For the first time in 59 years, Japan’s professional baseball championship, the Japan Series, will be contested between teams from the Osaka-centered Kansai region, starting Saturday at Kyocera Dome Osaka.
The three-time Pacific League champion Orix Buffaloes and the Central League champion Hanshin Tigers both won their championships handily, Orix by 15.5 games, Hanshin by 11.5. Both teams are strong in pitchers, fielders and batters, but have subtle contrasts.
The Tigers, led by center fielder Koji Chikamoto and second baseman Takumu Nakano, are the fastest team in Japan, while the Buffaloes, led by excellent right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto, are the best team in power launchers from Japan.
The Tigers made 34 triples this season, led by Chikamoto’s 12, and led the CL in steals with 79, with Chikamoto stealing a league-high 28 and teammate Nakano stealing 20.
Koji Chikamoto of the Hanshin Tigers hits a two-run home run against the Yomiuri Giants during a Central League baseball game at Tokyo Dome on August 10, 2023. (Essonne Info)
Hanshin’s other strengths focus on walks and double plays. Their batters led both leagues with 494 walks, their pitchers issued 315, the lowest in Japan, and the team is very good at turning double plays on defense and staying out of those plays on offense.
Yamamoto — who led the PL in ERA, strikeouts, wins and winning percentage for three straight seasons — features a staff whose 1,155 were the second most in Japan, while allowing 73 home runs, the smallest number in Japan.
The Tigers’ best pitcher this season, CL ERA leader and strong contender for CL Rookie of the Year Shoki Murakami, will likely face Yamamoto. The right-hander lost a pitching duel 2-0 to Yamamoto on June 13 at Koshien Stadium, where Games 3, 4 and 5 are scheduled for October 31, November 1 and 2.
“Watching him (Yamamoto) is a real education,” Murakami said recently. “But if we go head-to-head, I don’t want to lose.
Although the Tigers only needed three games to qualify for the Japan Series in the CL playoffs, while Orix needed four, the Tigers’ margins were razor thin as the offense did not managed to hit the ball well, which could be exacerbated against the best pitching team in the PL.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto of the Orix Buffaloes throws against the Lotte Marines in Game 1 of the Pacific League Climax Series final stage at Kyocera Dome Osaka on October 18, 2023. (Essonne Info)
The Buffaloes should benefit more from the designated hitter rule in Games 1 and 2, and 6 and 7 if necessary, at Kyocera Dome Osaka, where Orix has much more power off the bench.
At Koshien Stadium, defending the outfield will be a problem for Orix. In three of the four postseason games played so far in the Osaka Dome, catcher Tomoya Mori was in right field and lanky Yutaro Sugimoto was in left field.
Sugimoto’s physical condition is, however, in question, as is that of starting shortstop Kotaro Kurebayashi.
“If they’re not available, that’s a problem,” Orix captain Satoshi Nakajima said. “It makes my head hurt.
Yet the ability to change team compositions and defensive alignments and still get results is a Nakajima trademark.
Tigers captain Akinobu Okada has favored a fixed lineup, and so far it has paid off. After years of alternating between first and third base, Yusuke Oyama was assigned to first base by Okada, where he became the team’s driving force this year.
If the Tigers offense fails to wake up against Orix, it will be interesting to see how far Okada sticks to what has worked over the course of the season.
The Tigers, playing in their first Japan Series since 2014 and looking for their second title, won their only championship in 1985. For Orix, a Japan Series championship title would be the second in a row and the franchise’s sixth.
Féliciane is one of the talented editors of Essonneinfo. She has written for the site since its launch, and has become a well-known figure in the industry for her skillful reporting and unique take on stories. Féliciane’s main hobby is traveling. His passion for travel has allowed him to write in-depth articles about cultures around the world.
2023-10-26 04:36:19
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