Game Information, Local Heroes, and Their Effect on Attendance: The Case of the Japanese Baseball League

In the Japanese Professional Baseball League (JPBL), the starting pitcher is announced prior to the game in the Pacific League (PL) but not in the Central League (CL). The author attempts to investigate how the release of information concerning a starting pitcher prior to the game affects attendance. The author’s major findings are (a) In the PL, the salary (and overall number of wins) of the home team’s starting pitcher is positively related to attendance, while that of the visiting team is not. (b) In the CL, neither the salary (or the overall number of wins) of the home team’s starting pitcher nor that of the visiting team affect attendance.