noun
pennant race; regular-season game
Baseball term for the regular-season competition to win the league pennant. In Japanese professional baseball, it refers to the entire season's schedule of games that determine the league champion.
from English pennant race
See also: 公式戦
ペナントレースが開幕した。
The pennant race has begun.
今年のペナントレースは混戦だ。
This year's pennant race is a close contest.