Giants down Fighters in Game 6 to win Japan Series

Sunday 08th November, 06:37 AM JST

SAPPORO —

The Yomiuri Giants beat the Nippon Ham Fighters 2-0 in Game 6 Saturday to claim their first Japan Series title in seven years. The Giants won the best-of-seven series four games to two and were crowned champions for the 21st time. ‘‘We became the Japan Series champion today but we were up against a great Fighters team managed by (Masataka) Nashida. We feel proud to be Japan Series champions,’’ said Yomiuri manager Tatsunori Hara. ‘‘It was a long season and we are happy that we could finish it by winning the Japan Series. We were not wrong in our endeavor.’‘

Yomiuri got on the scoreboard in the second after the Fighters missed an opportunity in the opening frame. Yoshiyuki Kamei had a one-out double to left-center and moved to third on a grounder to the pitcher. Shinnosuke Abe, who hit a walk-off homer to win Game 5 and was named the series MVP, doubled over the head of center fielder Yoshio Itoi to make it 1-0.

‘‘This was a tough series. We put everything into coming back to win the series this year,’’ said Abe, referring to the Giants’ 3-2 loss in Game 7 of the Japan Series against the Seibu Lions in 2008.

‘‘We all worked together to get this Japan Series victory. I feel a lot of appreciation for all those who worked behind the scenes. We finally got what we worked so hard for. Thank you to the fans for all their support,’’ he said.

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Latest 15 of 21 Total Comments Show All

Jbizzle at 01:06 PM JST - 8th November

I wouldn't say that nippons manager was outmanaged....but he made many silly mistakes that backfired on him throughout the whole series. Biggest mistake was not starting Darvish last night. What's the point in "saving him for game 7" if you don't get to game 7?!? Stupid!!
victimcrat at 01:42 PM JST - 8th November

Judging from the J-media's hyper reaction to Matsui's well-deserved MVP I'd have to say Japan and the rest of Asia definitely regard the US series as the world standard. As regards the little controversy surrounding the choice of "World" to describe the American finals I have noticed it's a term that excites mainly pedants - - English teachers who seem to think the pub or the fitness club or a dinner party is also their classroom or cubicle.
downundercafe at 01:47 PM JST - 8th November

you can call it the Chopped Liver Series

Yeah but you don't.

but it remains the decisive series in the premier baseball league in the world In you opinion.

I would say the Baseball in the olympic games would be a better indication of who is world Champions. Now this debate could go on forever. Lets just say. If you are from the USA you proberly think the World Series is the USA Series and if you are from the rest of the world you proberly think the World Series hasn't been played yet.
efox1 at 01:58 PM JST - 8th November

Their first title since Matsui left and he gets a WS ring in the same year... niiiice
PepinGalarga at 03:40 PM JST - 8th November

Funny no one has mentioned the World Baseball Classic. Japan won it again this year, then Korea, US and Veezuela. Puerto Rico was doing perfectly until the Semis, where they lost at the last minute.

Because Japan has limits on the number of foreigners that can play, they will not be able to have a truly "world series".

If Gonzales, from Puerto Rico, would have won the second game with a shutout, he should have got the MVP. But someone made an error so a different pitcher got the win. For a foreigner to win MVP would have a huge impact, maybe in a larger way than when Matsui won the MVP in the US.
pawatan at 04:49 PM JST - 8th November

For a foreigner to win MVP would have a huge impact, maybe in a larger way than when Matsui won the MVP in the US.

There's already been several Japan Series MVPs who were foreigners. Joe Stanka in 1964 for the Hawks, Jim Lyttle for the Carp in 1980, Randy Bass in 1985 for Hanshin (I think he may have won the league MVP that year, too), Troy Neel for Orix in '96... Ramirez was league MVP last year, as have been several other foreign born players.

Now Giants "fans" will be insufferable for the next few years...
Blue_Tiger at 05:10 PM JST - 8th November

Who was Inaba playing for?!?!? He watches three - THREE - called third strikes, and then blows a play in the outfield!!!! Maybe a little "gratuity money" from the Giants to him later? Isn't he like, essentually, the best hitter on the Nippon Ham Roster? And he watched THREE CALLED THIRD STRIKES?!?

Pathetic!

And, yes, I hate the Giants.....
shanabelle at 10:34 PM JST - 8th November

Blue Tiger, I agree, Inaba's head was just not in the last two games... and former Giant Nioka struck out twice with two runners on base to end innings'...a lackluster effort by these two!
GJDailleult at 07:54 AM JST - 9th November

So, actually you're trying to say that Japanese managers are stupid simply because of the fact they don't think the same way like you, GJDailleult, do?

Nope. I am saying that bunting with nobody out and a man on first in the first inning is never ever the correct strategy to score and improve your chances to win a baseball game. My opinion has nothing to do with it, that is just a fact of baseball which the Fighters manager seems to be unaware of.
eresay at 08:48 AM JST - 9th November

You want to compare MLB and pro yakyu. Check out this guy. He keeps a Hanshin blog and actually argues that the managers job at Hanshin is the hardest job in the world. Harder than managing in New York. Scroll down to about halfway. Funny stuff.

http://japanesebaseball.com/blogs/thread.jsp?blogid=1137&thread=59889
chuckers at 09:30 AM JST - 9th November

There is now joy in Mudville today...

Takeda had a good game on Saturday. He just got caught out by the fielding error in the 6th and the offense failing to take advantage of taking out Tohno in the first. Good chance to get way out in front in that first inning but Sledge taps the first pitch to the first baseman.

Not starting Darvish was a bit of a surprise but if his back is as bad as they say, it was probably for the "best" in spite of losing everything. No guarantees he would have won the game given the way the offense was unable to string together consecutive hits. Lots of hits in the games, just not enough in a given inning.

It is going to be a long cold winter. Only one more baseball game this year in Nagasaki with the Giants vs. the Korean champs (Wyvern? No clue. Oh wait, looks like it will be the Kia Tigers.) Probably won't be broadcast. Not sure which team to cheer for in that one.

My daughter is going to keep bugging me to take her to a game all winter long. "Next year, baby, next year."
lostrune2 at 11:15 AM JST - 9th November

The NPB has fewer games (and shorter travel days) yet finished just now. And people in America were complaining about the # of offdays in the MLB playoffs!

So the business partners Giants and NYY won the same year (and same 4-2). That'd make for an intriguing conference call. Maybe they could discuss promoting the Giants into the major league and see how they do there. The Angels certainly could use a better challenge in the West.
zurcronium at 11:38 AM JST - 9th November

The Giants, just like the Yanks, buy a championship. Yawn. NPB needs to set up parity so that the sport is fair to all teams.
PepinGalarga at 01:06 PM JST - 9th November

thanks Pawatan for those quick facts. Fnally the season is over here and there, so some time for FOOTBALL, hockey and other women's sports!! haha.
lostrune2 at 07:57 PM JST - 12th November

One way to achieve better parity is a hard salary cap. But the same great MLB players that fans want in their teams do not want a salary cap. Until that happens, the teams are just doing what they're supposed to - spending up to what they can afford (meaning money they have right now, not money they have to borrow like Real Madrid). It's just that the Yankees could afford $200 million a year. Yeah that's unfair, but it's also unfair that NY is a much bigger market than, say, Kansas City (whose great pitcher Greinke, BTW, is against the salary cap).