Nihon Series, Japanese baseball's Fall Classic Options

[Sasanishiki]

Saturday was the first game of the Nihon Series, pairing the Central League champions (Hanshin Tigers) with the Pacific League winners (Chiba Lotte Marines), for Japanese baseball superiority. Personally I am loving my mighty Marines being the league winners for the first time in 31 years (the year I was born) and that they will have home advantage for the Nihon Series. I know at least a couple of other SF members, namely Nishinoshima and Sekihiryu, support Hanshin, so let the Se/Pa and East/West battle commence.

I'll post reports on the games when I can, or if I am not beaten to it by a better translator...

[Sasanishiki]

Game 1 Lotte defeats Hanshin 10-1 (game called in the bottom of the 7th due to heavy fog)

The first game of the Nihon Series took place on the 22nd at Chiba Marine Stadium, and Lotte had a big win thanks to its offence that pounded out 15 hits, including 4 home runs. Lotte took the lead in teh bottom of the first when Imae banged a solo homer over the wall between left and centre field. They went further ahead in the fifth when, with no outs and runners on first and second, Imae hit an RBI double to right and Saburo hit a two-RBI double to left to drive in three more runs. [Lee Seung Yop hit a solo homer in the sixth.] They tagged on five more runs in the seventh thanks to a pair of home runs (Satozaki 3 run homer & Benny Agbayani 2 run homer). Immediately after this the match was called to a halt due to thick fog, and as this did not clear Lotte was awarded the called game. Starting pitcher Shimizu gave up only one run in seven innings, while Hanshin's Igawa gave up runs in bursts and the bullpen couldn't do much better.

[Sasanishiki]

Game 2 Lotte defeats Hanshin 10-0

The second game took place at Chiba Marine Stadium on the 23rd, and Lotte became the first team in Series history to post back to back double digit scores on the way to its second consecutive win. Lotte went ahead on a Hanshin error in the first, and then rammed home the advantage with 3 home rumns in the 6th inning. Lotte's Imae went 4-4 to set a new record series record of 8 straight hits in as many at bats. Hanshin's bats were limp, combining for only 4 hits off Lotte starter Watanabe. They have yet to rediscover their winning ways, and the Series now moves to Koshien Stadium for Game 3 on the evening of the 25th.

Lotte's pitching and batting combine perfectly for their second win. In the first they scored on a Hanshin error, while in the second they added another run while Hashimoto hit into a double play. Nine men batted in teh 6th to bring in five runs. After Saburo's 2 run homer, Franco hit a solo shot into the right field bleachers. Benny Agbayani's double was followed by a two-sun homer by Lee Seung Yeop. The winning pitcher, Watanabe Shunsuke pitched a shutout, allowing only 4 hits and no walks, on a night when his breaking ball was a major weapon. Hanshin wasted chances in the thrid inning when they had two on and no outs, and in the sixth inning when they had runners at the corners with only one out.

[sekihiryu]

Game 2 Lotte defeats Hanshin 10-0

[Mark Buckton]

would rather Hanshin won this - met some friends of Nishi's last week in Osaka - Hanshin fans - and whilst I don't follow J ball - would like to see Hanshin bring a smile to their faces. (plus piss off all midget fans)

[Sasanishiki]

Ah c'mon. Hanshin won their league recently. Lotte are on a fairytale roll that hasn't happened for 31 years. Gotta love that script!

[Kintamayama]

the "marines" didn't even exist 31 years ago. basically in japan you have the hanshin tigers and the yomiuri giants. all others are either "reinvented" or new teams, or "relocated"

don't understand how anyone could have passion for these new teams. same as american sports. if your local team ups and moves to a different city does that mean you no longer support them? do the new fans in the new city have the same attachment?
hanshin will always be osaka. yomiuri will always be tokyo.

