2000 Japan Series

Last updated
2000 Japan Series
Team (Wins)Manager(s) Season
Yomiuri Giants (4) Shigeo Nagashima 78-57
Fukuoka Daiei Hawks (2) Sadaharu Oh 73-60-2
DatesOctober 21–28
MVP Hideki Matsui (Yomiuri)
Broadcast
Television NTV (Games 1, 2, 4, 6), TNC and Fuji TV (Game 3), RKB (Game 5)
←  1999 Japan Series 2001  →

The 2000 Japan Series matched the Central League champion Yomiuri Giants against the Pacific League champion and defending Japan Series champion Fukuoka Daiei Hawks. The press called it the O N series because of the managers on both sides: Sadaharu Oh for the Hawks and Shigeo Nagashima for the Giants. The two were teammates in the 1960s and 1970s, and their combined hitting prowess gave them the nickname, "O-N Cannon."

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.

Central League Nippon Professional Baseball league

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.

Contents

Fukuoka Daiei Hawks

The defending Japan Series Champions were largely the same team that had taken the field in 1999, with one major exception: left-handed starter Kimiyasu Kudoh had departed as a free agent over the winter and signed with the Giants. The core of the team was still intact, with Kenji Johjima anchoring a strong lineup that also featured stars Nobuhiko Matsunaka and Hiroki Kokubo. Pitching-wise, the Hawks saw the big-stage debut of future right-handed ace Kazumi Saitoh, who would make three appearances in relief without giving up a run.

Kenji Johjima baseball player

Kenji Johjima is a Japanese former professional baseball player. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball for four years with the Seattle Mariners in the American League, then returned to Japan and played for the Hanshin Tigers.

Nobuhiko Matsunaka Japanese baseball player

Nobuhiko Matsunaka is a former left fielder and designated hitter for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.

Hiroki Kokubo Japanese baseball player

Hiroki Kokubo is a retired professional baseball player from Wakayama, Japan.

Yomiuri Giants

For the first time in four years, the Giants had reached the Japan Series. They had not won the series since 1994, when they faced the Seibu Lions. A lot had changed in the six years since they had won, but the plethora of stars that they had been building since the mid-1990s was finally enough to get back to the Japan Series. Yomiuri had a powerful middle of the order between aging slugger Kazuhiro Kiyohara and Hideki Matsui. The pitching staff featured established stars such as Kudoh and Hiromi Makihara.

Kazuhiro Kiyohara Japanese baseball player

Kazuhiro Kiyohara is a former professional baseball player in Japan, having played in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball league for 23 seasons. He retired following the 2008 season.

Hideki Matsui Japanese baseball player

Hideki Matsui, nicknamed "Godzilla", is a Japanese former professional baseball outfielder and designated hitter who played baseball in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) and Major League Baseball (MLB). He batted left-handed and threw right-handed.

Hiromi Makihara Japanese baseball player

Hiromi Makihara is a former Nippon Professional Baseball pitcher. He was a six-time Central League All-Star, won Rookie of the Year honors, and pitched a perfect game in a 19-year career with the Yomiuri Giants.

Summary

GameScoreDateLocationAttendance
1Giants – 3, Hawks – 5October 21 Tokyo Dome 43,848 [1]
2Giants – 3, Hawks – 8October 22 Tokyo Dome 43,850 [1]
3Hawks – 3, Giants – 9October 23 Fukuoka Dome 36,625 [1]
4Hawks – 1, Giants – 2October 26 Fukuoka Dome 36,701 [1]
5Hawks – 0, Giants – 6October 27 Fukuoka Dome 36,787 [1]
6Giants – 9, Hawks – 3October 28 Tokyo Dome 44,033 [1]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 2000年度日本シリーズ　試合結果 (in Japanese). Nippon Professional Baseball . Retrieved May 12, 2010.


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