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The story
Reports say the Miyagi Prefecture High School Baseball Federation is considering revising baseball terms that sound rather violent, like “dead ball” (hit-by-pitch) and “steal” (base-stealing). At the same time, as a heat countermeasure, high school baseball is reportedly also discussing shortening games to a 7-inning format and holding matches at venues other than Koshien. On the thread, some pushed back that this is “word-policing that misses the point,” while others showed understanding for the heat measures themselves — splitting the discussion into two tracks: the merits of the terminology changes and the merits of the tournament-operation changes.
YTV, September 11, 2026, 8:00 AM
Right now, the Miyagi Prefecture High School Baseball Federation is considering revising baseball terms like “dead ball” and “steal.” In addition, for high school baseball, introducing a 7-inning format and holding games somewhere other than Koshien are being considered as heat countermeasures — but the proposals are drawing both support and criticism.
■ Reactions split on proposed baseball term changes: “This word-policing misses the point”
Source: news.ntv.co.jp / Original article here
What people said
That's because come-from-behind horses that blow past their rivals right at the finish line are popular — it looks so satisfying too.
In horse racing "sasu" is written 差す ("to close in/pass"), not 刺す ("to stab")
It just means overtaking.
Give it a little while and kids will start going "wait, they used to play 9 innings?"
And besides, the whole appeal is players drenched in sweat under the blazing sun, playing like their lives are on the line, crying their eyes out — that's the point, right?
Would you actually be moved watching them play comfortably in some nice cool venue? You wouldn't.
why not just split the games across those?
Playing in this blazing heat just isn't feasible anymore
not for the players, not for the cheering squads.
They never bothered translating "offside" either.
"Caught stealing" → "Advance denied (out)"
That should satisfy everyone, right?
Keep the spring Senbatsu at Koshien as is — make that THE one true Koshien tournament.
Actually I haven't watched baseball in ages so I wouldn't know — do they still use terms like "double kill" (double play) and "dead ball" these days?
Calling a steal "sukiari" ("there's an opening!") actually makes sense.
Apparently tourists come watch Pacific League games, and when you explain what the words mean they get super hyped.
So when a furinige works, they shout "Sukiii, Ariii!" lol
After that just settle it with a good old brawl.
"Change" ← sounds like being judged on looks, so that's a no. "Home run" ← sounds like calling someone the ultimate idiot, rejected.
Some team's got a 4th-string squad…
Guess it's all about having the money?
maybe "dead ball" really is the one term worth fixing.
Then just call it an "own ball" and call it a day.
"Dangerous pitch" works fine.
A dead ball can genuinely be dangerous depending on the situation, so if anything it's better left as is.
So what, "SASE"? "KOROSE"?
Simplest fix: just don't hold it.
There's no real need to crown a national champion out of a school club activity anyway.
The real problem is probably that there's so much vested interest baked in that they can't even hold it elsewhere temporarily.
Well, local high school baseball federations are run by civil-servant teachers.
"◯se!" (stab/kill-type chants) really isn't appropriate language for a teacher to be using.
Let's just rename "dead ball" (死球) to "tahikyu" instead (タヒ, net slang that swaps the kanji for "death" with a softer-looking katakana spelling).
but nobody's come up with a replacement that really fits.
Something with a similar ring to "jidakyu" (getting hit by your own foul ball) — "itakyu" ("pain-ball") would work just fine.
I doubt Koshien players get all that rattled by heat.
Whenever I pass by the grounds near a local school, I see them training like maniacs in unbelievable heat.
Their everyday practice is honestly more brutal than Koshien itself.
They can probably handle it because they hydrate properly and sweat it out,
but if I tried the same thing, I think I'd just die.
Context and Talking Points Behind This Story
Debate over heat countermeasures in high school baseball has come up repeatedly in recent years, and operational changes — revised tournament schedules, more rest days — have already been put in place. The “terminology review” making news this time is still just at the discussion stage within a single regional body, the Miyagi Prefecture High School Baseball Federation; it’s not as though operating policy for the national Koshien tournament itself has been decided. What split opinion on the thread was that the news lumped together two different things: a proposal questioning terms like “dead ball” and “steal” themselves, and safety-focused measures — a 7-inning format, moving the venue — that directly affect player wellbeing. Many pushed back hard against the former, dismissing it as “word-policing,” while for the latter plenty of posters offered concrete alternatives, like spreading games across multiple stadiums or using domed venues, and there was little real opposition to the heat countermeasures themselves. Worth noting for clarity: replacement terms like “advance-out” and “pain-ball” were jokey suggestions that came up within the thread, not something the federation is officially considering.
*This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Geisoku+) thread “[Miyagi] “Stab! Kill!” — Baseball to Review Its Violent Terms? High School Baseball Also Debating “7-Inning Format” and “Venues Other Than Koshien” for Heat Countermeasures… Yes or No?“
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