Wrong. Chunichi Dragons were always there, as were the Hiroshima Carp, who are now the Hiroshima Toyo Carp, but no big difference. Even Yakult were Sankei, but the same Swallows, though they were Atoms for a while. Hanshin were always a lousy team back then, and it took them a while to get their last pennant, huh?? 20 years? Hanshin are the Takatouriki of Japanese baseball. I've been following it since 1960, so I think I may have a better prespective, eh?But still, I guess it's legal to root for losers..
The Pacific League-that's another story. they were always the "other" league and nobody gave a toss about them then, and pretty much now as well, except maybe the locals..
Enjoy this short-lived trip to the sun, but it looks like you're going to be burned bad. 10-1 and 10-0???
OOOh.. the shame..

This post has been edited by Kintamayama: Oct 24, 2005, 11:08

[Mark Buckton]

The Pacific League-that's another story. they were always the "other" league and nobody gave a toss about them then, and pretty much now as well, except maybe the locals..

not a baseball fan at all - only been to a dozen games in my life - always free tickets and only to Jingu (got sunburnt) Tokyo Dome to see midgets - got bored (and ripped off at 800 yen a beer) and same Dome to see NHF VS CLM - better. (NHF used to share with YG as it must be expensive to run a dome.

Anyway - a LOT of Japanese men / amateur players / fans I know watch the pros of course but almost all say the quality of baseball in the Pa League is better. Not as glamorous but technically better. (not referring to Rakuten of course!)

[Kintamayama]

The Pacific League-that's another story. they were always the "other" league and nobody gave a toss about them then, and pretty much now as well, except maybe the locals..

not a baseball fan at all - only been to a dozen games in my life - always free tickets and only to Jingu (got sunburnt) Tokyo Dome to see midgets - got bored (and ripped off at 800 yen a beer) and same Dome to see NHF VS CLM - better. (NHF used to share with YG as it must be expensive to run a dome.
Anyway - a LOT of Japanese men / amateur players / fans I know watch the pros of course but almost all say the quality of baseball in the Pa League is better. Not as glamorous but technically better. (not referring to Rakuten of course!)

I totally agree. They are also the more imaginative league, from trying two parts of a season (like the J-league)
and using neon uniforms-rowdy crowds and everything. They also are the "American League " of yakyuu with the DH and all. I meant popularity -wise. NOBODY follows the Pa league, unless they root for a home team. That's why they nearly died this year. They actually did die financially, but were saved by the bell. Oh, yes, and had a playoff before the playoffs as well..

This post has been edited by Kintamayama: Oct 24, 2005, 15:10

[Kintamayama]

Wrong. ......... Even Yakult were Sankei.............though they were Atoms for a while.

think u are proving my point there

Hanshin were always a lousy team back then, and it took them a while to get their last pennant, huh?? 20 years? Hanshin are the Takatouriki of Japanese baseball. I've been following it since 1960, so I think I may have a better prespective, eh?But still, I guess it's legal to root for losers.

this is where U are wrong.
using english soccer as a comparrison. there are only three big teams. man utd, liverpool, arsenal
chelsea no matter how much they win can never achieve the same status.
italy: juve / inter
usa: red sox / yankees

So, Chunichi were Chunichi when Hanshin were still Osaka. What does that mean??
Oooohhh.. and you are saying really serious stuff here.. Only three big teams in the UK? In what sense? Financially? Quality-wise? I think a few people will argue with you on that. HEY GUYS!! Nishi is saying Chelsea don't exist!!!! (Just in case someone missed it..) And Inter-Juve? Red Sox- Yankees? If you mean these teams have the most fans/supporters, you may have a point, but that doesn't mean much.
Actually, the dominating team in the last decade in Japanese baseball in the Ce-league are Yakult.

[Zentoryu]

Game 1 Lotte defeats Hanshin 10-1

Game 2 Lotte defeats Hanshin 10-0

After two really poor showings, one has to wonder if the long lay-off has hurt Hanshin, particularly where it pertains to their pitching.

While the Marines were heavily involved in two playoff series with the Lions and Hawks, Hanshin was sitting on the sidelines watching. In fact, prior to the start of the Japan Series, the Tigers hadn't played a meaningful game in a couple of weeks. Having your best pitchers inactive for that length of time really hurts their sharpness, as appears to have been the case in the first two games with Chiba.

