Japan Series

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The Yomiuri Giants have won twenty Japan Series, more than any other team.
The Yomiuri Giants have won twenty Japan Series, more than any other team.

The Japan Championship Series (日本選手権シリーズ試合 Nihon Senshuken Shiriizu Shiai?), or Japan Series (日本シリーズ Nihon Shiriizu?) is a seven-game championship played by the winners of Japan's two professional baseball leagues (the Central League and Pacific League). It is the highest level of play in professional baseball in Japan. It is usually played in October. If one team wins four games, it is called the Japan Series Champion (日本一?) in each year. The 2006 Series began on Oct. 21.[1].

Historically, the Central League has been more successful in the Japan Series than the Pacific: the Central has won thirty-two times, and the Pacific only twenty-four. The team to win the most championships is the Yomiuri Giants, who have won the Japan Series twenty times. However, the Pacific League has won four consecutive Series, and has not lost the Series since the inception of the three-team stepladder playoff format to determine the league champion.

The 2006 Japan Series pitted the Central League champion Chunichi Dragons against the Pacific League champion Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters. After losing game one of the series in Nagoya, the Fighters won the next four games to become the 2006 Japan Series champions. This is the first league championship for the Fighters franchise since 1962.

Contents

Image:Central League Logo.gif Image:Pacific League Logo.gif
Central League Pacific League
Year Winning Team Losing Team Series MVP
1950 Mainichi Orions (PL) Shochiku Robins (CL) 4-2 Kaoru Bettou
1951 Yomiuri Giants (CL) Nankai Hawks (PL) 4-2 Yukou Minamimura
1952 Yomiuri Giants (CL) Nankai Hawks (PL) 4-2 Takehiko Bessho
1953 Yomiuri Giants (CL) Nankai Hawks (PL) 4-2-1 Tetsuharu Kawakami
1954 Chunichi Dragons (CL) Nishitetsu Lions (PL) 4-3 Shigeru Sugishita
1955 Yomiuri Giants (CL) Nankai Hawks (PL) 4-3 Takehiko Bessho
1956 Nishitetsu Lions (PL) Yomiuri Giants (CL) 4-2 Yasumitsu Toyoda
1957 Nishitetsu Lions (PL) Yomiuri Giants (CL) 4-0-1 Hiroshi Oshita
1958 Nishitetsu Lions (PL) Yomiuri Giants (CL) 4-3 Kazuhisa Inao
1959 Nankai Hawks (PL) Yomiuri Giants (CL) 4-0 Tadashi Sugiura
1960 Taiyō Whales (CL) Daimai Orions (PL) 4-0 Akihito Kondo
1961 Yomiuri Giants (CL) Nankai Hawks (PL) 4-2 Toshio Miyamoto
1962 Toei Flyers (PL) Hanshin Tigers (CL) 4-2-1 Masayuki Dobashi
Masayuki Tanemo
1963 Yomiuri Giants (CL) Nishitetsu Lions (PL) 4-3 Shigeo Nagashima
1964 Nankai Hawks (PL) Hanshin Tigers (CL) 4-3 Joe Stanka
1965 Yomiuri Giants (CL) Nankai Hawks (PL) 4-1 Shigeo Nagashima
1966 Yomiuri Giants (CL) Nankai Hawks (PL) 4-2 Isao Shibata
1967 Yomiuri Giants (CL) Hankyu Braves (PL) 4-2 Masaaki Mori
1968 Yomiuri Giants (CL) Hankyu Braves (PL) 4-2 Shigeru Takada
1969 Yomiuri Giants (CL) Hankyu Braves (PL) 4-2 Shigeo Nagashima
1970 Yomiuri Giants (CL) Lotte Orions (PL) 4-1 Shigeo Nagashima
1971 Yomiuri Giants (CL) Hankyu Braves (PL) 4-1 Toshimitsu Suetsugu
1972 Yomiuri Giants (CL) Hankyu Braves (PL) 4-1 Tsuneo Horiuchi
1973 Yomiuri Giants (CL) Nankai Hawks (PL) 4-1 Tsuneo Horiuchi
