2001 Japan Series
Encyclopedia
The 2001
Japan Series
matched the Central League
champion Yakult Swallows against the Pacific League
champion Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes.
teamed up with Norihiro Nakamura
to become one of the most feared hitting tandems in Nippon Professional Baseball history. Rhodes hit 55 home runs to tie the NPB record for most home runs hit in a season, while Nakamura hit 46 home runs of his own.
championship still remained in Kazuhisa Ishii
and all-world catcher Atsuya Furuta
. Shinya Miyamoto
anchored the middle of the infield.
Game 1
Game 1 would become one of the best pitching performances turned in by any one starter in quite some time. In fact, it almost became historic. Yakult ace Kazuhisa Ishii
kept the powerful Buffaloes lineup at bay, striking out 12 batters and walking 4. After walking the first batter of the game, Ishii retired the next 8 batters he faced. He would no-hit the Buffaloes through 6 and 1/3 innings and eventually shut them out, throwing a complete game.
2001 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*Regular Season Champions*World Series Champion - Arizona Diamondbacks*Postseason - October 9 to November 4Click on any series score to link to that series' page....
Japan Series
Japan Series
, or 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....
matched the Central League
Central League
The or is one 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,The Central League...
champion Yakult Swallows against the Pacific League
Pacific League
The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues constituting Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship competes against the winner in the Central League for the annual Japan Series...
champion Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes.
Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes
Kintetsu had one of the most powerful offenses ever seen in the league. Foreign import Tuffy RhodesTuffy Rhodes
Karl Derrick "Tuffy" Rhodes is a professional baseball player. He played six years in Major League Baseball in the US, and eleven years in Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan....
teamed up with Norihiro Nakamura
Norihiro Nakamura
is a Japanese professional baseball third baseman who plays for the Yokohama BayStars.-Career:He was born in Osaka, Japan, and spent almost all of his professional career in Japan with the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes. Drafted in , Nakamura began to emerge as one the leading power hitters in Nippon...
to become one of the most feared hitting tandems in Nippon Professional Baseball history. Rhodes hit 55 home runs to tie the NPB record for most home runs hit in a season, while Nakamura hit 46 home runs of his own.
Yakult Swallows
Most of the core team from the 1997 Japan Series1997 Japan Series
-Game 1:Game 1 of the series featured a pitching match-up of two strong aces. Seibu's Fumiya Nishiguchi had a career year in 1997 , finishing first in the Pacific League in wins, strikeouts and winning percentage. His sparkling season earned him the Best Nine Award, the Golden Glove, the Sawamura...
championship still remained in Kazuhisa Ishii
Kazuhisa Ishii
Kazuhisa Ishii is a Japanese former Major League Baseball pitcher who currently plays for the Saitama Seibu Lions....
and all-world catcher Atsuya Furuta
Atsuya Furuta
Atsuya Furuta is a Japanese former baseball player and player-manager for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows professional baseball club in the Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League...
. Shinya Miyamoto
Shinya Miyamoto
is a professional baseball player from Suita, Osaka, Japan. He plays shortstop for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows.He was chosen as the captain of the Japanese olympic baseball team for the 2004 and 2008 Summer Olympics, and won a bronze medal in 2004. He was also part of the 2006 World Baseball Classic...
anchored the middle of the infield.
Summary
| Game | Score | Date | Location | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Buffaloes – 0, Swallows – 7 | October 20 | Osaka Dome Osaka Dome Osaka Dome is a baseball stadium located in Osaka, Japan. Beginning in 1997, the stadium was the home field of the Kintetsu Buffaloes. In 2005, the stadium became one of the homes of the Orix Buffaloes, a result of the merger between the Orix Blue Wave and Kintetsu Buffaloes. Prior to the Osaka... |
33,837 |
| 2 | Buffaloes – 9, Swallows – 6 | October 21 | Osaka Dome Osaka Dome Osaka Dome is a baseball stadium located in Osaka, Japan. Beginning in 1997, the stadium was the home field of the Kintetsu Buffaloes. In 2005, the stadium became one of the homes of the Orix Buffaloes, a result of the merger between the Orix Blue Wave and Kintetsu Buffaloes. Prior to the Osaka... |
33,277 |
| 3 | Swallows – 9, Buffaloes – 2 | October 23 | Jingu Stadium | 30,443 |
| 4 | Swallows – 2, Buffaloes – 1 | October 24 | Jingu Stadium | 32,145 |
| 5 | Swallows – 4, Buffaloes – 2 | October 25 | Jingu Stadium | 32,568 |
Game 1
Game 1 would become one of the best pitching performances turned in by any one starter in quite some time. In fact, it almost became historic. Yakult ace Kazuhisa Ishii
Kazuhisa Ishii
Kazuhisa Ishii is a Japanese former Major League Baseball pitcher who currently plays for the Saitama Seibu Lions....
kept the powerful Buffaloes lineup at bay, striking out 12 batters and walking 4. After walking the first batter of the game, Ishii retired the next 8 batters he faced. He would no-hit the Buffaloes through 6 and 1/3 innings and eventually shut them out, throwing a complete game.