There is hope that they can shake off the rust now that they are returning home for the next three, but this is Hanshin we're talking about here. They usually find a way to break their fan's hearts.

This post has been edited by Zentoryu: Oct 24, 2005, 17:47

[Sasanishiki]

the "marines" didn't even exist 31 years ago. basically in japan you have the hanshin tigers and the yomiuri giants. all others are either "reinvented" or new teams, or "relocated"

don't understand how anyone could have passion for these new teams. same as american sports. if your local team ups and moves to a different city does that mean you no longer support them? do the new fans in the new city have the same attachment?

I think you raised it in another thread...you are a fan and support your team through good and bad, even if the bad means moving to another city. In the case of Lotte, they were in Kawasaki for quite a while, but the year they won everything (1974), they were a nomadic team with no home ground. In that sense, they were a team for everyone, especially if you embrace the romanitc notion of them battling against the odds. However, in my period of fandom, they have always been in Chiba, lived near the bottom of the Pa League, except for the time when Bobby Valentine coached them a decade ago. They used to wear pink as part of their uniform (and have reverted again to a very similar splash of colour) and have a seagull for their mascot! Despite this, I long for the types of successes that they are enjoying now, precisely because they sucked, and partly because the Pa League is always looked down upon!

[madorosumaru]

the "marines" didn't even exist 31 years ago. basically in japan you have the hanshin tigers and the yomiuri giants. all others are either "reinvented" or new teams, or "relocated"

don't understand how anyone could have passion for these new teams. same as american sports. if your local team ups and moves to a different city does that mean you no longer support them? do the new fans in the new city have the same attachment?

I think you raised it in another thread...you are a fan and support your team through good and bad, even if the bad means moving to another city. In the case of Lotte, they were in Kawasaki for quite a while, but the year they won everything (1974), they were a nomadic team with no home ground. In that sense, they were a team for everyone, especially if you embrace the romanitc notion of them battling against the odds. However, in my period of fandom, they have always been in Chiba, lived near the bottom of the Pa League, except for the time when Bobby Valentine coached them a decade ago. They used to wear pink as part of their uniform (and have reverted again to a very similar splash of colour) and have a seagull for their mascot! Despite this, I long for the types of successes that they are enjoying now, precisely because they sucked, and partly because the Pa League is always looked down upon!

The Lotte Marines have always been a sad sack of a team but they have a long history. The Marines started life as the Mainichi Orions. The Orions merged with a team called the Daiei Stars (Daiei, the movie studio, therefore the Stars), which had earlier merged with another team called the Takahashi Unions. The resulting team was named the Daimai Orions. Lotte bought the team but kept the name Orions until they moved to Chiba in the early 90's.

Despite their lack of success on the field, they've had some outstanding players. The best known was Betto Kaoru who is considered one of the all-time greats of Japanese baseball. He was nicknamed "The Gentleman of Baseball" and his style was likened to that of Joe Dimaggio.

Japanese teams have traditionally taken the name of the ownersip where American baseball teams use the city or state where they are located. Therefore, a Japanese team may change its name frequently even though it is still the same old team. American teams are bought and sold all the time but their name doesn't change unless they move to another location. For example, even the mighty tradition-bound Yankees have changed hands three time since the 1960's from a Del Webb/Dan Topping ownership to CBS to the Steinbrenner regime of today. But when the franchise moves the name changes. The Oakland Athletics used to be the Kansas City A's and before that, the Philadelphia A's. The Atlanta Braves was the Milwaukee Braves and Boston Braves in earlier stages. The two incarnations of Washington Senators became the Minnesota Twins and the Texas Rangers.

The Hanshin Tigers have an even longer history than the Orions/Marine. They were the second team founded after the Tokyo Giants. As with everything in Japan, the rivalry was always between Kanto and Kansai. The early Tiger teams were quite formidable although they were always second fiddle to the Giants. It's hard to have many championsips when your rival in the same league has won 30 pennants.