1974 Lotte Orions (PL) Chunichi Dragons (CL) 4-2 Sumio Hirota
1975 Hankyu Braves (PL) Hiroshima Carp (CL) 4-0-1 Takashi Yamaguchi
1976 Hankyu Braves (PL) Yomiuri Giants (CL) 4-3 Yutaka Fukumoto
1977 Hankyu Braves (PL) Yomiuri Giants (CL) 4-1 Hisashi Yamada
1978 Yakult Swallows (CL) Hankyu Braves (PL) 4-3 Katsuo Osugi
1979 Hiroshima Toyo Carp (CL) Kintetsu Buffaloes (PL) 4-3 Yoshihiko Takahashi
1980 Hiroshima Toyo Carp (CL) Kintetsu Buffaloes (PL) 4-3 Jim Lyttle
1981 Yomiuri Giants (CL) Nippon Ham Fighters (PL) 4-2 Takashi Nishimoto
1982 Seibu Lions (PL) Chunichi Dragons (CL) 4-3 Osamu Higashio
1983 Seibu Lions (PL) Yomiuri Giants (CL) 4-3 Takuji Ota
1984 Hiroshima Toyo Carp (CL) Hankyu Braves (PL) 4-3 Kiyoyuki Nagashima
1985 Hanshin Tigers (CL) Seibu Lions (PL) 4-2 Randy Bass
1986 Seibu Lions (PL) Hiroshima Carp (CL) 4-3-1 Kimiyasu Kudo
1987 Seibu Lions (PL) Yomiuri Giants (CL) 4-2 Kimiyasu Kudo
1988 Seibu Lions (PL) Chunichi Dragons (CL) 4-1 Hiromichi Ishige
1989 Yomiuri Giants (CL) Kintetsu Buffaloes (PL) 4-3 Norihiro Komada
1990 Seibu Lions (PL) Yomiuri Giants (CL) 4-0 Orestes Destrade
1991 Seibu Lions (PL) Hiroshima Carp (CL) 4-3 Kouji Akiyama
1992 Seibu Lions (PL) Yakult Swallows (CL) 4-3 Takehiro Ishii
1993 Yakult Swallows (CL) Seibu Lions (PL) 4-3 Kenjiro Kawasaki
1994 Yomiuri Giants (CL) Seibu Lions (PL) 4-1 Hiromi Makihara
1995 Yakult Swallows (CL) Orix Blue Wave (PL) 4-1 Thomas O'Malley
1996 Orix Blue Wave (PL) Yomiuri Giants (CL) 4-1 Troy Neel
1997 Yakult Swallows (CL) Seibu Lions (PL) 4-1 Atsuya Furuta
1998 Yokohama BayStars (CL) Seibu Lions (PL) 4-2 Takanori Suzuki
1999 Fukuoka Daiei Hawks (PL) Chunichi Dragons (CL) 4-1 Kouji Akiyama
2000 Yomiuri Giants (CL) Fukuoka Daiei Hawks (PL) 4-2 Hideki Matsui
2001 Yakult Swallows (CL) Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes (PL) 4-1 Atsuya Furuta
2002 Yomiuri Giants (CL) Seibu Lions (PL) 4-0 Tomohiro Nioka
2003 Fukuoka Daiei Hawks (PL) Hanshin Tigers (CL) 4-3 Toshiya Sugiuchi
2004 Seibu Lions (PL) Chunichi Dragons (CL) 4-3 Takashi Ishii
2005 Chiba Lotte Marines (PL) Hanshin Tigers (CL) 4-0 Toshiaki Imae
2006 Hokkaidō Nippon Ham Fighters (PL) Chunichi Dragons (CL) 4-1 Atsunori Inaba

NOTE: There is a limit to the number of innings which may be played during any game in Japanese professional baseball. All ties after 15 innings (was originally 12 innings) are official tie games and must be replayed for the purpose of the Series.

Team Wins Losses
Yomiuri Giants 20 10
Seibu Lions 12 8
Tokyo Yakult Swallows 5 1
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks 4 9
Orix Buffaloes 4 8
Hiroshima Carp 3 3
Chiba Lotte Marines 3 2
Hokkaidō Nippon Ham Fighters 2 1
Yokohama BayStars 2 0
Chunichi Dragons 1 6
Hanshin Tigers 1 4
Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes 0 4
Shochiku Robins 0 1

Nippon Professional Baseball
Central League Pacific League
Yomiuri Giants Chunichi Dragons Tokyo Yakult Swallows Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles Chiba Lotte Marines
Hiroshima Toyo Carp Hanshin Tigers Yokohama BayStars Seibu Lions Orix Buffaloes Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks

Japan Series - Japanese Baseball League (former) - Eastern League - Western League- edit table
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