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A Resurgent Pacific League
As the sport has struggled to retain fans and TV audience ratings, it has
largely been the efforts of the "little guy" Pacific League that have proved
most effective. The 1999 Japan Series was won by the Fukouka Daiei Hawks, led by
the legendary Oh Sadaharu, and when the Hawks went on to repeat
their Pacific League victory the following year, it brought about
a dream come true for baseball supporters all over the country
- a Japan Series against the Nagashima Shigeo-led Giants. The
Hawks spurted to a two-game lead but then succumbed to the sheer
power of the best-team-that-money-can-buy.
But the resurgent Hawks did win the series in 2003, and the following years saw fellow PL teams Seibu
and the Chiba Lotte Marines take the title. It was the first 3-in-a-row
for the PL since Seibu's heyday in the early 90s. 2005 champs Lotte were
led by popular American Bobby Valentine, the first manager born outside
Japan to clinch the title. The following year saw the Nippon Ham Fighters,
led by another American, Trey Hillman, take the PL crown. Their roster
included Shinjo Tsuyoshi, finishing
his flamboyant career on a high note as a Japan Series winner for the first time.
The commercial success and fan popularity of the PL's playoff system, introduced in 2004, also
proved that life could be pumped back into the game. The Central League was carried by the tide
of opinion and introduced playoffs in 2007, ironically putting an extra hurdle in front of the
Giants, who had reversed a slump to win their first CL crown in five years. But they were swept
by 2nd-place finishers the Chunichi Dragons, who went on to beat the Fighters for their first
Japan Series title in 53 years.
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Official team sites (in Japanese):
Central League: Yokohama BayStars, Yomiuri Giants, Yakult Swallows, Hiroshima Toyo Carp, Hanshin Tigers, Chunichi Dragons.
Pacific League: Seibu Lions, Chiba Lotte Marines, Fukuoka Softbank Hawks, Orix Buffaloes, Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.
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