2008 Nippon Professional Baseball season

Last updated
2008 NPB season
League Nippon Professional Baseball
Sport Baseball
DurationMarch 20 – November 9
Central League Pennant
League champions Yomiuri Giants
  Runners-up Hanshin Tigers
Season MVP Alex Ramírez (Yomiuri)
Pacific League Pennant
League champions Saitama Seibu Lions
  Runners-up Orix Buffaloes
Season MVP Hisashi Iwakuma (Rakuten)
Climax Series
CL champions Yomiuri Giants
  CL runners-up Chunichi Dragons
PL champions Saitama Seibu Lions
  PL runners-up Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters
Japan Series
Champions Saitama Seibu Lions
  Runners-up Yomiuri Giants
Finals MVP Takayuki Kishi (Seibu)
NPB seasons

The 2008 Nippon Professional Baseball season was the 59th season since the NPB was reorganized in 1950. The regular season started on March 20 with the Pacific League opener, and on March 28 with the Central League opener. On March 25 and 26, the Boston Red Sox and Oakland Athletics played 2 regular season Major League Baseball games at Tokyo Dome. During their visit, they also played exhibition games against the Hanshin Tigers and Yomiuri Giants.

Contents

Format

Both League

Japan Series

Changes

The Seibu Lions added the prefecture name "Saitama" in front of the team name starting with this season.

As to reduce the interference to teams whose main players would play in the Olympic Games, this year's trade and new foreign players deadlines were pushed to the end of July, instead of the end of June. Also, teams having more than three players selected by National teams were given an extra quota of foreign player limit during the Olympic Games.

The postseason playoff ("Climax Series") regulations have changed to give more advantages to League Champions, now the second stage series will play for 6 games, while the League Champion will have a one-win advantage.

In late June, the Free Agency regulation was amended after negotiation between the players committee and owners. Players are now eligible for free agency after 8 years of service to a team (1 playing year = 145 days on the active roster), players drafted before 2007 are shortened to 7 (University/Company/Independent League) to 8 (High School) years. However, oversea FA right which allow them to play in the Major League Baseball still needs 9 playing years. This amendment is also effective on non-Japanese players. Alex Ramírez, who served 8 playing years in Japan, became a "local player" after the season. [1]

Standings

Central League

Regular season

Central League regular season standings
TeamPldWLTPCTGB
Yomiuri Giants 14484573.594—
Hanshin Tigers 14482593.5802
Chunichi Dragons 14471685.51012
Hiroshima Toyo Carp 14469705.49714
Tokyo Yakult Swallows 14466744.47217.5
Yokohama BayStars 14448942.34036.5
Updated to match(es) played on unknown. Source: [ citation needed ]

Climax Series 1st Stage

Hanshin Tigers (1) vs. Chunichi Dragons (2)

GameScoreDateLocationAttendance
1Chunichi Dragons – 2, Hanshin Tigers – 0October 18 Kyocera Dome Osaka 33,824 [2]
2Chunichi Dragons – 3, Hanshin Tigers – 7October 19 Kyocera Dome Osaka 33,881 [3]
3Chunichi Dragons – 2, Hanshin Tigers – 0October 20 Kyocera Dome Osaka 33,021 [4]

Climax Series 2nd Stage

Yomiuri Giants (3) vs. Chunichi Dragons (1)The Giants have a one-game advantage.

GameScoreDateLocationAttendance
1Chunichi Dragons – 4, Yomiuri Giants – 3October 22 Tokyo Dome 44,072 [5]
2Chunichi Dragons – 2, Yomiuri Giants – 11October 23 Tokyo Dome 43,536 [6]
3Chunichi Dragons – 5, Yomiuri Giants – 5 (12 innings)October 24 Tokyo Dome 45,846 [7]
4Chunichi Dragons – 2, Yomiuri Giants – 6October 25 Tokyo Dome 46,797 [8]

Pacific League

Regular season

Pacific League regular season standings
PosTeamPldWLTGBPCTHomeAway
1 Saitama Seibu Lions 14476644—.54244–27–132–37–3
2 Orix Buffaloes 144756815.5.52441–31–034–37–1
3 Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters 144736926.51441–30–132–39–1
4 Chiba Lotte Marines 144737017.5.51041–30–132–40–0
5 Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles 1446576312.5.46237–34–128–42–2
6 Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks 1446477313.5.45536–33–328–44–0
Source: [9]

Climax Series 1st Stage

Orix Buffaloes (0) vs. Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters (2)

GameScoreDateLocationAttendance
1Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters – 4, Orix Buffaloes – 1October 11 Kyocera Dome Osaka 25,532 [10]
2Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters – 7, Orix Buffaloes – 2October 12 Kyocera Dome Osaka 26,703 [11]

Climax Series 2nd Stage

Saitama Seibu Lions (4) vs. Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters (2)The Lions have a one-game advantage.

GameScoreDateLocationAttendance
1Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters – 3, Saitama Seibu Lions – 10October 17 Omiya Park Baseball Stadium 20,500 [12]
2Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters – 5, Saitama Seibu Lions – 0October 18 Seibu Dome 30,918 [13]
3Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters – 7, Saitama Seibu Lions – 4October 19 Seibu Dome 33,078 [14]
4Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters – 4, Saitama Seibu Lions – 9October 21 Seibu Dome 18,704 [15]
5Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters – 0, Saitama Seibu Lions – 9October 22 Seibu Dome 21,731 [16]

Interleague Games

TeamPldHWHLAWALGBPCT
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks 2410257—.625
Hanshin Tigers 2410257—.625
Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters 2484661.583
Yomiuri Giants 2493571.583
Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles 2466752.542
Hiroshima Toyo Carp 2466752.542
Chunichi Dragons 2484483.500
Orix Buffaloes 2466574.458
Tokyo Yakult Swallows 2448754.458
Chiba Lotte Marines 2466485.417
Saitama Seibu Lions 2475395.417
Yokohama BayStars 24571119.250
Updated to match(es) played on compute. Source: [17]
Rules for classification: Whenever multiple teams have same number of wins, the team having better standings in last year's interleague games will have advantage, thus Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks won the interleague title, despite Hanshin Tigers beating the Hawks 3 out of 4 games. A similar rule applies to other teams tied in wins.

