Five unearned runs off three walks, two errors and a hit batsman in the seventh inning overturned a 3-0 deficit into a 5-3 lead as the Yakult Swallows successfully captured their second consecutive Central League Climax Series title with a 6-3 victory to oust the Hanshin Tigers 4 games to 0. Tigers ace Koyo Aoyagi was the hard luck player of the game, keeping the best offensive team in the league quiet until the seventh when costly errors prolonged the inning and handed Yakult the game. Hanshin took the lead in the fourth inning on Naomasa Yohkawa's sacrifice fly that scored Yusuke Ohyama. The Tigers added two more in the fifth when Ohyama singled home Takumu Nakano and Fumiya Hojoh for a 3-0 lead. Then came the brutal seventh which began with Aoyagi fanning Yuhei Nakamura. Following a walk to Domingo Santana, a 4-6 fielder's choice from Hideki Nagaoka saw a runner at first with two outs. Aoyagi then hit pinch hitter Norichika Aoki and walked Yasutaka Shiomi to load the bases. A grounder to first should have ended the inning but Jefry Marté fumbled the ball allowing Nagaoka and pinch runner Sōma Uchiyama to score Yakult's first two runs. Masumi Hamachi replaced Aoyagi and proceeded to walk Takeshi Miyamoto re-lkoading the bases. Munetaka Murakami then tapped a dribbler down the first base line which Hamachi fielded and threw wildly to first base allowing all three base runners to score and effectively end the series. The home team added an insurance run in the eighth, closer Scott McGough closed the door in the ninth, and the defending champion Yakult Swallows, who had won their fifth Nippon title in 2001, will attempt to become the first Central League team to repeat as NPB champions since the 1979-80 Hiroshima Carp. https://baseball.yahoo.co.jp/npb/game/2021006289/video/player/8399727#game_board
The Softbank Hawks refused to yield the Pacific League series just yet, forcing a Game 4 after shutting out the Orix Buffaloes 3-0 at the Osaka Dome. In what is likely his final NPB appearance for ther next few years, Kodai Senga pitched six shutout innings allowing just three hits while striking out five. He also benefited from some great defensive gems, particularly in the third inning from second baseman Masaki Mimori. Mimori also got the job done at the plate when he led off the game with a double to centerfield. Daiki Tajima made a bad throw to first on Ukyo Shuto's sacrifice bunt allowing Mimori to score. And after moving to third on Yuki Yanagita's groundout, Shuto scored when Alfredo Despaigne's bloop single landed in shallow right. Isami Nomura amde it 3-0 with a solo home run in the seventh inning, and although closer Liván Moinelo struggled in the ninth and although Yutaro Sugimoto stepped to the plate as the potential tying run, Moinelo struck him out to end the game. SoftBank live for another day.
Saturday, October 15 Game 4 probables P.L. Orix : Taisuke Yamaoka (6-8, 2.60) SoftBank : Tsuyoshi Wada (7-4, 2.78)
#中川圭太 サヨナラで決めた！！オリックスが2年連続の日本シリーズ進出🎉🎉🎉いざ、昨年のリベンジへ🔥アプリDLはこちら▶️https://t.co/Ic2VzF1PlY#Bs2022 pic.twitter.com/RY8nrB4MmL— ベースボールLIVE (@baseballlive_JP) October 15, 2022 Keita Nakagawa's two-out single in the bottom of the ninth inning brought home Kenya Wakatsuki from third base to give the Orix Buffaloes a 3-2 sayonara win over the SoftBank Hawks. The victory closed out the Pacific League Climax Series 4 games to 1 and earns the Buffaloes a return trip to the Japan Series and a rematch with the Yakult Swallows which the Tokyo club won 4 games to 2. Orix took the lead on Masataka Yoshida's titanic upper deck two-run home run to center field in the fourth inning off SoftBank's 41- year old southpaw starter Tsuyoshi Wada. The home team nearly added to their lead in the sixth inning when they had runners on second and third but Yuma Tongu's fly to deep center field was caught on the dive at the edge of the warning track by a hustling Taisei Makihara which even the Buffaloes fans appreciated. The importance of Makihara's catch was revealed the next inning when Alfredo Despaigne connected on a Soichiro Yamazaki fastball for a two-run homer that tied the game at 2-2. In his two innings of relief Yamazaki averaged 156.3 kmh (97.1 mph) over 23 pitches. After the Hawks survived a bases loaded jam in the bottom of the eighth, Yuki Yanagita sent a deep fly to center that was caught at the base of the wall which nearly took the air out of the Dome. In the last of the ninth Wakatsuki hit a one-out single to left, moved to second when Steven Moya worked a five-pitch walk, and went to third on Yuma Mune's 3-6 fielder's choice to set up Nakagawa's Series clinching single that caused chaos inside the Kyocera Dome. The Buffaloes and Swallows will have one week to prepare for their rematch with Game 1 taking place on Saturday 22 October at Meiji Jingu Stadium. オリックス #中嶋聡 監督の胴上げが行われました‼️#パーソルCSパ#全員で勝つ#全員で頂点へ！！ #Bs2022 @Orix_Buffaloes👇表彰式ライブ配信中！https://t.co/A1e1rj0jE4 pic.twitter.com/6yI61sLuVZ— パ・リーグ.com / パーソル パ・リーグTV【公式】 (@PacificleagueTV) October 15, 2022
