The Central League or Ce League is one of the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League in the annual Japan Series. It currently consists of six teams from around the country. Unlike the Pacific League, designated hitters are not used during Central League home games.
The Japan Series, also the Nippon Series, is the annual championship series in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top baseball league in Japan. It is a best-of-seven series between the winning clubs of the league's two circuits, the Central League and the Pacific League, and is played in October or November. The first team to win four games is the overall winner and is declared the Japan Series Champion each year. The winner of the Japan Series also goes on to be the Japanese representative team in the annual Asia Series. The Japan Series uses a 2-3-2 format.
Sachio Kinugasa was a Japanese professional baseball third baseman for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp of the Nippon Professional Baseball league from 1965 to 1987. He was nicknamed Tetsujin, meaning "Iron Man". He played in a record-breaking 2,215 consecutive games, having surpassed Lou Gehrig's record by 1987.
Yutaka Ohno, is a former Japanese baseball player of the Hiroshima Toyo Carp of Japan's Central League.
The 1979 Japan Series was the 30th edition of Nippon Professional Baseball's postseason championship series. It matched the Central League champion Hiroshima Carp against the Pacific League champion Kintetsu Buffaloes. The Carp defeated the Buffaloes for their first Japan Series championship in team history.
The 2001 Japan Series was the 52nd edition of Nippon Professional Baseball's postseason championship series. It matched the Central League champion Yakult Swallows against the Pacific League champion Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes. The Swallows defeated the Buffaloes in five games to claim their fifth Japan Series championship.
The 1991 Japan Series was the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) championship series for the 1991 season. It was the 42nd Japan Series and featured the Pacific League champion Seibu Lions against the Central League champion Hiroshima Toyo Carp. Seibu won their second consecutive PL pennant to reach the series, and Hiroshima finished first in the CL for the sixth time in franchise history. Played at Seibu Lions Stadium and Hiroshima Municipal Stadium, the Lions defeated the Carp four games to three in the best-of-seven series to win the franchise's 10th Japan Series title. Seibu slugger and regular season stolen-base champion Koji Akiyama was named Most Valuable Player of the series. The series was played between October 19 and October 28 with home field advantage going to the Pacific League.
The 2013 Nippon Professional Baseball season is the 64th season since the NPB was reorganized in 1950.
The 2016 Japan Series was the 67th edition of Nippon Professional Baseball's postseason championship series. The Hiroshima Toyo Carp, champions of the Central League, played the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, champions of the Pacific League, in a best-of-seven series beginning on October 22. The Japan Series was sponsored by the Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) and was officially known as the SMBC Nippon Series 2016.
The 1986 Japan Series was the 37th edition of Nippon Professional Baseball's postseason championship series. It matched the Central League champion Hiroshima Toyo Carp against the Pacific League champion Seibu Lions. The series is notable for being the only time in Japan Series history that an eighth game was played. After a tie in the first game, the Carp won the next three games. However, the Lions would respond by winning the next four in a row to capture their sixth Japan Series championship and their third title in five years.
The 1980 Japan Series was the 31st edition of Nippon Professional Baseball's postseason championship series. It matched the Central League champion Hiroshima Toyo Carp against the Pacific League champion Kintetsu Buffaloes. The Carp defeated the Buffaloes in seven games to capture their second consecutive Japan Series championship.
The 1978 Japan Series was the 29th edition of Nippon Professional Baseball's postseason championship series. It matched the Central League champion Yakult Swallows against the Pacific League champion Hankyu Braves. The Braves entered the series looking to win their fourth consecutive title, while the Swallows were making their first-ever Japan Series appearance. The Swallows defeated the Braves in seven games to claim their first championship.
The 1977 Japan Series was the 28th edition of Nippon Professional Baseball's postseason championship series. It matched the Central League champion Yomiuri Giants against the Pacific League champion Hankyu Braves. This was a rematch of the previous year's Japan Series, which the Braves won in seven games. The Braves would again defeat the Giants, this time in five games, to capture their third consecutive championship.
The 1976 Japan Series was the 27th edition of Nippon Professional Baseball's postseason championship series. It matched the Central League champion Yomiuri Giants against the Pacific League champion Hankyu Braves. The Braves defeated the Giants in seven games to win their second consecutive Japan Series championship.
The 1975 Japan Series was the 26th edition of Nippon Professional Baseball's postseason championship series. It matched the Central League champion Hiroshima Toyo Carp against the Pacific League champion Hankyu Braves. The Braves defeated the Carp in six games, four games to zero, with Games 1 and 4 finishing tied. This was the Braves' first championship in team history.
The 1972 Japan Series was the 23rd edition of Nippon Professional Baseball's postseason championship series. It matched the Central League champion Yomiuri Giants against the Pacific League champion Hankyu Braves. This was the fifth time in the last six years that the two teams had met in the Japan Series, with the Giants having won all previous matchups. The Giants defeated the Braves in five games to win their eighth consecutive title.
The 1971 Japan Series was the 22nd edition of Nippon Professional Baseball's postseason championship series. It matched the Central League champion Yomiuri Giants against the Pacific League champion Hankyu Braves. This was the fourth time in five years that the two teams had met in the Japan Series, with the Giants winning all previous matchups. The Giants defeated the Braves in five games to win their seventh consecutive title.
The 1969 Japan Series was the 20th edition of Nippon Professional Baseball's postseason championship series. It matched the Central League champion Yomiuri Giants against the Pacific League champion Hankyu Braves. This was the third consecutive meeting between the two teams in the Japan Series, with the previous two matchups being won by the Giants. Yomiuri defeated Hankyu once again in six games to capture their fifth consecutive championship.
The 1967 Japan Series was the 18th edition of Nippon Professional Baseball's postseason championship series. It matched the Central League champion Yomiuri Giants against the Pacific League champion Hankyu Braves. The Giants defeated the Braves in six games to win their third consecutive championship.
The 2018 Japan Series was the championship series of Nippon Professional Baseball's (NPB) 2018 season. The 69th edition of the Japan Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, the Pacific League's (PL) Climax Series champion and defending Japan Series champions, and the Hiroshima Toyo Carp, the Central League's (CL) Climax Series champion. The Hawks defeated the Carp, 4–1–1, in six games, to win their second consecutive Japan Series championship and their fifth in eight years.
