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1999 Japan Series
The 1999 Japan Series was the 50th edition of Nippon Professional Baseball's postseason championship series. It matched the champion teams of the Pacific and Central Leagues. The Fukuoka Daiei Hawks represented the Pacific League, while the Chunichi Dragons represented the Central League. The Hawks won the series in five games, giving them their first Japan Series title since 1964. Background This was an interesting series in that neither team had reached the Japan Series in the 1990s (and in Daiei's case, they hadn't reached the Series in the '80s, either). Both teams also had long-standing championship droughts: Chunichi had not won the Series since 1954, and Daiei had not won since 1964, when they were known as the Nankai Hawks. Also heightening the drama was the managers: Hawks manager Sadaharu Oh had been a longtime star slugger with the Yomiuri Giants, and Dragons manager Senichi Hoshino, himself a former star player, was well known for his hatred of the Giants. The tw ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fukuoka Daiei Hawks
The are a Japanese professional baseball team based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture. They compete in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) as a member of the Pacific League. The team was formerly known as the Nankai Hawks and was based in Osaka. In 1988, Daiei bought the team from Osaka's Nankai Electric Railway Co., and its headquarters were moved to Fukuoka (which had been without NPB baseball since the Lions departed in 1979). The team subsequently became known as the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks until 2005, when they were purchased by SoftBank. The franchise has won 11 Japan Series championships and 19 Pacific League pennants, with the most recent of both coming in . History Nankai Electric Railway Company ownership (1938–1988) The franchise that eventually became the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks was founded on February 22, 1938 by Nankai Electric Railway president Jinkichi Terada as Nankai Club, based in central Osaka. The organization was said to be created as a result of riv ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Seibu Lions
The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based north of Tokyo in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture. Before 1979, they were based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture in Kyushu. The team is owned by a subsidiary of Seibu Railway, which in turn is owned by the Seibu Holdings. The team experienced a recent period of financial difficulty, but the situation brightened when the team received a record ¥6 billion (about $51.11 million) posting fee from the Boston Red Sox for the right to negotiate a contract with Daisuke Matsuzaka. Between 1978 and 2008, the team logo and mascot were based on the adult version of Kimba the White Lion, a classic Japanese anime and manga series by Osamu Tezuka. In 2004, former Seibu Lions player Kazuo Matsui became the first Japanese infielder to play in Major League Baseball. Franchise history Nishitetsu Clippers (1950) In 1950, the team became a founding member of the Pacific League. It was then owned by Nishi-Nippon Railroad, whic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nagoya Dome
The Nagoya Dome (ナゴヤドーム), known as Vantelin Dome Nagoya (バンテリンドーム ナゴヤ) for sponsoring reasons, is a baseball field, constructed in 1997, located in the city of Nagoya, Japan. The dome has the capacity to seat up to 40,500 for sports and 49,000 for concerts. It is an example of a geodesic dome. It has served as HQ for the Chunichi Dragons baseball team, since its opening. It has also served baseball teams Orix BlueWave and Kintetsu Buffaloes, sometimes during the year. Official theme song for The Nagoya Dome, "Here For You", was written by local FM radio disk jockey, James Havens, and also released on CD by Victor Entertainment. Shopping center *ÆON MALL NAGOYADOMEMAE DragonsShop File:ÆON MALL Nagoya Dome-mae.jpg, ÆON MALL NAGOYADOMEMAE File:Konami Cup Asia Series Champions Chunichi Dragons No,2.jpg, Chunichi Dragons File:Nagoya dome from Midland Square.JPG Access *Nagoya Municipal Subway Meijō Line, Nagoya GuideWay-Bus Yutorito Line ** Na ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fukuoka Dome
