The Yomiuri Giants have won twenty one 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). The Series is the highest level of play in professional baseball in Japan. It is usually played in October or November. As in all of the best-of-seven series, the first team to win four games is the overall winner and is declared the Japan Series Champion (日本一 Nippon Ichi?, number one in Japan) in each year. The 2011 Series will begin on November 12. The winner of the Japan Series also goes on to be the Japanese representative team in the annual Asia Series.
The home team for the games 1, 2 and eventual 6 and 7, alternates between the two leagues with the Pacific League having the advantage on the years ending with an odd number and the Central League on the years ending with an even number. Designated Hitters are used if the team from the Pacific League hosts the game.
There is a 40-man postseason roster limit, and the rule on drawn games is changed to 15 innings instead of 12. If the series is tied after the seventh game, a Game 8 will be held without any limits in extra innings with the same team hosting Games 6 and 7 hosting this game.
Historically, the Central League has been more successful in the Japan Series than the Pacific League, having won thirty-four times versus the Pacific League's twenty-six. The team with most championships is the Yomiuri Giants, who have won the Japan Series twenty-one times. However, the Pacific League won four consecutive Series from 2003-2006, and did not lose the Series since the inception of their three-team stepladder playoff format to determine the league champion. But starting with the 2007 postseason, the Central League has also adopted the playoff format (now dubbed the "Climax Series"). Since Climax Series does not affect team's position in regular season, the nature of Japan Series slightly changed from a match between the Champions of leagues in the past to a mini-tournament postseason in nowadays, somewhat like World Series in MLB.
On November 6, 2010, the Chunichi Dragons and Chiba Lotte Marines played the longest game in Japan Series History. It lasted fifteen innings and resulted in a 2-2 draw.
List of results of Japan Series[]
1950s[]
| 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 |
1960s[]
| Year | Winning Team | Losing Team | Series | MVP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
1970s[]
| Year | Winning Team | Losing Team | Series | MVP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 Carp (CL) | Kintetsu Buffaloes (PL) | 4-3 | Yoshihiko Takahashi |
1980s[]
| Year | Winning Team | Losing Team | Series | MVP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Hiroshima 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 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 |
1990s[]
| Year | Winning Team | Losing Team | Series | MVP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
2000s[]
| Year | Winning Team | Losing Team | Series | MVP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters (PL) | Chunichi Dragons (CL) | 4-1 | Atsunori Inaba |
| 2007 | Chunichi Dragons (CL) | Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters (PL) | 4–1 | Norihiro Nakamura |
| 2008 | Saitama Seibu Lions (PL) | Yomiuri Giants (CL) | 4–3 | Takayuki Kishi |
| 2009 | Yomiuri Giants (CL) | Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters (PL) | 4–2 | Shinnosuke Abe |
2010s[]
| Year | Winning Team | Losing Team | Series | MVP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Chiba Lotte Marines (PL) | Chunichi Dragons (CL) | 4–2-1 | Toshiaki Imae |
| 2011 | Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks (PL) | Chunichi Dragons (CL) | 4–3 | Hiroki Kokubo |
| 2012 | Yomiuri Giants (CL) | Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters (PL) | 4–2 | Tetsuya Utsumi |
| 2013 | Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles (PL) | Yomiuri Giants (CL) | 4–3 | Manabu Mima |
| 2014 | Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks (PL) | Hanshin Tigers (CL) | 4-1 | Seiichi Uchikawa |
| 2015 | Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks (PL) | Tokyo Yakult Swallows (CL) | 4-1 | Lee Dae-ho |
| 2016 | Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters (PL) | Hiroshima Toyo Carp (CL) | 4–2 | Brandon Laird |
| 2017 | Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks (PL) | Yokohama DeNA BayStars (CL) | 4–2 | Dennis Sarfate |
| 2018 | Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks (PL) | Hiroshima Toyo Carp (CL) | 4–1-1 | Takuya Kai |
| 2019 | Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks (PL) | Yomiuri Giants (CL) | 4–0 | Yurisbel Gracial |
2020s[]
| Year | Winning Team | Losing Team | Series | MVP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks (PL) | Yomiuri Giants (CL) | 4–0 | Ryoya Kurihara |
| 2021 | Tokyo Yakult Swallows (CL) | Orix Buffaloes (PL) | 4–2 | Yuhei Nakamura |
| 2022 | Orix Buffaloes (PL) | Tokyo Yakult Swallows (CL) | 4–2-1 | José Osuna |
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.
Teams by number of wins in Japan Series[]
| Team | Wins | Losses |
|---|---|---|
| Yomiuri Giants | 22 | 14 |
| Satama Seibu Lions | 13 | 8 |
| Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks | 11 | 9 |
| Tokyo Yakult Swallows | 6 | 2 |
| Orix Buffaloes | 5 | 8 |
| Chiba Lotte Marines | 4 | 2 |
| Hiroshima Toyo Carp | 3 | 5 |
| Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters | 3 | 4 |
| Chunichi Dragons | 2 | 8 |
| Yokohama DeNA BayStars | 2 | 1 |
| Hanshin Tigers | 1 | 5 |
| Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles | 1 | 0 |
| Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes | 0 | 4 |
| Shochiku Robins | 0 | 1 |
See also[]
- Japanese baseball
- Nippon Professional Baseball
- World Baseball Classic
- World Cup of Baseball
- Asia Series
- 2005 Konami Cup Asia Series
- 2006 Konami Cup Asia Series
External links[]
Template:Japanese Professional Baseball