Following the SoftBank Hawks elimination in the Climax Series, their ace pitcher Kodai Senga confirmed that he will exercise his international free agency rights and look to sign with an MLB club this off-season. He will not have to go through the posting system. He will turn 30 on January 30. https://npb.jp/bis/eng/players/01005133.html
With the elimination of the Los Angeles Dodgers (and their 111 regular season wins ) from the MLB playoffs in the best-of-five Divisional Series, the topic of the different post-season formats between MLB and NPB has become a hot topic among fans who follow both leagues. Some people like seeing the underdogs win and the regular season winners fall. Not NPB though. They give league (division) winners a huge playoff advantage. Which playoff format do you prefer? MLB or NPB? Why? https://t.co/BN9WRL8qaO— 🚇Hanshin🐯Tigers🇨🇦English📢News⚾️ (@thehanshintiger) October 16, 2022
Former NPB and current San Diego Padres players pose together following their advancement to the National League Championship Series. L-R Pierce Johnson (2019 Hanshin Tigers) Yu Darvish (2005-2011 Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters) Robert Suarez (2016-2019 Fukuoka Softbank Hawks, 2020-2021 Hanshin Tigers) Nick Martinez (2021 Fukuoka Softbank Hawks) Brandon Dixon (2021 Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles)
The 2021 NPB Nippon Series was memorable for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, it featured two teams that had literally gone from worst to first. In the Central League, the Yakult Swallows finished 18 games out of first place in 2019, 25 games back in 2020. While in the Pacific League the Orix Buffaloes ended up 16 games behind the league champions in 2019 and 27 out in 2020. In 2021 both teams came out of nowhere to shock the pundits by capturing their respective league pennants with hot winning streaks following the four-week break in July-August due to the 2020 Summer Olympics baseball tournament, which saw Japan capture the gold medal on home soil. The 2021 Nippon Series was the first in NPB history that was contested between two teams that had finished last in their respective leagues the previous season. The Swallows and Buffaloes provided a very competitive and entertaining Series with all six games being very close affairs. Five games ended in one-run victories while Game 2 was won by two runs. The Buffaloes hosted the first two games at the Kyocera Dome in Osaka. Game 1 After five scoreless innings, the Swallows opened the scoring when Yuhei Nakamura drove in Tetsuto Yamada with a single to center. It was the first run allowed by Yoshinobu Yamamoto in 21 innings, but with 112 pitches thrown by the end of the sixth inning he was removed from the game. In the bottom of the 7th the Swallows leveled the score on Steven Moya's crushing blast into the right field bleachers. Yakult then took the lead in top of the 8th on Munetaka Murakami's two-run homer to centerfield. With Scott McGough taking over in the ninth it appeared the Swallows had Game 1 in the bag. But the Swallows closer failed to record a single out from the five batters he faced. After the first two batters got on base Shuhei Fukuda attempted to sacrifice the runners to second and third. The throw to third was very close but not on time resulting in the bases being full. Yuma Mune singled up the middle driving in two to tie the score at 3-3, and with defense drawn in Masataka Yoshida singled over Yasutaka Shiomi in centerfield to drive in Fukuda with the sayonara run in an incredible game-ending finish. The Buffaloes win marked the 13th consecutive victory for the Pacific League in the Japan Series going back to Game 3 of the 2018 Series while the Swallows set a Nippon Series record by striking out 15 times.
