Champion: YAKULT SWALLOWS
4 games to 1
Most Valuable Player: Atsuya Furuta
October 25 at Jingu Stadium (audience 32,568 )
The Swallows already scored 3 runs in the first inning.
It added another run in the 4th.
The Buffaloes earned 2 runs through Tuffy Rhodes hit.
But that was all.
The game and the series came to a close when the Swallows'
Atsuya Furuta catched a fly ball.
It's 4 to 2.
The Swallows clinched the Japan title for the first time in 4 years.
It's the 5th overall.
Michiyo's Note: It was reported after the game that this Japan Series
did poorly in TV rating. In Tokyo, none of the game reached more than a 20 percent rating.
This is according to Video Research.
October 24 at Jingu Stadium (audience 32,145 )
This time, the Buffaloes scored first. It was through Tuffy Rhodes homerun in the 4th inning.
The Swallows caught up in the 5th inning.
The Buffaloes had another chance to score when Rhodes was walked and stole to 2nd.
But his steal to 3rd ended in a failure.
And in the 7th, the Swallows batted in another run.
The Swallows clinched the game 2 to 1, and its the team's 3rd win already.
October 23 at Jingu Stadium (audience 30,440 )
Satoshi Iriki, who was formerlly with the Buffaloes started for the Swallows.
He pitched well, giving up only 2 runs.
Mitsuru Manaka homered, and the Swallows had continous hits.
The Swallows won 9 to 2 to lead the Buffaloes by one game.
October 21 at Osaka Dome (audience 31,820 )
The Swallows got in 4 runs in 4 innings.
Then in the bottom of the 4th inning, Buffaloes's star Norihiro Nakamura homered.
Thereafter, his team got into the swing of things, tying the game 6 to 6.
Then in the 8th inning with 2 runners on base, the league's homerun king Tuffy Rhodes
blasted the ball to the 3rd floor.
The Buffloes clinched the game 9 to 6.
October 20 at Osaka Dome (audience 32,324 )
The opening pitch for the Japan Series was hurled by former Buffaloes skipper Yukio Nishimoto.
Kazuhisa Ishii started for the Swallows.
Already in the 2nd inning, the Swallows batted in a run.
In the 6th, Alex Ramirez homered. And so did Atsuya Furuta in the 8th.
The Buffaloes was shut out 0 to 7.