The Saitama Seibu Lions announced on Wednesday that they will renovate the exterior of MetLife Dome once again. Reports are saying this project will take three years to complete in 2021 and it will cost ¥18 billion (about $180 million).
Seibu chairman Takashi Goto announced there will be an extra lounge behind home plate, while the outside behind the outfield will have plenty of festivities, including a larger shopping center. Other additions include new food stalls and a major upgrade on the ni-gun stadium next door known as Seibu II.
Earlier this week, it was announced that the player dormitories near Seibu II would be upgraded as requested by the players themselves. They were not changed since being built in the first years as Seibu Lions. Construction is scheduled to begin in December. More photos can be and here and here.
This will be the first major renovation to MetLife Dome since Daisuke Matsuzaka's posting money removed the Astroturf, changed the scoreboard and added bullpen box seats. At the start of 2016, the Lions upgraded the turf once again.
The 2018 season will mark the 40th year since being Seibu Lions and moving to Tokorozawa from Fukuoka. The Lions went through more than a decade of futility failing to recover from a Black Mist scandal, which led to a dark time in the 1970s. When the team moved to then-outdoor Seibu Stadium, it took only four years to win a Japan Series championship after their first year in 1979.
When the Lions host their April game in Tokyo Dome, they'll be wearing the bright blue uniforms worn from 2004-2008.
===
Follow us on Twitter @GraveyardBall
Great! What did you guys think of the improvements after Matsuzaka? Were they better than before? The 2004 unis were kind of cheesy. Did you guys like them back in the day?
ReplyDeleteUniforms were odd, but they were winning... who cares right?
Delete