

It has been 59 years since Hanshin and Orix clashed with Hanshin in the Kansai Series in the Japan Series in 1964. At that time, Nankai won the championship with 4 wins and 3 losses. This is the first time that Hanshin and Orix have met in the Japanese series. Hanshin is attempting to win the championship for the second time in its history and for the first time in 38 years, while Orix, which has won the Pacific League championship for three consecutive years, is aiming for its sixth title and for the second year in a row.