The Chunichi Dragons will begin the defense of their Central League title with a three-game series against the Tokyo Yakult Swallows at Nagoya Dome on March 30, the league announced Wednesday.
Also on Opening Day, the Yokohama BayStars will host the Yomiuri Giants at Yokohama Stadium and the Hanshin Tigers will face the Hiroshima Carp at Kyocera Dome in Osaka to start their 144-game regular season.
The total number of games per team has been decreased from 146 in the CL due to the introduction of postseason games next year, a decision that led to a reduction of interleague play to 24 games from 36.