If your enjoyment of a baseball game is directly related to the number of home runs hit, make plans to watch the Carp at Hiroshima Municipal Stadium.

Constructed before ballparks with "Major League" dimensions became vogue, Hiroshima Stadium is the smallest in Japan. Not surprisingly, it has a pretty high rate of home runs.

Opened in 1957, Hiroshima Stadium originally seated 25,000 fans. On July 24 of that year, the Carp hosted the first pro game in their new ballpark, losing 15-1 to the Tigers. That same day, Hanshin's Kenjiro Tamiya clubbed the ballpark's first home run. Seven years later, a near riot broke out during a Carp vs. Tigers match, prompting the game to be canceled in the second inning.

Though the Carp played miserably their first eighteen years in Hiroshima Stadium, the ballpark witnessed some amazing events.

In probably the greatest professional game ever pitched in Japan, Yoshiro Sotokoba notched sixteen strikeouts on September 14, 1968, earning a 2-0 perfect no-hit victory over the Taiyo Whales. It was the second of Sotokoba's three no-hitters, and the first of two at Hiroshima Stadium.

After the Carp won their first pennant in 1975, attendance at the tiny ballpark boomed. In 1977, the outfield bleachers were expanded and from 1986-87 an infield upper deck was constructed, reaching from the left field foul pole to the right. Today, Hiroshima Stadium seats 32,000 spectators.

With the smallest foul territory in Japan, Hiroshima Stadium offers seating that's close to the action. Since there are few posts, there's hardly a bad red, blue, green, yellow or black seat in the ballpark. Though entirely in Japanese, the colorful high-tech scoreboard is one of the best and easiest to read in Japan.

Fans sitting on the left-field side of the ballpark can see more than just the scoreboard and the field. Looming beyond the third base stands, spectators can catch a glimpse of the infamous A-bomb Dome.

In addition to allowing fans closer to the action, Hiroshima's small dimensions allow more home runs than most other ballparks. Standing 2.6 meters (8.5 feet) high, Hiroshima's outfield fence measures 91.4 meters (300 ft) from home plate along the foul lines, 110m (360 ft.) in the power alleys, and 115.8m (380 ft.) to straight-away center field. Between the shallow fences and all-dirt infield lies a carpet of natural grass.