Pacific League - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The or is one of the two professional baseball

Baseball

Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...

leagues constituting Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. The winner of the league championship competes against the winner in 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...

for the annual 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....

. It currently consists of six teams from around Japan.

The circuit was founded as the Taiheiyo Baseball Union in 1949 with seven teams, the name changing to its current form in 1980. Designated hitter

Designated hitter

In baseball, the designated hitter rule is the common name for Major League Baseball Rule 6.10, an official position adopted by the American League in 1973 that allows teams to designate a player, known as the designated hitter , to bat in place of the pitcher each time he would otherwise come to...

s are used in Pacific League teams' home games, as in the American League

American League

The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...

in Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

Current teams

Team	Japanese Name	Place	Sponsor
Chiba Lotte Marines Chiba Lotte Marines The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based in Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture, in the Kantō region, and owned by the Lotte conglomerate.-History:...	千葉ロッテマリーンズ Chiba Rotte Marīnzu	Chiba Chiba, Chiba is the capital city of Chiba Prefecture, Japan. It is located approximately 40 km east of the center of Tokyo on Tokyo Bay. Chiba City became a government designated city in 1992. Its population as of 2008 is approximately 960,000.... , Chiba Chiba Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region and the Greater Tokyo Area. Its capital is Chiba City.- History :Chiba Prefecture was established on June 15, 1873 with the merger of Kisarazu Prefecture and Inba Prefecture...	Lotte Lotte (conglomerate) Lotte Co., Ltd. is a South Korean-Japanese Jaebeol and one of the largest food and shopping groups in South Korea and Japan. Lotte was established in June 1948, in Tokyo, by Japanese-educated, Korean businessman Shin Kyuk-Ho – also known as...
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks The are a Japanese baseball team based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture. The team was bought on January 28, 2005 by the SoftBank Corporation.The team was formerly known as the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks. In 1988, Daiei bought the team from Osaka's Nankai Electric Railway Co., and its headquarters were...	福岡ソフトバンクホークス Fukuoka Sofutobanku Hōkusu	Fukuoka Fukuoka Fukuoka most often refers to the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture.It can also refer to:-Locations:* Fukuoka, Gifu, a town in Gifu Prefecture, Japan* Fukuoka, Toyama, a town in Toyama Prefecture, Japan... , Fukuoka Fukuoka Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on Kyūshū Island. The capital is the city of Fukuoka.- History :Fukuoka Prefecture includes the former provinces of Chikugo, Chikuzen, and Buzen....	SoftBank SoftBank is a Japanese telecommunications and internet corporation, with operations in broadband, fixed-line telecommunications, e-Commerce, Internet, broadmedia, technology services, finance, media and marketing, and other businesses....
Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters	北海道日本ハムファイターズ Hokkaidō Nippon-Hamu Faitāzu	Sapporo, Hokkaidō Hokkaido , formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...	Nippon Ham Nippon Ham is a food processing conglomerate headquartered in Hommachi, Chūō-ku, Osaka, Japan. Founded in 1949, the company is commonly known as Nippon Ham. As a multinational corporation, Nippon Ham operates subsidiaries around the world, including China and the United States...
Orix Buffaloes Orix Buffaloes The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team based in Osaka and Kobe, Japan. They play in the Pacific League. The team is owned by the Orix Group, a leading diversified financial services company based in Tokyo....	オリックス・バファローズ Orikkusu Bafarōzu	Osaka Osaka is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe... , Osaka Osaka Prefecture is a prefecture located in the Kansai region on Honshū, the main island of Japan. The capital is the city of Osaka. It is the center of Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto area.- History :... / Kobe Kobe , pronounced , is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Osaka... , Hyōgo Hyogo Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region on Honshū island. The capital is Kobe.The prefecture's name was previously alternately spelled as Hiogo.- History :...	ORIX ORIX is a financial services group established 17 April 1964 as Orient Leasing Co., Ltd.. The company's name was changed to ORIX Corporation in 1989...
Saitama Seibu Lions	埼玉西武ライオンズ Saitama Seibu Raionzu	Tokorozawa Tokorozawa, Saitama is a city in Saitama, Japan. It is located in the central part of the Musashino plain, about 30 km west of downtown Tokyo. Tokorozawa can be considered part of the greater Tokyo area; its proximity to the latter and lower housing costs make it a popular bedroom community.-Location:Tokorozawa... , Saitama Saitama Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Saitama.This prefecture is part of the Greater Tokyo Area, and most of Saitama's cities can be described as suburbs of Tokyo, to which a large amount of residents commute each day.- History...	Seibu Railway Seibu Railway is a conglomerate based in Tokorozawa, Japan, with principal business areas in railways, tourism and real estate. Seibu Railway's operations are concentrated in northwest Tokyo and Saitama Prefecture; the name "Seibu" is an abbreviation of "west Musashi," referring to the historic name for this area...
Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles The is a baseball team founded in 2004; it played its first season in the Japanese Pacific League in 2005. It is simply called Rakuten . The team was created to fill the void left by the merger of the Orix Blue Wave and the Kintetsu Buffaloes, after the 2004 season due to financial difficulties,...	東北楽天ゴールデンイーグルス Tōhoku Rakuten Gōruden Īgurusu	Sendai, Miyagi Miyagi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan in the Tōhoku Region on Honshu island. The capital is Sendai.- History :Miyagi Prefecture was formerly part of the province of Mutsu. Mutsu Province, on northern Honshu, was one of the last provinces to be formed as land was taken from the indigenous Emishi, and became the...	Rakuten Rakuten operates and manages business to consumer electronic commerce site, Rakuten Ichiba, and consumer to consumer auction site, Rakuten Freemarket. Its business is centered in Japan, although it has began international expansion through acquisitions. The chief executive officer is Hiroshi Mikitani...

