Editing Nippon Professional Baseball (section)

===Recent history===
In 2011, [[Miyagi Baseball Stadium]], home of the Rakuten Eagles, was badly damaged by the [[Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sponichi.co.jp/baseball/news/2011/03/22/kiji/K20110322000476220.html |script-title=ja:Ｋスタ宮城の復旧工事開始 完了まで約５週間 |trans-title=Restoration work for K-STA Miyagi started, approximately 5 weeks until completion |date=March 22, 2011 |language=ja |accessdate=August 4, 2021 |work=[[Sports Nippon]]}}</ref>

The 2013 season featured a livelier baseball, which was secretly introduced into NPB, resulting in a marked increase in home runs league-wide.<ref name=Kato>[https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/9692461/japanese-commissioner-ryozo-kato-resigns-juiced-ball "Ryozo Kato resigns as commish"], ESPN.com (September 19, 2013).</ref> [[Tokyo Yakult Swallows]] outfielder [[Wladimir Balentien]] broke the NPB single-season home run record of 55, previously held by professional baseball's all-time home run leader [[Sadaharu Oh]] in 1964, [[Tuffy Rhodes]] in 2001, and [[Alex Cabrera]] in 2002.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130915&content_id=60680808&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb|title=Balentien breaks Oh's Japanese home run record|last=Berry|first=Adam|work=MLB.com|date=September 15, 2013|access-date=September 15, 2013}}</ref> Balantien finished the season with 60 home runs. Three-term NPB commissioner [[Ryōzō Katō]] was forced to resign over the scandal when the changed baseball was revealed.<ref name=Kato />

Former Prime Minister [[Shinzō Abe]]'s ruling [[Liberal Democratic Party (Japan)|Liberal Democratic Party]] has proposed expanding NPB to 16 total teams by adding two expansion franchises in each of the country's top-tier professional baseball leagues. The goal of such a move would be to energize the economies of the regions receiving the new teams. [[Okinawa Prefecture|Okinawa]], [[Shizuoka Prefecture|Shizuoka]], [[Shikoku]], and [[Niigata Prefecture|Niigata]] have been identified as regions that could play host to said teams.<ref name="fujita20140520">{{cite news | url=http://www.thestar.com.my/Sport/Football/2014/05/20/Japans-new-plan-to-beat-deflation--more-baseball/ | title=Japan's new plan to beat deflation – more baseball | publisher=thestaronline | date=2014-05-20 | access-date=May 20, 2014}}</ref>

The [[2020 Nippon Professional Baseball season|2020 NPB season]] was delayed numerous times due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]]. Initially preseason games were set to be played without spectators, but with opening day of March 20 remaining unchanged.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2020/02/26/baseball/japanese-baseball/japanese-baseball-play-remainder-preseason-without-spectators-due-virus-fears/|title=Japanese baseball to play remainder of preseason without spectators due to virus fears|date=2020-02-26|work=The Japan Times Online|access-date=2020-04-20|language=en-US|issn=0447-5763}}</ref> With the lifting of states of emergency over major Japanese cities, NPB announced that it would begin its regular season on 19 June [[behind closed doors (sport)|behind closed doors]]. "Warm-up" games began 26 May.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://nationalpost.com/pmn/health-pmn/baseball-japans-baseball-league-to-start-on-june-19|title=Baseball-Japan's baseball league to start on June 19|first=Jack|last=Tarrant|agency=Reuters|newspaper=National Post|date=May 25, 2020|access-date=May 25, 2020}}</ref> The shortened 120-game regular season began on 19 June.<ref name="seasonstart">{{cite news |title=After three-month virus delay, Japan opens its shortened baseball season |url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/29334668/after-three-month-coronavirus-delay-japan-opens-shortened-baseball-season |access-date=20 June 2020 |agency=Associated Press |work=ESPN.com |date=19 June 2020}}</ref> On 10 July, NPB began allowing a limited number of fans to attend games, with plans to further ease restrictions in the near future.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/c3686bce6a9c4f9fb4d779ced7f6be2a62b1d9a4|title=お待たせ！プロ野球７・１０に６球場一斉観客解禁…上限５０００人|date=June 23, 2020|access-date=July 21, 2020|archive-date=July 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200721015933/https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/c3686bce6a9c4f9fb4d779ced7f6be2a62b1d9a4|url-status=dead}}</ref> On 19 September, attendance was expanded to a maximum of 20,000 fans per game, or 50% of stadium capacity.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/3a012be940c6c0b7ae6f38184410eba93a2a1c67 |title=ＮＰＢ １９日にも観客上限緩和へ ２万人、または収容５０％の少ない方（デイリースポーツ） - Yahoo!ニュース |access-date=2020-11-28 |archive-date=2020-10-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201006065529/https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/3a012be940c6c0b7ae6f38184410eba93a2a1c67 |url-status=dead }}</ref>