The 1998 Japan Series was the 49th edition of
Nippon Professional Baseball
or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''.
Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...
's postseason championship series. The
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, wh ...
represented the
Pacific League
The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues constituting Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship competes against the winner in the Central League for the annual Japan Series. It currently consis ...
, while the
Yokohama BayStars
The are a professional baseball team in the Japan, Japanese Central League. Their home field is Yokohama Stadium, located in central Yokohama. The team has been known by several names since becoming a professional team in 1950. It adopted its c ...
represented the
Central League
The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League in the annual Japan Series. It currently consist ...
. The BayStars won the series in six games, giving them their first Japan Series championship since 1960.
Background
This was a matchup of one of the most successful teams in the last two decades against one of the least successful. The Lions were the team of the 1980s, winning eight championships from 1982 to 1992, and making five straight appearances in the championship series from 1990 until 1994. On the other hand, the BayStars had not won the Japan Series since 1960, when the team was known as the Taiyō Whales, and had not made any appearances since.
Seibu Lions
This Seibu team was far different from the dominating teams that they enjoyed in the 1980s.
Fumiya Nishiguchi
, (born September 26, 1972) is a Japanese baseball player. He is a right-handed pitcher in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball for the Saitama Seibu Lions
The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based north of Tokyo i ...
(13-12, 3.38) led the Lions pitching staff, which was also anchored in the bullpen by
Denney Tomori Denney may refer to:
* Denney, Territoire de Belfort, a commune in Belfort department, France
* Denney (surname) Denney is a surname, and may refer to:
* Alex Denney, Australian rules footballer with the Collingwood Football Club.
* Dan Denney ...
,
Shinji Mori
Shinji Mori ( ja, 森 慎二, September 12, 1974 – June 28, 2017) was a right-handed pitcher in professional baseball.
Career
From -, he played for the Seibu Lions in Nippon Professional Baseball. After the 2005 season, he was acquired by the ...
, and
Kiyoshi Toyoda
Kiyoshi Toyoda (豊田 清, born February 2, 1971) is a Japanese professional baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the co ...
. Offensively, the Lions had
Kazuo Matsui
is a Japanese retired professional baseball player who played as a shortstop and is the current manager of the Saitama Seibu Lions. He is a switch-hitter.
Matsui signed with the New York Mets on December 17, 2003, becoming the first Japanese i ...
at the top of the lineup, as he batted .311 and stole 43 bases.
Rudy Pemberton
Rudy Héctor Pemberton Pérez (born December 17, 1969) is a former professional baseball outfielder. He played parts of three seasons in Major League Baseball, from through , for the Detroit Tigers (1995) and Boston Red Sox (1996–1997), playi ...
and
Ken Suzuki supplied the power numbers for the Lions.
Yokohama BayStars
The team's offense was known as the "Machine Gun Offense", since the BayStars led the league in batting average and were capable of rapping out hits in quick succession at practically any time.
Takanori Suzuki (.337),
Bobby Rose (.325), and team captain
Takuro Ishii
is a retired Japanese professional baseball player. He currently is a coach for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars. He batted left-handed and threw right-handed.
Ishii was regarded as one of the best Japanese shortstops of the late 1990s and early 200 ...
(.314) led the team with their hitting prowess, and their teammates in the batting order all followed suit. Pitching-wise, Yokohama was led by
Takashi Saito
is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher who is currently the chief pitching coach for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
Saito's professional career spanned 23 years. He spent his first 13 seasons pit ...
and
Daisuke Miura for starters, and
Kazuhiro Sasaki
Kazuhiro "Daimajin" Sasaki (佐々木 主浩 ''Sasaki Kazuhiro'', born February 22, 1968) is a former Nippon Professional Baseball and Major League Baseball right-handed relief pitcher. He played his entire NPB career with the Yokohama Taiyo W ...
was practically automatic at closer, recording 45 saves and posting a microscopic 0.64 ERA.
Summary
See also
*
1998 World Series
The 1998 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1998 season. The 94th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the American League (AL) champion New York Yankees and the National Le ...
References
{{Saitama Seibu Lions
Japan Series
Japan Series
The Japan Series ( , officially the Japan Championship Series, ), also the Nippon Series, :File:2014_JS_logo.png is the annual championship series in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top baseball league in Japan. It is a best-of-seven series ...
1998 Nippon Professional Baseball season
Yokohama BayStars
Seibu Lions