The is a baseball field, located in Chūō-ku, Fukuoka, Japan. Built in 1993, the stadium was originally named and has the capacity of 38,585 seats. With a diameter of 216 meters, the Fukuoka PayPay Dome is the world's largest geodesic dome. This is Japan's first stadium built with a retractable roof. In 2005, Yahoo! JAPAN, one of SoftBank's subsidiaries, acquired the stadium's naming rights, and thus renamed it or abbreviated as , In January 2013, it was renamed to . Yafuoku is the abbreviation for Yahoo! Auctions in Japan. On October 30, 2019, it was announced that the stadium was going to be named Fukuoka PayPay Dome, in reference to the payment system PayPay owned by Softbank (50%) and Yahoo Japan (25%), from February 29, 2020. It is one of the few NPB stadiums with onsite hotels. History Fukuoka Dome is the home stadium of Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks and, together with Hilton Fukuoka Sea Hawk Hotel, is part of the Hawks Town entertainment complex. It is located near Momo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sun Dong-Yeol
Sun Dong-yol (; or ; born January 10, 1963) is a South Korean retired baseball pitcher and former manager. He was a pitcher in the KBO League and Nippon Professional Baseball, and the former manager of the Samsung Lions and the Kia Tigers in the KBO. Sun is one of the most celebrated pitchers in the history of the KBO League. He was voted Most Valuable Player of the league three times, won the Pitching Triple Crown four times, was awarded six Golden Gloves, and was a nine-time KBO All-Star. Sun holds the record for lowest Korea Professional Baseball career ERA, at 1.20, is third all-time in strikeouts, and recorded the top three lowest single-season ERAs in KBO League history. His teams won six Korean Series titles, and his uniform #18 was retired by the Kia Tigers. Amateur career Upon graduation from Gwangju Jeil High School,Keh, Andrew"School Spirit May Be Metaphysical for South Korean Baseball Players,"''New York Times'' (Oct. 2, 2015). Sun joined the Korea Universit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lee Jong-Beom
Lee Jong-beom ( ko, 이종범, Hanja: 李鍾範; born August 15, 1970) is a former South Korean professional baseball player who played for the Kia Tigers (formerly the Haitai Tigers) in the KBO League and the Chunichi Dragons in Japan from 1993 to 2011. He is nicknamed "Son of the Wind" (바람의 아들) for his speed. (He was also known as "Baseball Genius" and the "Korean Ichiro".) Lee is widely considered one of the best five-tool players in Korean baseball history, and the best all-around KBO player of the 1990s. Lee was the 1994 KBO League MVP, a 13-time KBO All Star, and a six-time winner of the KBO League Golden Glove Award. He holds the single-season stolen base record in the KBO, with 84, and once hit .393 in a season, second-best all-time. Lee also won the Korean Series Most Valuable Player Award twice (his Tigers won four Korean Series championships). Lee's number 7 was retired by the Kia Tigers in 2012. He started his career at shortstop, where he played thr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Takeshi Yamasaki
is a retired Japanese professional baseball player. During his 24 seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball, he played for the Chunichi Dragons, the Orix BlueWave, and the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles. Career Yamasaki was selected at the number 2 draft pick for the Dragons in . He helped lead the Dragons to the 1999 Japan Series (which they ultimately lost to the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks, 4-games-to-1). On April 1, 2007, José Fernández and Yamasaki hit grand slams in the same inning for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles. Yamasaki led the Pacific League in home runs and RBI in 2007, also being selected for a Best Nine Award as a designated hitter. Yamasaki was the MVP of the 2008 All Star Game #1. He had 2 home runs in the 2009 Climax Series The is the current annual playoff system implemented by Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). It determines which team from the Central League (CL) and from the Pacific League (PL) will advance to compete for the championship in the Ja ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kazuyoshi Tatsunami
is a former Japanese professional baseball player for the Nippon Professional Baseball Chunichi Dragons, having played his professional career for them since his debut in . He was drafted in the first round in the NPB Draft. Tatsunami holds the all-time NPB double record with 487, and is a member of the Meikyukai (Association of Great Players, or Golden Players Club). After the 2009 season, Tatsunami retired, having seen his skills and playing time diminish for the last few seasons. He retired with a career .285 batting average, 171 home runs, 1,037 RBI, and 2,480 hits. On 15 January 2019, Tatsunami was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame The is a museum which includes a library, reference rooms and . It first opened in 1959 next door to Korakuen Stadium in Tokyo, Japan. In 1988, the museum moved to a new site within the Tokyo Dome. The Hall of Fame and Museum was created as a ... for his achievements as a player. On 13 October 2021, it was confirmed t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Masahiro Yamamoto (baseball)