Game 2 A great pitching duel saw the Swallows score two runs in the final two innings to even the Series at 1-1. Orix's standout rookie southpaw Hiroya Miyagi pitched seven shutout innings and was perfect for the first five frames before the Swallows got to him in the eighth. Following a walk and single, Norichika Aoki drove in Naomichi Nishiura with a looping single to right-center for Yakult's crucial opening run. Yakult added an insurance run in the ninth when José Osuna's single to right brought home Hiyu Motoyama. It was more than enough for Keiji Takahshi who hurled a complete game shutout allowing just five hits and two walks while striking out five on 133 pitches.
The Olympic break that lasted from July 18 to August 12 meant the Regular Season, including the customary two week frame where postponed games would be played, would conclude by October 24. However, the spread of the coronavirus infection postponed more games than anticipated, especially in the Central League. This resulted NPB announcing in late-August that a third week would be added for make up games to be played following the scheduled finish to the regular season. The extra week meant the entire post-season would be pushed back one week from its original schedule. This included the Japan Series which was re-scheduled to open on November 20. This ultimately caused a scheduling conflict for the Buffaloes and Swallows and their home ballparks. Originally believing that no NPB baseball would be played the final week of November, the two main venues for the Japan Series participants booked other events: Meiji Jingu Stadium (Swallows) scheduled an amateur baseball tournament while the the Kyocera Dome in Osaka booked concert dates for the Japanese pop group AAA (Attack All Around). Game 3 So it was the Tokyo Dome that hosted a dramatic, tense Game 3 that saw the lead change hands three times before the Swallows held on for a 5-4 win to take a 2-1 Series lead. Yuma Mune put Orix up 1-0 in the third inning with an RBI single off Yasuhiro Ogawa that brought home Kotaro Kurebayashi. Yakult took the lead in the fifth when Yuhei Nakamura drove in two with a bases loaded single up the middle while a throwing error by Mune allowed Domingo Santana to race home with the third run on the same play. The Buffaloes tied it in the sixth on Yutaro Sugimoto's two-run homer to right, then took the lead 4-3 in the top of the 7th when Masataka Yoshida doubled home Torai Fushimi from second the tie-breaking run. But it was Santana who earned the Hero of the Game award when his two-run blast to right put the Birds back up 5-4 in the seventh inning. Scott McGough closed the game with the Buffaloes leaving the tying run 90 feet from the plate.
Game 4 41 year old Masanori Ishikawa pitched six innings giving up just one earned run on three hits and a walk while striking out five as the Swallows won 2-1 to take a commanding 3-1 Series lead. Game 3 hero Domingo Santana slugged a solo home run in the second inning to give Yakult the lead. But his fielding error on Yuma Mune's single allowed Shuhei Fukuda to score the tying run in the top of the sixth. In the bottom of the frame Santana scored the winning run from second off Jose Osuna's single to centerfield. Relievers Taichi Ishiyama, Noboru Shimizu and Scott McGough each allowed a hit over the final three innings but were able to hold the 2-1 lead to put Yakult one victory away from their sixth NPB title.
Game 5 After a 14-year career in MLB, 11 of which was spent with the Baltimore Orioles, 35 year old Adam Jones signed a two-year deal with the Buffaloes in 2020. By his second year he was mainly used as a pinch-hitter and in Game 5 his towering ninth inning pinch-hit home run helped the Buffaloes stave off elimination with a thrilling 6-5 win. With the Swallows one victory away from clinching the Series, they got on the board first when Domingo Santana scored from third on a fielder’s choice double play in the second inning. The Buffaloes tied it in the top of the fourth when Masatake Yoshida doubled and then scored on Yutaro Sugimoto's single to center. Yakult regained the lead in the bottom of the frame on a solo homer by Munetaka Murakami. Two innings later the Buffaloes leveled the score again when Takahiro Okada singled to right scoring Yoshida from second. With the game knotted at 2-2, Orix scored twice in the top of the seventh. With one out and a runner on second, Ryo Ohta drove in with the go-ahead run with a triple to the gap in right-center field to make it 3-2. Steven Moya's fly ball to right was just out of the reach of Santana allowing Ohta to score from third to make it 4-2. The Buffaloes extended the lead to 5-2 in the top of the eighth on a double by Torai Fushimi that scored Kotaro Kurebayashi. The Swallows came right back in the bottom of the eighth when Orix reliever Tyler Higgins walked the first two batters he faced then gave up a three-run homer to Tetsuto Yamada to tie it at 5-5. That set up Jones' towering pinch-hit solo blast off fellow American Scott McGough in the top of the ninth inning to put the Buffaloes back in front. Yoshihisa Hirano came on in the ninth and, as was typical of this game, walked the first batter he faced. He then got pinch hitter Shingo Kawabata on a fly out that reached the warning track in right field, Yasutaka Shiomi was fanned on a borderline called strike three and Norichika Aoki grounded out to end the game. As the Japanese media dubbed Jones' crucial home run a 'Turkey Shot' since it occurred on American Thanksgiving Day. the Series shifted back to Kansei with the Buffaloes, despite trailing 3-2 in the Series, seemingly in the enviable position of having their two ace starters Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Hiroya Miyagi ready for (potentially) the final two games at home.