After the 2004

2004 in sports

2004 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-American football:* College football Bowl Championship Series :**January 1 – Rose Bowl – USC 28, Michigan 14...

season, the Orix BlueWave and the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes merged to form the Orix Buffaloes

Orix Buffaloes

The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team based in Osaka and Kobe, Japan. They play in the Pacific League. The team is owned by the Orix Group, a leading diversified financial services company based in Tokyo....

. A franchise was granted to the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles

Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles

The is a baseball team founded in 2004; it played its first season in the Japanese Pacific League in 2005. It is simply called Rakuten . The team was created to fill the void left by the merger of the Orix Blue Wave and the Kintetsu Buffaloes, after the 2004 season due to financial difficulties,...

to fill the void caused by the merger.

Also since 2004, a three-team Playoff

Playoff

The playoffs, postseason, or finals of a sports league are a game or series of games played after the regular season by the top competitors, usually but not always with a single-elimination system, to determine the league champion or a similar accolade.In the U.S...

system was introduced in the Pacific League (Pacific League Championship Series). The teams with the 2nd- and 3rd-best records play in the 3-game first stage, with the winner advancing to the 5-game final against the top team. The winner becomes the representative of the Pacific League to the Japan Series

Japan Series

. Since the Pacific League won every Japan Series after introducing this system, an identical system was introduced to the Central League

Central League

in 2007, and the post-season intra-league games were renamed "Climax Series" in both leagues. Player statistics and drafting order based on team records are not affected by these postseason games.

PL Pennant winners

2011 Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
2010 Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
2009 Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters
2008 Saitama Seibu Lions
2007 Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters
2006 Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters (after play-offs)
2005 Chiba Lotte Marines (after play-offs)
2004 Seibu Lions (after play-offs)
2003 Fukuoka Daiei Hawks
2002 Seibu Lions
2001 Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes
2000 Fukuoka Daiei Hawks
1999 Fukuoka Daiei Hawks
1998 Seibu Lions
1997 Seibu Lions
1996 Orix BlueWave
1995 Orix BlueWave
1994 Seibu Lions
1993 Seibu Lions
1992 Seibu Lions
1991 Seibu Lions
1990 Seibu Lions
1989 Kintetsu Buffaloes
1988 Seibu Lions
1987 Seibu Lions
1986 Seibu Lions
1985 Seibu Lions
1984 Hankyu Braves
1983 Seibu Lions
1982 Seibu Lions
1981 Nippon-Ham Fighters
1980 Kintetsu Buffaloes
1979 Kintetsu Buffaloes
1978 Hankyu Braves
1977 Hankyu Braves
1976 Hankyu Braves
1975 Hankyu Braves
1974 Lotte Orions
1973 Nankai Hawks
1972 Hankyu Braves
1971 Hankyu Braves
1970 Lotte Orions
1969 Hankyu Braves
1968 Hankyu Braves
1967 Hankyu Braves
1966 Nankai Hawks
1965 Nankai Hawks
1964 Nankai Hawks
1963 Nishitetsu Lions
1962 Toei Flyers
1961 Nankai Hawks
1960 Daimai Orions
1959 Nankai Hawks
1958 Nishitetsu Lions
1957 Nishitetsu Lions
1956 Nishitetsu Lions
1955 Nankai Hawks
1954 Nishitetsu Lions
1953 Nankai Hawks
1952 Nankai Hawks
1951 Nankai Hawks
1950 Mainichi Orions

Climax Series Winners

2011 Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
2010 Chiba Lotte Marines
2009 Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters
2008 Saitama Seibu Lions
2007 Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters

External links

Official website PACIFIC LEAGUE.JP

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