Climax Series

Note: All of the games that are played in the first two rounds of the Climax Series are held at the higher seed's home stadium. The team with the higher regular-season standing also advances if the round ends in a tie.

First StageFinal Stage Japan Series
Central League
1Yomiuri Giants3
2Hanshin Tigers13Chunichi Dragons1
3Chunichi Dragons2CL1Yomiuri Giants3
PL1Saitama Seibu Lions4
Pacific League
1Saitama Seibu Lions4
2Orix Buffaloes03Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters2
3Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters2

Japan Series

Saitama Seibu Lions (4) vs. Yomiuri Giants (3)

GameScoreDateLocationAttendance
1Saitama Seibu Lions – 2, Yomiuri Giants – 1November 1 Tokyo Dome 44,757 [18]
2Saitama Seibu Lions – 2, Yomiuri Giants – 3November 2 Tokyo Dome 44,814 [19]
3Yomiuri Giants – 6, Saitama Seibu Lions – 4November 4 Seibu Dome 24,495 [20]
4Yomiuri Giants – 0, Saitama Seibu Lions – 5November 5 Seibu Dome 27,930 [21]
5Yomiuri Giants – 7, Saitama Seibu Lions – 3November 6 Seibu Dome 28,763 [22]
6Saitama Seibu Lions – 4, Yomiuri Giants – 1November 8 Tokyo Dome 44,749 [23]
7Saitama Seibu Lions – 3, Yomiuri Giants – 2November 9 Tokyo Dome 44,737 [24]

See also

Related Research Articles

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In 2006 the Nippon Professional Baseball season ended with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of the Pacific League defeating the Chunichi Dragons of the Central League in the Japan Series.

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The 2009 Nippon Professional Baseball season is the 60th season since the NPB was reorganized in 1950

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Climax Series</span> Playoff system implemented by Japans Nippon Professional Baseball

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters season</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Japan Series</span> 70th edition of the Japan Series

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References

  1. ↑ In NPB, no team can have more than 4 "non-local" players in their active roster, and they cannot be all pitchers or all fielders, non-Japanese players who entered NPB by draft, or obtained the FA right are not bounded with this restriction.
  2. ↑ "2008 CL Climax Series 1st Stage Game 1". Archived from the original on 22 October 2008. Retrieved 19 October 2008.
  3. ↑ "2008 CL Climax Series 1st Stage Game 2". Archived from the original on 26 October 2008. Retrieved 20 October 2008.
  4. ↑ "2008 CL Climax Series 1st Stage Game 3" . Retrieved 21 October 2008.
  5. ↑ "2008 CL Climax Series 2nd Stage Game 1". Archived from the original on 26 October 2008. Retrieved 23 October 2008.
  6. ↑ "2008 CL Climax Series 2nd Stage Game 2". Archived from the original on 27 October 2008. Retrieved 24 October 2008.
  7. ↑ "2008 CL Climax Series 2nd Stage Game 3" . Retrieved 25 October 2008.
  8. ↑ "2008 CL Climax Series 2nd Stage Game 4" . Retrieved 26 October 2008.
  9. ↑ "2008 Pacific League Standings". Nippon Professional Baseball . Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  10. ↑ "2008 PL Climax Series 1st Stage Game 1". Archived from the original on 14 October 2008. Retrieved 18 October 2008.
  11. ↑ "2008 PL Climax Series 1st Stage Game 2". Archived from the original on 14 October 2008. Retrieved 18 October 2008.
  12. ↑ "2008 PL Climax Series 2nd Stage Game 1". Archived from the original on 21 October 2008. Retrieved 18 October 2008.
  13. ↑ "2008 PL Climax Series 2nd Stage Game 2". Archived from the original on 22 October 2008. Retrieved 19 October 2008.
  14. ↑ "2008 PL Climax Series 2nd Stage Game 3". Archived from the original on 23 October 2008. Retrieved 20 October 2008.
  15. ↑ "2008 PL Climax Series 2nd Stage Game 4" . Retrieved 22 October 2008.
  16. ↑ "2008 PL Climax Series 2nd Stage Game 5". Archived from the original on 26 October 2008. Retrieved 23 October 2008.
  17. ↑ "2008年度 交流戦" [2008 Interleague Play] (in Japanese). Nippon Professional Baseball . Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  18. ↑ "2008 Japan Series Game 1" . Retrieved 3 November 2008.
  19. ↑ "2008 Japan Series Game 2" . Retrieved 3 November 2008.
  20. ↑ "2008 Japan Series Game 3" . Retrieved 5 November 2008.
  21. ↑ "2008 Japan Series Game 4" . Retrieved 7 November 2008.
  22. ↑ "2008 Japan Series Game 5" . Retrieved 7 November 2008.
  23. ↑ "2008 Japan Series Game 6" . Retrieved 8 November 2008.
  24. ↑ "2008 Japan Series Game 7" . Retrieved 9 November 2008.
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