Game 6 With the Osaka Dome unavailable, the remainder of the Series shifted outdoors to Hotto Motto Field in nearby Kobe. Along with Hiroshima's Mazda/Municipal Stadium, the Kobe Sports Park venue is one of just two 'American' style venues (with its all-grass field and dirt base paths) used in NPB. Needing a win to force a Game 7, Buffaloes ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto was business as usual on the mound: one earned run allowed on six hits, one walk with 11 strikeouts over 9 full innings. His pitch count was 141. The one run came in the top of the fifth. Jose Osuna singled to center, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt, then scored on a single to left by Yasutaka Shiomi when Yuma Mune cut off Masataka Yoshida's throw that looked like it may have nabbed Osuna at the plate had it gone through. Orix immediately answered in the bottom of the fifth when Kenya Wakatsuki scored from second on Shuhei Fukuda's bloop single over Munetaka Murakami at third base. From then on, pitching dominated as both teams struggled to get runners into scoring positions and as the game moved into extra frames there were thoughts that it would go the maximum 12 innings as per Japan Series rules enacted for the covid-plagued 2021 campaign. (Potential Games 8 and 9 would have had unlimited innings until a winner was determined.) But in the top of the 12th the Swallows finally broke through. With two outs Shiomi singled off Ryo Yoshida, advanced to second on a passed ball and was driven home on pinch-hitter Shingo Kawabata's shallow fly ball to left to put Yakult up 2-1. Scott McGough, who allowed game winning runs in Games 1 and 5, redeemed himself by shutting the door in the last of the 12th to make the Swallows Japan Series champions for the first time in 20 years. With each of the six games being close affairs, many fans lauded the 2021 Nippon Series as being one of the most tense and exciting in recent memory. And after finishing dead last in the Central League in 2020, the Yakult Swallows joined the 1960 Taiyo Whales as the only teams to win the Nippon Series one season after finishing in last place in their league. Beginning Saturday, they will attempt to become the first Central League club to repeat as Nippon champions since the 1979-1980 Hiroshima Carp. Yuhei Nakamura of the Swallows was named the Series' Most Valubale Player, the sixth catcher to be named MVP in Nippon Series history. Nakamura batted .318 (7-for22) with 3 RBIs. The Fighting Spirit Award (basically, the MVP of the losing team) went to Buffaloes pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Although he didn't figure in the decisions of the two games he started (Games 1 and 6) he threw 15 innings total allowing two earned runs for a 1.20 ERA, and recorded 20 strikeouts.
NIPPON SERIES Sponsor: SMBC Group Home field advantage alternates every year with the Central League hosting Games 1, 2, 6 and 7 on even-numbered years. So the Yakult Swallows will have the advantage in 2022. Saturday 22 October : Game 1 - Meiji Jingu Stadium, Tokyo (Shinjuku), 18:30 Sunday 23 October : Game 2 - Meiji Jingu Stadium, Tokyo (Shinjuku), 18:00 Tuesday 25 October : Game 3 - Kyocera Dome, Osaka, 18:30 Wednesday 26 October : Game 4 - Kyocera Dome, Osaka, 18:30 Thursday 27 October : Game 5 - Kyocera Dome, Osaka, 18:30 Saturday 29 October : Game 6 - Meiji Jingu Stadium, Tokyo (Shinjuku), 18:30 Sunday 30 October : Game 7 - Meiji Jingu Stadium, Tokyo (Shinjuku), 18:30 Best-of-seven format. The first team to win 4 games wins the Series. The designated hitter (used in the Pacific League) will be adopted in Games 3, 4 and 5. For each game, if the score is tied after 9 innings the game continues to a maximum of 12 innings. If the score is still tied after 12 full innings, the game is declared a tie. After Game 7, if neither team has won four games, a Game 8 will be played on Monday 31 October at Meiji Jingu Stadium, Tokyo (Shinjuku). The game will be played until a winner is determined (i.e. unlimited innings). After Game 8, if neither team has won four games, a Game 9 will be played on Wednesday 2 November at Kyocera Dome, Osaka. The game will be played until a winner is determined (i.e. unlimited innings). After Game 9, if neither team has won four games, the champion will be the team that has won the most games. In the history of the Nippon Series, the Series has gone beyond seven games just once (8 games in 1986). 2022 will be the 73rd Nippon Series (1950-2021). Current record: Pacific League - 36 victories (211 game wins) Central League - 36 victories (206 game wins)