[Doitsuyama]

Even in the U.S. you have occasionally a new team name without a relocation - do you remember the "Bullets" or the "Colt .45s" (not sure about spelling here)? I admit those are somewhat special cases and it's not the norm.

[Jonosuke]

Well another blowout today with Lotte scoring 10 runs again...this might as well spell the end of the Hanshin dream for this year and we get to see Bobby Valentine in the air pretty soon.

Now that the off-season is almost upon us, there are more stories of possible ownership changes. As some of you remember, "Horiemon" (Takafumi Horie, internet based company Livedoor's head honcho) competed against web based e-business company Rakuten last year for the Sendai franchise and Horiemon lost out as many regarded him as a just another flash-in-the-pan IT money brat and was not taken seriously by those in the baseball establishment.

Well since then he got together with Goldman Sachs to almost take over a major Japanese TV network Fuji by backdoor by buying out a Tokyo radio station Nippon Hoso (which has a cross ownership with Fuji). He didn't succeed totally but he got enough recognition to be heard as he got his company represented in their board for joint ventures.

Then he ran as an independent in Hiroshima in the last general election against a major rival of PM Koizumi. Though he did lose, again he gained enough political clout for his next venture and this may be his efforts to buy an established baseball club, Hiroshima Carps of the Central League.

If he is successful, then he would be much better off than Rakuten as he is not starting out from a scratch and can now rival his chief rival in IT, Softbank, which owns the Fukuoka and renamed its staidum to the Fukuoka　Yahoo Dome.

In another developement, financial guru, Yoshiaki Murakami, through his so-called Murakami Funds own TBS, Hanshin and Seibu and now it's reported that Orix invested a sizeible amount to the fund as well. So once again the financial situation in Japanse baseball appears to be in a total quagmire. Obviously the new money is driving away the old guards and this is giving a sufficient scare to the strongman like Tsuneo Watanabe (who used to be YDC Chairman) of the Giants.

It should an interesting off-season aside from more players going to U.S.

This post has been edited by Jonosuke: Oct 25, 2005, 15:19

[madorosumaru]

Even in the U.S. you have occasionally a new team name without a relocation - do you remember the "Bullets" or the "Colt .45s" (not sure about spelling here)? I admit those are somewhat special cases and it's not the norm.

You are quite correct. I should have said "normally doesn't change . . ."

There are interesting stories involving the two name changes you cited. When Houston was granted the franchise, they didn't have a major league ball park for the team to play in, so while a domed stadium was being built, the Colt 45s played for three years in a hastily-built open air stadium. If one has ever been to Houston, one would know that playing baseball outdoors on a summer evening in southern Texas was not a good idea. The place was hot, humid, and worse yet, full of mosquitoes.

The Astrodome, considered the eighth wonder of the world at the time, opened in 1965. It was so named because of its modernity and the fact that Houston was the home of NASA, enjoying its heyday of manned space expeditions. In a rare case of a team being named after a stadium, the Colt 45s were renamed the Astros.

The Bullets who were in Baltimore moved closer to Washinton D.C. (Landover, MD) but kept the Bullets name. The team was known as the Capitol Bullets for a seaspn and then Washington Bullets. The name change to Wizards came almost 25 years later for a most American reason. In a "politically correct" nation, the name Bullets sounded too "violent" and the team thus became the relatively harmless Wizards.

Over the course of years, teams do change their names even without moving. The NY Yankees were known as the Highlanders after they moved from Baltimore where they were the original Orioles. LA Dodgers came from Brooklyn where they played variously as the Trolley Dodgers, Bridegrooms, Superbas, Robins and Dodgers.

[Zentoryu]

Wow, going home to Koshien didn't make a difference for the Tigers as it was another 10-1 win for Chiba Lotte in Game 3.

I can't remember a championship series that has been this one-sided in either MLB or J-ball in a long time. The Tigers have been outscored 30-2 so far.

One more win and the Marines are the new champions of Japanese baseball.

