Champion: HOKKAIDO NIPPON HAM FIGHTERS
4 games to 1
Most Valuable Player:Atsunori Inaba

October 26 at Sapporo Dome (audience 42,030)
The starting pitchers were as in the first match. For the Fighters, Yu Darvish, and for the Dragons Kenshin Kawakami. With the game a tie, in the 6th inning, the Fighters Fernando Seguignol slammed a 2 run homerun. In the 8th, Atsunori Inaba had a solo home run. It was clear by that time, the Fighters star Tsuyoshi Shinjo was trying to keep from crying out in the field. The game was closed by Michael Nakamura to end the game 4 to 1. It's the Fighters first Japan Series victory in 44 years. The first player to be tossed in the air to celebrate the victory was Shinjo.

October 25 at Sapporo Dome (audience 41,835)
The Fighters started Satoru Kanemura in this game. It's the first time in 31 days he pitched in a game. He was suspended from games after cursing his manager Trey Hillman for taking him out in the 5th inning with 2 outs. He did not take party in the team's celebration of its league win. Neither was he allowed to take part in the league playoffs. But he managed to pitch well. And his teammate Atsunori Inaba batted in 2 runs in the 5th. The Fighters won its 3rd game in the series 3 to 0.

October 24 at Sapporo Dome (audience 41,798)
For the first time ever, the Japan Series was held in Hokkaido, northermost main island of Japan. It was in the first inning, the Fighters Michihiro Ogasawara had his first hit in the series. It's a 2 RBI 2 base hit.In the 8th Atsunori Inaba slammed a decisive 3 run homerun. The Fighters won its 2nd game, 6 to 1.

October 22 at Nagoya Dome (audience 38,095)
It was a competitive game. In the 4th inning the Dragons slugger Kosuke Fukudome homered to give his team a lead. But in the 7th, following the Fighters Tsuyoshi Shinjo's hit, Makoto Kaneko hit home 2 runners. In the 8th, Fernando Seguignol blasted a 2 run homerun. Michael Nakamura closed the game. The Fighters won this time, 5 to 2.

October 21 at Nagoya Dome (audience 38,009)
The Fighters Yu Darvish who's 20 years old would have become the youngest pitcher ever to win in the Japan Series if he did. But it did not happen. In the 2nd inning, he got bases loaded and lost 2 RBIs on Motonobu Tanishige's hit. The Fighters equalized on Tsuyoshi Shinjo's sacrifice fly. But Kazuki Inoue of the Dragons hit a game winning RBI. The Dragons won 4 to 2.

Go to BASEBALL ARCHIVE INDEX