The Yomiuri Shimbun

A brass band plays at the 94th National Invitational High School Baseball Tournament that began Saturday at Koshien Stadium in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture. The musical ensemble from Kurashiki Technical High School in Okayama Prefecture provided a fillip to athletes after a ban on such performances was lifted for the first time in three years. Some 32 schools will compete in the 13-day competition. In his pledge of allegiance, Kanta Fukushima, 17, the school’s team captain, expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to play baseball in the face of the pandemic.