2008 Japan Series

The 2008 Japan Series was the 59th edition of Nippon Professional Baseball's championship series. The best-of-seven playoff between the respective champions of the Central League's and the Pacific League's Climax Series (postseason) began on Saturday, November 1, 2008, and went the full seven games. The deciding Game 7 took place on Sunday, November 9.

2008 Japan Series
Team (Wins) Manager(s) Season Saitama Seibu Lions (4) Hisanobu Watanabe 76–64–4, (.543), GA: 2.5 Yomiuri Giants (3) Tatsunori Hara 84–57–3, (.596), GA: 2
Dates	November 1–9
MVP	Takayuki Kishi (Lions)
Broadcast
Television	Japan: NTV (Games 1, 6, 7) TV Asahi (Games 2, 3, 4, 5) South Korea: SBS Sports Channel
TV announcers	Ryo Kawamura, Shunsuke Shimizu, Takao Nakayama
Japan Series

Climax Series

Main articles: 2008 Central League Climax Series and 2008 Pacific League Climax Series

	First Stage					Second Stage					Japan Series
	Central League					1	Yomiuri Giants	3
	2	Hanshin Tigers	1			3	Chunichi Dragons	1
	3	Chunichi Dragons	2								CL1	Yomiuri Giants	3
											PL1	Saitama Seibu Lions	4
	Pacific League					1	Saitama Seibu Lions	4
	2	Orix Buffaloes	0			3	Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters	2
	3	Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters	2

Summary

Saitama Seibu Lions won the series, 4–3.

Game	Date	Score	Location	Time	Attendance
1	November 1	Saitama Seibu Lions – 2, Yomiuri Giants – 1	Tokyo Dome	2:45	44,757
2	November 2	Saitama Seibu Lions – 2, Yomiuri Giants – 3	Tokyo Dome	3:18	44,814
3	November 4	Yomiuri Giants – 6, Saitama Seibu Lions – 4	Seibu Dome	3:14	24,495
4	November 5	Yomiuri Giants – 0, Saitama Seibu Lions – 5	Seibu Dome	2:53	27,930
5	November 6	Yomiuri Giants – 7, Saitama Seibu Lions – 3	Seibu Dome	3:31	28,763
6	November 8	Saitama Seibu Lions – 4, Yomiuri Giants – 1	Tokyo Dome	3:24	44,749
7	November 9	Saitama Seibu Lions – 3, Yomiuri Giants – 2	Tokyo Dome	3:20	44,737

Game summaries

Game 1

Saturday, November 1, 2008, 6:15 pm (JST) at Tokyo Dome in Bunkyō, Tokyo

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Saitama Seibu	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	2	6	1
Yomiuri	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	2	0
WP: Hideaki Wakui   LP: Koji Uehara   Sv: Alex Graman Home runs: SEI: Taketoshi Gotoh (1), Hiroyuki Nakajima (1) YOM: None

Game 2

Sunday, November 2, 2008, 6:17 pm (JST) at Tokyo Dome in Bunkyō, Tokyo

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Saitama Seibu	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	3	0
Yomiuri	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	3	8	0
WP: Daisuke Ochi   LP: Shinya Okamoto Home runs: SEI: Hiroyuki Nakajima (2) YOM: Alex Ramírez (1)

Game 3

Tuesday, November 4, 2008, 6:18 pm (JST) at Seibu Dome in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Yomiuri	1	3	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	6	8	0
Saitama Seibu	0	0	0	0	0	4	0	0	0	4	7	0
WP: Tetsuya Utsumi   LP: Kazuhisa Ishii   Sv: Marc Kroon Home runs: YOM: Takahiro Suzuki (1), Alex Ramírez (2), Michihiro Ogasawara (1) SEI: Takeya Nakamura (1)

Game 4

Wednesday, November 5, 2008, 6:18 pm (JST) at Seibu Dome in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Yomiuri	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	0
Saitama Seibu	1	0	0	2	0	2	0	0	x	5	7	0
WP: Takayuki Kishi   LP: Seth Greisinger Home runs: YOM: None SEI: Takeya Nakamura (2, 3)

Takayuki Kishi tossed a 147-pitch, complete-game shutout, striking out 10 Giants in the process. His opponent, Seth Greisinger, gave up 5 runs in as many innings, continuing his season-long struggles against the Lions. Tempers flared in the 4th when Greisinger hit Seibu shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima on the elbow with a pitch. The two started shouting at each other, and the benches cleared. No punches were thrown, but the next batter, Takeya Nakamura, crushed his first home run of the day to extend Seibu's lead to 3-0. Nakamura would strike again in the 6th off Greisinger with another 2-run blast to end the scoring.

Game 5

Thursday, November 6, 2008, 6:17 pm (JST) at Seibu Dome in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Yomiuri	0	1	0	0	0	0	4	0	2	7	10	2
Saitama Seibu	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	3	13	0
WP: Kentaro Nishimura (1–0)   LP: Hideaki Wakui (1–1) Home runs: YOM: Shinnosuke Abe (1) SEI: Hiroshi Hirao (1)

Game 6

Saturday, November 8, 2008, 6:15 pm (JST) at Tokyo Dome in Bunkyō, Tokyo

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Saitama Seibu	3	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	4	10	0
Yomiuri	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	10	0
WP: Takayuki Kishi   LP: Hisanori Takahashi Home runs: SEI: Hiroshi Hirao (2) YOM: None

Kishi came through again with ​5 ²⁄₃ innings of shutout ball in relief of Seibu starter Kazuyuki Hoashi after Hoashi got into trouble in the 4th. The unsung hero of the Series, Hiroshi Hirao, crushed a 3-run home run to give the Lions a 3-0 lead off veteran lefty starter Hisanori Takahashi in the first. Takahashi only lasted 2 innings, giving up 3 runs on 5 hits, walking 2 and striking out 2.

Game 7

Sunday, November 9, 2008, 6:16 pm (JST) at Tokyo Dome in Bunkyō, Tokyo

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Saitama Seibu	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	2	0	3	6	0
Yomiuri	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	2	0
WP: Tomoki Hoshino   LP: Daisuke Ochi   Sv: Alex Graman Home runs: SEI: Hiram Bocachica (1) YOM: Hayato Sakamoto (1)

The critical inning was the 8th. Daisuke Ochi came in for the Giants to keep the Lions at bay, but Ochi got off to a bad start by hitting Kataoka. Kataoka then stole second, and he was sacrificed to 3rd. Hiroyuki Nakajima then hit a slow ground ball to 3rd, and Kataoka's speed allowed him to beat the throw home, tying the game up at 2. Ochi then proceeded to walk the next two batters, then Hiroshi Hirao, on a 3-1 pitch, lined a breaking ball back up the middle to score Takeya Nakamura and give Seibu the lead. Alex Graman closed out the Giants in the 9th to give the Lions their first Japan Series Championship since 2004.

See also

• 2008 Korean Series
• 2008 World Series