Masahiro 'Masa' Yamamoto (, born August 11, 1965, in Chigasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture) is a left-handed, retired Japanese professional baseball pitcher. A screwballer, Yamamoto pitched for the Chunichi Dragons in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball for 29 years from 1986 to 2015. He is the oldest Japanese pitcher to win a baseball game. With 200+ career victories, he is a member of Meikyukai. Biography Yamamoto attended Nichidai Fujisawa High School, and was selected at age 18 by Chunichi. Yamamoto was the Central League Earned Run Average Champion in 1993, posting a 2.05 ERA. He won the 1994 Eiji Sawamura Award, going 19–8 with 3.49 ERA and 14 complete games. On September 16, 2006, Yamamoto threw a no-hitter against the Hanshin Tigers, becoming the oldest pitcher in NPB to throw a no-hit game. On September 5, 2014, Yamamoto won his first and only start of the season at Nagoya Dome in a shutout match against the Hanshin Tigers, making him the oldest Japanese pitcher to win a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kenshin Kawakami
Kenshin Kawakami (川上 憲伸) (born June 22, 1975) is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Chunichi Dragons and in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves. Japanese career He originally pitched for the Chunichi Dragons of the Central League. Kawakami was the Rookie of the Year in 1998 as he went 14-6 with a 2.57 ERA. He helped the Dragons to the Central League Title in 1999, but would lose in the Japan Series in 5 games to the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks. He has pitched a no-hitter in his professional career. In 2004, Kawakami went 17-7 and led Chunichi to the Central League Title, though they fell to the Seibu Lions in 7 games in the Japan Series. That year, Kawakami was named Central League MVP and received the Eiji Sawamura Award as Japan's best pitcher. Kawakami again won 17 games in 2006 and led the Dragons to the Central League title again, winning Game 1 of the Japan Series against the Hokkaido Nip ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rodney Pedraza
Rodney Bernard Pedraza (born December 28, 1969) is an American former professional baseball pitcher in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He played for the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks from 1999 to 2002 and Yomiuri Giants in 2003. He was an All- Star four out of his five seasons in Japan. Prior to his career in Japan, he played Minor League Baseball in the Montreal Expos, Colorado Rockies and Texas Rangers organization from 1991 to 1998. Draft Pedraza was drafted to in the 35th round to the Chicago Cubs in the 1988 amateur draft right out of high school. He instead spent 3 years at the University of Texas (including a 5-0 record the year they finished second at the 1989 College World Series), and had gone 13-3 with a 3.33 ERA in college. In the 1991 amateur draft he was drafted by the Montreal Expos. He made his debut with the Jamestown Expos and Sumter Flyers in 1991. In 1992, he had gone 13-8, 3.26 record for the Albany Polecats. He led the South Atlantic League with 186 hits ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kenji Johjima
is a Japanese former professional baseball player. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball for four years with the Seattle Mariners in the American League, then returned to Japan and played for the Hanshin Tigers. On November 21, 2005, Johjima and the Mariners agreed to a $16.5 million, three-year contract. Prior to signing with the Mariners, he played in Japan for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks team in the Pacific League who drafted him in . Johjima also played in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens for Japan. On October 19, 2009, Johjima opted out of the final two years of a three-year extension that he had signed with the Mariners in 2008 with the intention to return to playing in Japan. Professional career Fukuoka Daiei Hawks/Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks Johjima was named to the Pacific League's "Best Nine" for the first time as the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks won the Japan Series and the Pacific League championship. He hit .306 with 33 double and 17 home runs, third in the league ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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