On March 11, 2011, two weeks before the first game of the season, the Tōhoku region was struck by the largest earthquake in the country's history. The quake and the subsequent tsunami devastated the region, including the Eagles' home city of Sendai. The preseason game that Rakuten was playing against the Hanshin Tigers in Akashi, Hyōgo at the time of the event was cancelled after the eighth inning so players and personnel could check on the safety of their friends and families in the area. With the season opener postponed until April 12, the Eagles continued to train in the Kansai region because of the damage to Sendai and Kleenex Stadium. In addition to the Eagles holding fund-raising events, all 12 teams played charity games between April 3 to 4 to help raise money for earthquake relief. The club opened the season at QVC Marine Field against the Marines. Fans displaced by the earthquake were able to watch Rakuten's come-from-behind win on large screens the team set up at 20 refuge sites in Tōhoku. Days later, they hosted their first "home" game at Koshien Stadium while the restoration work to Kleenex Stadium continued. The earthquake had damaged 47 different parts of the stadium, including its lights and outside walls. Baseball returned to Sendai on April 29, when the Eagles played their first game at their home field. An opening ceremony attended by the governor of Miyagi Prefecture Yoshihiro Murai and United States Ambassador John Roos was held before the game and Rakuten went on to win. Furthermore, the final game of the 2011 All-Star Series was switched from Tokyo Dome to Kleenex Stadium, the second time the Eagles hosted the event in four years.