The Japan Championship Series (日本選手権シリーズ試合, Nihon Senshuken Shiriizu Shiai?), or Japan Series (日本シリーズ, Nihon Shiriizu?) is a seven-game championship played by the teams of Japan's two professional baseball leagues (the Central League and 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 (日本一, Nippon Ichi?, number one in Japan) in each year. The 2009 Series began on October 31. Japan Series' winner will be the Japan representative in the Asia Series.
The home team for the games 1, 2 and eventual 6 and 7, alternates between the two leagues with the Pacific League having the advantage on the years ending with an odd number and the Central League on the years ending with an even number. Designated Hitters are used if the team from the Pacific League hosts the game.
Historically, the Central League has been more successful in the Japan Series than the Pacific League, having won thirty-three times versus the Pacific League's twenty-four. The team with most championships is the Yomiuri Giants, who have won the Japan Series twenty-one times. However, the Pacific League won four consecutive Series from 2003-2006, and did not lose the Series since the inception of their three-team stepladder playoff format to determine the league champion. But starting with the 2007 postseason, the Central League has also adopted the playoff format (now dubbed the "Climax Series"). Since Climax Series does not affact team's position in regular season, the nature of Japan Series slightly changed from a match between the Champions of leagues in the past to a mini-tournament postseason in nowadays, somewhat like World Series in MLB.
[edit] List of winners of Japan Series
| Central League | Pacific League |
NOTE: There is a limit to the number of innings which may be played during any game in Japanese professional baseball. All ties after 15 innings (was originally 12 innings) are official tie games and must be replayed for the purpose of the Series.
[edit] Teams by number of wins in Japan Series
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
