ZOZO Marine Stadium[2] (ZOZOマリンスタジアム, Zozo Marin Sutajiamu) (official name: Chiba Marine Stadium (千葉マリンスタジアム, Chiba Marin Sutajiamu)) is an outdoor baseball stadium in Chiba City, Chiba, Japan. It opened in 1990, with a capacity of about 30,000 spectators. It is primarily used for baseball games, and is the home field of the Chiba Lotte Marines. It is also used for rugby as well as large-scale music concerts. The stadium was built with a multi-purpose circular shape, similar in shape to some (now-defunct) American stadiums, such as Three Rivers Stadium or Busch Memorial Stadium.

ZOZO Marine Stadium
Marine Stadium, ZOZO Marine, The House That That Bobby V Built
Zozo Marine Stadium
Chiba Marine Stadium
Map
Full nameChiba Marine Stadium
Former namesQVC Marine Field (2011–2016)
LocationMihama, Mihama-ku, Chiba City, Chiba, Japan
Public transitJR East:
JE Keiyo Line at Kaihimmakuhari
OwnerChiba City
OperatorChiba Lotte Marines
Capacity30,118
Field sizeLeft Field – 99.5 m (326.4 ft)
Center Field – 122 m (400.3 ft)
Right Field – 99.5 m (326.4 ft)
Height of Outfield Fence – 3.3 m (14.4 ft)
SurfaceAstro Nexturf (−2017)
MS Craft Baseball Turf (2018–)[1]
Construction
OpenedFebruary 2, 1990
Construction cost13,300,000,000 yen
Tenants
Chiba Lotte Marines (Pacific League) (1992–present)

The inaugural event at the Chiba Marine Stadium was on April 13, 1990, with a sold-out performance of the Blond Ambition Tour by American singer Madonna; the concert was the first of three sold-out dates (April 13, 14 & 15, 1990) by Madonna at the stadium. In addition to the April 13th concert being the big opening event for the stadium, it was also the first date of Madonna’s tour itself. The April 13th show was marred by heavy rain, thunder, lightning, and high winds, which led to the production being drastically scaled back; this was documented on the tour documentary film, Madonna: Truth or Dare, where it appears that the weather did not prevent her audience’s enjoyment that evening. The remaining two shows went-on successfully as scheduled.

Lady Gaga performed two sold-out shows at the venue in August 13 and 14, 2014, for her ArtRave: The Artpop Ball[3] tour.[4][5]

The stadium hosts the main stage of the Summer Sonic music festival every August, with the other stages of the festival located in nearby Makuhari Messe. The main stage of Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) Japan has also been held at the stadium, with its first event beginning in 2017.[6]

One of the stadium's most notable baseball events was on April 10, 2022, when Chiba Lotte Marines pitcher Rōki Sasaki threw a perfect game, the 16th perfect game in NPB history. Four more no-hitters, aside from the perfect game, would be thrown that season.

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Trivia

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  • The stadium was modelled as a stage in the 1994 video game Tekken, although it was only known as simply "Stadium".

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "ZOZO マリンスタジアム 人工芝の張替えの件" (PDF). marines.co.jp. December 26, 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 December 2017.
  2. ^ 千葉マリン新名称が「ZOZOマリンスタジアム」に決定 (in Japanese). Japan: Chiba Lotte Marines. Archived from the original on 2 May 2017. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
  3. ^ "LADY GAga's artRAVE: The ARTPOP ball". Archived from the original on 2014-06-06. Retrieved 2022-06-02.
  4. ^ "Lady Gaga Comes Back To Japan With The Chromatica Ball". Lady Gaga Now. 2022-09-03. Archived from the original on 2023-06-06. Retrieved 2024-02-24.
  5. ^ "LADY GAGA'S ART RAVE 'THE ARTPOP BALL' at CHIBA MARINE STADIUM 8.14 – TOKYO DANDY". Archived from the original on 2015-09-20. Retrieved 2024-02-24.
  6. ^ "Location – EDC Japan 2019 – EN". japan.electricdaisycarnival.com. Archived from the original on 2018-04-25. Retrieved 2018-04-24.
Preceded by Home of the
Chiba Lotte Marines

1992 –
Succeeded by
N/A

35°38′42.86″N 140°1′51.32″E / 35.6452389°N 140.0309222°E / 35.6452389; 140.0309222