2008 Japan Series

2008 Japan Series
Team (Wins) Manager Season
Saitama Seibu Lions (4) Hisanobu Watanabe 76–64–4, .543, GA: 2.5
Yomiuri Giants (3) Tatsunori Hara 84–57–3, .596, GA: 2
Dates: November 1–9
MVP: Takayuki Kishi (Lions)
Television: Japan: NTV (Games 1, 6, 7)
TV Asahi (Games 2, 3, 4, 5)
South Korea: SBS Sports Channel
TV announcers: Ryo Kawamura, Shunsuke Shimizu, Takao Nakayama

The 2008 Japan Series was the 59th edition of Nippon Professional Baseball's championship series. The best-of-seven playoff between the respective champions of the Central League's and the Pacific League's Climax Series (postseason). The Series began on Saturday, November 1, 2008, and went the full seven games. The deciding Game 7 took place on Sunday, November 9.

Climax Series

  First stage     Final stage     Japan Series
                           
  Central League     C1  Yomiuri Giants 3*  
  C2  Hanshin Tigers 1     C3  Chunichi Dragons 1    
  C3  Chunichi Dragons 2         C1  Yomiuri Giants 3
      P1  Saitama Seibu Lions 4
  Pacific League     P1  Saitama Seibu Lions 4    
  P2  Orix Buffaloes 0     P3  Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters 2  
  P3  Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters 2  

Note:Giants was drawn in Game 3 in their Climax Series 2nd Stage. As teams having better position in regular league will have advantage, thus Giants won the series in 3-1-1.

Summary

Lions won the series, 4–3

GameScore (visitors listed first)Date(s)LocationAttendance
1Lions 2-1 GiantsNovember 1Tokyo Dome44,757
2Lions 2-3 GiantsNovember 2Tokyo Dome44,814
3Lions 4-6 GiantsNovember 4Seibu Dome24,495
4Lions 5-0 GiantsNovember 5Seibu Dome27,930
5Lions 3-7 GiantsNovember 6Seibu Dome28,763
6Lions 4-1 GiantsNovember 8Tokyo Dome44,749
7Lions 3-2 GiantsNovember 9Tokyo Dome44,737

Game summaries

Game 1, November 1

Tokyo Dome in Tokyo

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Saitama Seibu 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 2 6 1
Yomiuri 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0
WP: Hideaki Wakui   LP: Koji Uehara   Sv: Alex Graman
Home runs:
SEI: Taketoshi Gotoh (1), Hiroyuki Nakajima (1)
YOM: None

Game 2, November 2

Tokyo Dome in Tokyo

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Saitama Seibu 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 0
Yomiuri 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1x 3 8 0
WP: Daisuke Ochi   LP: Shinya Okamoto
Home runs:
SEI: Hiroyuki Nakajima (2)
YOM: Alex Ramírez (1)

Game 3, November 4

Seibu Dome in Tokorozawa, Saitama

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Yomiuri 1 3 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 6 8 0
Saitama Seibu 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 4 7 0
WP: Tetsuya Utsumi   LP: Kazuhisa Ishii   Sv: Marc Kroon
Home runs:
YOM: Takahiro Suzuki (1), Alex Ramírez (2), Michihiro Ogasawara (1)
SEI: Takeya Nakamura (1)

Game 4, November 5

Seibu Dome in Tokorozawa, Saitama

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Yomiuri 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0
Saitama Seibu 1 0 0 2 0 2 0 0 x 5 7 0
WP: Takayuki Kishi   LP: Seth Greisinger
Home runs:
YOM: None
SEI: Takeya Nakamura (2, 3)

Takayuki Kishi tossed a 147-pitch, complete-game shutout, striking out 10 Giants in the process. His opponent, Seth Greisinger, gave up 5 runs in as many innings, continuing his season-long struggles against the Lions. Tempers flared in the 4th when Greisinger hit Seibu shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima on the elbow with a pitch. The two started shouting at each other, and the benches cleared. No punches were thrown, but the next batter, Takeya Nakamura, crushed his first home run of the day to extend Seibu's lead to 3-0. Nakamura would strike again in the 6th off Greisinger with another 2-run blast to end the scoring.

Game 5, November 6

Seibu Dome in Tokorozawa, Saitama

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Yomiuri 0 1 0 0 0 0 4 0 2 7 10 2
Saitama Seibu 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 13 0
WP: Kentaro Nishimura (1–0)   LP: Hideaki Wakui (1–1)
Home runs:
YOM: Shinnosuke Abe (1)
SEI: Hiroshi Hirao (1)

Game 6, November 8

Tokyo Dome in Tokyo

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Saitama Seibu 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 4 10 0
Yomiuri 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 10 0
WP: Takayuki Kishi   LP: Hisanori Takahashi
Home runs:
SEI: Hiroshi Hirao (1)
YOM: None

Kishi came through again with 5 and 2/3 innings of shutout ball in relief of Seibu starter Kazuyuki Hoashi after Hoashi got into trouble in the 4th. The unsung hero of the Series, Hiroshi Hirao, crushed a 3-run home run to give the Lions a 3-0 lead off veteran lefty starter Hisanori Takahashi in the first. Takahashi only lasted 2 innings, giving up 3 runs on 5 hits, walking 2 and striking out 2.

Game 7, November 9

Tokyo Dome in Tokyo

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Saitama Seibu 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 3 6 0
Yomiuri 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0
WP: Tomoki Hoshino   LP: Daisuke Ochi   Sv: Alex Graman
Home runs:
SEI: Hiram Bocachica (1)
YOM: Hayato Sakamoto (1)

The critical inning was the 8th. Daisuke Ochi came in for the Giants to keep the Lions at bay, but Ochi got off to a bad start by hitting Kataoka. Kataoka then stole second, and he was sacrificed to 3rd. Hiroyuki Nakajima then hit a slow ground ball to 3rd, and Kataoka's speed allowed him to beat the throw home, tying the game up at 2. Ochi then proceeded to walk the next two batters, then Hiroshi Hirao, on a 3-1 pitch, lined a breaking ball back up the middle to score Takeya Nakamura and give Seibu the lead. Alex Graman closed out the Giants in the 9th to give the Lions their first Japan Series Championship since 2004.

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