This post has been edited by Zentoryu: Oct 25, 2005, 17:09

[Sasanishiki]

The Astrodome, considered the eighth wonder of the world at the time, opened in 1965. It was so named because of its modernity and the fact that Houston was the home of NASA, enjoying its heyday of manned space expeditions. In a rare case of a team being named after a stadium, the Colt 45s were renamed the Astros.

The Bullets who were in Baltimore moved closer to Washinton D.C. (Landover, MD) but kept the Bullets name. The team was known as the Capitol Bullets for a seaspn and then Washington Bullets. The name change to Wizards came almost 25 years later for a most American reason. In a "politically correct" nation, the name Bullets sounded too "violent" and the team thus became the relatively harmless Wizards.

The word Astroturf also came from the Astrodome. Being an indoor ballpark, they had difficulty growing real grass. They solved this by having artificial turf, and it took its name from the ballpark where it was used.

The Bullets was not only an un-PC name in modern America, it also reflected badly on Washington, which had one of the highest, if not THE highest, rates of homicide in North America at the time.

[Sasanishiki]

Game 3 Lotte defeats Hanshin 10-1

Game 3 of the Nihon Series was held on the 25th at Koshien Stadium.

Lotte took the lead in the second inning after Saburo had hit a no-out double to right, advanced to third and was brought in by Benny Agbayani's sacrifice fly. Two outs later Imae's record for most consecutive hits in the Nihon Series was stopped at 8 when he struck out swinging.

Hanshin levelled in the bottom of the second. Imaoka's single to left and a walk to Hiyama gave them runners at the corners with one out, which was then converted by Sekimoto's groundball to third base.

However, Lotte had consecutive hits by Hori and Fukuura in the 4th. One out later Agbayani's walk loaded the bases, and Satozaki brought in one run with a grounder to shortstop and by beating out the double play. Imae then had an infield hit to third that brought in Lotte's third run.

Lotte had loaded bases with no outs in the seventh on the back of Satozaki reaching first on an error, a double by Imae, and a walk to Franco. Hashimoto's single to centre then brought in two runs, knocking Hanshin reliever Fujikawa out of the game and his first appearance in the Nihon Series. He was tagged with three earned runs in 1+ innings. Nishioka brought in another run with a single, and then a walk to Hori loaded the bases again. Enter Fukuura who hit a grand slam homer into the right field bleachers and gave Lotte their third consecutive double digit score.

Lotte's bullpen managed to hold Hanshin to just three hits over the next three innings to get the team their third straight win. Lotte are now in the boxseat to become champions of Japan for the first time in 31 years. It was a crushing defeat, with Hanshin's bats failing to fire and their much vaunted bullpen crumbling under pressure.

[Sasanishiki]

Game 4 Lotte defeats Hanshin 3-2 (Nihon Series win to Lotte 4-0)

Game 4 was held at Koshien on the 26th. Lotte defeated Hanshin 3-2 to take their fourth consecutive win, capturing their first Nihon Series since 1974. This is the third time the club (and their predecessors, Mainichi) have won the Championship since Japanese baseball went to the two league system.

In this fourth game, for the first time in the Series, there was a closeness right to the end of the match but Lotte was able to close it out in relief. The leading Lotte weapon was Lee Seong Yeop. In the second inning after a one-out double by Matt Franco, Lee hit a two-run homer to right to give Lotte the lead. In the fourth, after a walk and a sacrifice, Lee hit a double to the gap between centre and left off second pitcher Nomi to bring in the runner from second and adda valuable extra run. Lotte starter Serafini pitched into the sixth inning, combining with relievers Ono, Fujita and Yabuta, before closer Kobayashi Masahide sealed the win in the ninth.

Hanshin rallied briefly in the 6th, when Imaoka brought in a runner from second with a hit to centre, and then pinch hitter Hiyama also drove in a run with a single to right. This brought Hanshin to within one, but the counter attack stopped there. Hanshin were only able to put two men on base, both from walks, in the final three innings.