The Buffaloes hosted the Swallows for their three-game Interleague series in June. Yakult won the series 2-1. None of Orix's trio of star pitchers were involved in any of the games. (Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Hiroya Miyagi, Daiki Tajima) Likewise, three of Yakult's notable starters did not play any part in the series. (Yasuhiro Ogawa, Keiji Takahashi, Hirotoshi Takanashi) Masataka Yoshida (rest) and Domingo Santana (injured) also saw no action during the series. Tuesday 7 June Boxscore: http://hosted.stats.com/npb/boxscore.asp?gamecode=20220607111 Wednesday 8 June Boxscore: http://hosted.stats.com/npb/boxscore.asp?gamecode=20220608111 Thursday 9 June Boxscore: http://hosted.stats.com/npb/boxscore.asp?gamecode=20220609111
Saturday, October 22 Game 1 probables Yakult : Yasuhiro Ogawa (8-8, 2.82 ... 1-0, 1.35) Orix : Yoshinobu Yamamoto (15-5, 1.68 ... 1-0, 0.00)
The Yakult Swallows jumped on Orix Buffaloes star pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto early and often en route to a 5-3 victory to take a 1-0 lead in the Japan Series. Yamamoto struggled in the first inning, giving up a leadoff single to Yasutaka Shiomi and walking Munetaka Murakami on four pitches. With one out, José Osuna hit a grounder that clipped the edge of third base and into the left field corner for a two-run triple to give Yakult an early lead. The Buffaloes came right back to tie it 2-2 in the top of the second as Swallows starter Yasuhiro Ogawa had his own struggles, allowing three hits and two walks including a bases loaded five-pitch dead ball to Steven Moya that forced in the tying run after Kotaro Kurebayashi had singled in the first run two batters earlier. Shiomi and Osuna then led off the third and fourth innings, respectively, with solo home runs to put up 4-2. It marked the first time since 11 August 2020 that Yamamoto had allowed two home runs in one game. (Yuki Yanagita and Akira Nakamura of the SoftBank Hawks) After throwing two pitches to pinch hitter Patrick Kivlehan to open the fifth inning, Yamamoto complained of discomfort on the left side of his body, later announced to be a strained left oblique. He was removed as a precaution and should be available for his next start in this Series (if there is one.) Also, a huge sigh of relief from the entire nation with the WBC coming up in March. His final line for the night read four earned runs allowed on four hits and one walk with four strikeouts. He threw 64 pitches. Ogawa went five innings allowing two runs on six hits and three walks with just one strikeout. Both bullpens kept the score at 4-2 until the eighth inning. Takahiro Okada hit a two-out pinch-hit single to centerfield driving in Masahiro Nishino from second to cut the Swallows lead to 4-3. But in the bottom of the frame Murakami restored the two run lead with a solo shot off Yosihisho Hirano that sailed over the center field fence. It was the Central League's Triple Crown winner's third career home run in Nippon Series play. Orix made things interesting in the bottom of the ninth by getting two runners on base with one out, but Swallows closer Scott McGough fanned Yutaro Sugimoto and Yuma Tongu to end the game and put Yakult up 1-0 in their quest to successfully defend their Japanese title. The Buffaloes left 11 runners on base. Official highlights: Pro Yakyu News highlights:
Sunday, October 23 Game 2 probables Yakult : Cy Sneed (9-6, 3.54 ... 1-0, 1.59) Orix : Sachiya Yamasaki (5-8, 3.45)
