1997 Japan Series

Last updated
1997 Japan Series
Team (Wins)Manager(s) Season
Yakult Swallows (4) Katsuya Nomura 83–52–2, .615, GA: 11
Seibu Lions (1) Osamu Higashio 76–56–3, .576, GA: 5
DatesOctober 18–23
MVP Atsuya Furuta (YKS)
FSA Kazuo Matsui (SEI)
Broadcast
Television TV Asahi (Games 1, 2, 4), Fuji TV (Games 3, 5)
RadioNHK Radio, JRN, NRN
←  1996 Japan Series 1998  →

The 1997 Japan Series was the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) championship series for the 1997 season. It was the 48th Japan Series and featured the Pacific League champions, the Seibu Lions, against the Central League champions, the Yakult Swallows. The series is the third time the two teams played each other for the championship, the last two contests being in 1992 and 1993. Played at Seibu Dome and Meiji Jingu Stadium, the Swallows defeated the Lions four games to one in the best-of-seven series to win the franchise's 4th Japan Series title. The Swallows' star catcher Atsuya Furuta was named Most Valuable Player of the series. The series was played between October 18 and October 23, 1997, with home field advantage going to the Pacific League.

Nippon Professional Baseball baseball league representing the highest level of professional baseball in Japan

Nippon Professional Baseball or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called Puro Yakyū (プロ野球), meaning Professional Baseball. Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation of the "Greater Japan Tokyo Baseball Club" in Tokyo, founded 1934 and the original circuit for the sport in the Empire two years later – Japanese Baseball League (1936–1949), and continued to play even through the final years of World War II.

The 1997 Nippon Professional Baseball season was the 48th season of operation for the league.

The Japan Championship Series, or Japan Series is the annual championship series in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top baseball league in Japan. It is a seven-game series between the winning clubs of the league's two circuits, the Central League and the Pacific League. The Series is the highest level of play in professional baseball in Japan. It is usually played in October or November. As in all of the best-of-seven series, 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.

Contents

Summary

CL Yakult Swallows (4) vs. PL Seibu Lions (1)

GameDateScoreLocationTimeAttendance 
1October 18Yakult Swallows – 1, Seibu Lions – 0 Seibu Dome 2:4131,634 [1]  
2October 19Yakult Swallows – 5, Seibu Lions – 6Seibu Dome4:4531,397 [1]  
3October 21Seibu Lions – 3, Yakult Swallows – 5 Meiji Jingu Stadium 3:2532,867 [1]  
4October 22Seibu Lions – 1, Yakult Swallows – 7Meiji Jingu Stadium3:0832,877 [1]  
5October 23Seibu Lions – 0, Yakult Swallows – 3Meiji Jingu Stadium2:5033,056 [1]

Matchups

Game 1

Saturday, October 18, 1997 at Seibu Dome, Tokorozawa, Saitama
Team123456789 R H E
Yakult000000010170
Seibu000000000032
WP: Kazuhisa Ishii (1–0)   LP: Fumiya Nishiguchi (0–1)
Home runs:
YKS: Jim Tatum (1)
SEI: None

Game 1 of the series featured a pitching match-up of two strong aces. Seibu's Fumiya Nishiguchi had a career year in 1997 (only his second full season), finishing first in the Pacific League in wins, strikeouts and winning percentage. His sparkling season earned him the Best Nine Award, the Golden Glove, the Sawamura Award and league MVP. Facing him in Game 1 from the visitor's side was Kazuhisa Ishii, a former number-one draft pick and established southpaw who had pitched a no-hitter earlier in the season. The game lived up to its billing as a pitcher's duel, with each starter not allowing any runs after seven innings. However, Yakult finally managed to get to Nishiguchi when journeyman Jim Tatum deposited a slider into the right-center field seats. Ishii protected this lead, and finished the game with no runs allowed and 12 strikeouts.

Fumiya Nishiguchi Japanese baseball player

Fumiya Nishiguchi, born September 26, 1972 in Wakayama, Japan, is a Japanese baseball player. He is a right-handed pitcher in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball for the Saitama Seibu Lions.

The Best Nine Award is awarded annually to the best player at each position in both the Central League and Pacific League of Japanese professional baseball as determined by a pool of journalists.

The Mitsui Golden Glove Award, sponsored by Japan's Mitsui Group, is annually awarded to nine fielders in Japan's professional baseball leagues by the Nippon Professional Baseball Association. The players are selected based on votes by TV, radio, and newspaper journalists with over 5 years experience covering Japanese professional baseball. The trophy is accompanied by prize money.

Game 2

Saturday, October 19, 1997 at Seibu Dome, Tokorozawa, Saitama
Team12345678910 R H E
Yakult02110100005142
Seibu50000000016133
WP: Shinji Mori (1–0)   LP: Futoshi Yamabe (0–1)
Home runs:
YKS: None
SEI: Yusuke Kawada (1)

Game 3

Tuesday, October 21, 1997 at Meiji Jingu Stadium, Shinjuku, Tokyo
Team123456789 R H E
Seibu0021000003111
Yakult03000002X5110
WP: Shingo Takatsu (1–0)   LP: Hisanobu Watanabe (0–1)
Home runs:
SEI: None
YKS: Atsuya Furuta (1)

Game 4

Wednesday, October 22, 1997 at Meiji Jingu Stadium, Shinjuku, Tokyo
Team123456789 R H E
Seibu001000000140
Yakult00300022X7130
WP: Kenjiro Kawasaki (1–0)   LP: Hiroshi Shintani (0–1)
Home runs:
SEI: None
YKS: Shinichi Sato (1)

Game 5

Thursday, October 23, 1997 at Meiji Jingu Stadium, Shinjuku, Tokyo
Team123456789 R H E
Seibu000000000050
Yakult02010000X391
WP: Kazuhisa Ishii (2–0)   LP: Fumiya Nishiguchi (0–2)   Sv: Shingo Takatsu (1)

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 1997年度日本シリーズ　試合結果 (in Japanese). Nippon Professional Baseball . Retrieved June 5, 2010.
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