⚾️SMBC日本シリーズ第2戦 テレビ朝日で生中継中⚾️#日本シリーズ2022 でツイートして盛り上げよう！9回裏 #内山壮真 の3ランでスワローズ同点！第2戦は延長戦に突入！#テレ朝 #TVer #ABEMA で熱戦を見逃すな！#日本シリーズ#オリックス #ヤクルト@Orix_Buffaloes@swallowspr pic.twitter.com/UcxHFWvmeb— テレビ朝日野球《公式》 (@tvasahibaseball) October 23, 2022 A pinch hit three-run home run in the ninth inning by 20 year old Soma Uchiyama salvaged a 3-3 tie for the Yakult Swallows who continue to lead the Nippon Series 1-0-1. For the Orix Buffaloes, there are two ways they can look at this result: They didn't lose a second game on the road which would have placed them in a difficult position heading into Game 3 on Tuesday, or it was a cruel punch to the gut after seemingly having the game in the bag. Orix, who certainly appeared to be on course to tie the Series, shocked many before the game when they announced that Sachiya Yamasaki would get the start on the mound over Hiroya Miyagi, who's normally second on the Buffaloes pitching rotation. But Yamasaki performed well over four innings and even helped his cause at the plate when he bounced a grounder into right field off American pitcher Cy Sneed that scored Kotaro Kurebayashi from third to give Orix the lead, a rare instance of an RBI for a pitcher from the Pacific League where they use the designated hitter (!) Yamasaki then scored from second when Yuma Mune's single to right was hot-potatoed by Domingo Santana. In the fifth inning Yutaro Sugimoto's slow bouncer to third allowed Ryoichi Adachi to race home for the Buffaloes third run of the game. Although Yakult were able to get runners on base they struggled to bring any home, leaving 11 runners stranded through eight innings. But just when it seemed like the Series would be level at one game each, the Swallows finally broke through in the ninth. With reliever Shota Abe taking over on the mound looking to close the game, he allowed the first two batters to get on base when Takeshi Miyamoto doubled and Yasutaka Shiomi drew a walk. With the pitcher's spot up next, Swallows manager Shingo Takatsu sent up the 20 year old Uchiyama, a high schooler two years ago who was making his first appearance in a Japan Series game. On a 2-2 pitch Uchiyama drove the ball over the left field fence as Meiji Jingu exploded in euphoria. Uchiyama is the 16th player to homer in his first career Japan Series at-bat and the fifth to do it as a pinch hitter. In extra innings both teams managed to get runners to third but neither could get the crucial hit to drive anyone home. After 12 innings the game was declared a tie, the ninth tie game in Nippon Series history and the first since Game 1 of the 2018 Series when the SoftBank Hawks and Hiroshima Carp played to a 2-2 draw. Both teams combined to use 16 pitchers on Sunday (eight for each team), a new Nippon Series single game record. The previous record was the aforementioned 2018 Hawks-Carp tie (15 pitchers). The time of the game was 5 hours, 3 minutes, the second longest in Japan Series history and the longest since the switch from 15 to 12 innings in 2018. While Yakult maintains a 1-0 Series lead with one tie game, the possibility exists of a Game 8 should the Series be knotted at 3-3 after the seventh game. Interesting to note that while the Buffaloes pitching staff have not been shy to pitch (ever so carefully) to Yakult's home run slugger Munetaka Murakami, the Swallows have not been as keen to challenge Orix's in-form hitter Masataka Yoshida. In 10 plate appearances Murakami has walked just once while fanning twice. Yoshida has been walked five times (once intentionally) in 11 plate appearances and has yet to strike out. Official highlights: Pro Yakyu News:
On Monday, Yoshinobu Yamamoto of the Orix Buffaloes was (not surprisingly) named the winner of the Eiji Sawamura Award, an honor bestowed upon the top starting pitcher in NPB each year. He is the sixth pitcher to win the award in back-to-back years. Contrary to popular belief, the award is not considered NPB's equivalent to MLB's Cy Young Award, which is awarded to two pitchers annually (one in the National League, one in the American League). Named in honor of Eiji Sawamura, who threw the first no-hitter in Japanese professional baseball history and was killed towards the end of World War II at age 27, the award is chosen by a five-member committee - all of whom are former NPB pitchers - based on the following selection criteria. - Games started: 25 or more - Wins: 15 or more - Complete games: 10 or more - Winning percentage: .600 or higher - Innings pitched: 200 or more - Earned run average (ERA): 2.50 or lower - Strikeouts: 150 or more Normally, the starting pitcher who meets the most criteria is selected for the award. Yamamoto, who won the Pacific League pitching Triple Crown for the second year in a row, met five of the seven criteria. ★ Games started: 26 ★ Wins: 15 Complete games: 4 ★ Winning percentage: .750 Innings pitched: 193 ★ Earned run average (ERA): 1.68 ★Strikeouts: 205