The 2008 Nippon Professional Baseball season was the 59th season since the NPB was reorganized in . The regular season started on March 20 with the Pacific League opener, and on March 28 with the Central League opener. On March 25 and 26, the Boston Red Sox and Oakland Athletics played 2 regular season Major League Baseball games at Tokyo Dome. During their visit, they also played exhibition games against the Hanshin Tigers and Yomiuri Giants.
Format
Both League Season format Regular season Climax Series 1st stage: Regular season 2nd place vs. regular season 3rd place – Best of 3 Climax Series 2nd stage: Regular season 1st place vs. Climax Series 1st stage winner – Best of 7 (regular-season 1st place take a one-win advantage) Regular season 1st place is the champion
Japan Series Central League Climax Series 2nd stage winner vs. Pacific League Climax Series 2nd stage winner – Best of 7
Changes The Seibu Lions added the prefecture name "Saitama" in front of the team name starting with this season.
As to reduce the interference to teams whose main players would play in the Olympic Games, this year's trade and new foreign players deadlines were pushed to the end of July, instead of the end of June. Also, teams having more than three players selected by National teams were given an extra quota of foreign player limit during the Olympic Games.
The postseason playoff ("Climax Series") regulations have changed to give more advantages to League Champions, now the second stage series will play for 6 games, while the League Champion will have a one-win advantage.
In late June, the Free Agency regulation was amended after negotiation between the players committee and owners. Players are now eligible for free agency after 8 years of service to a team (1 playing year = 145 days on the active roster), players drafted before 2007 are shortened to 7 (University/Company/Independent League) to 8 (High School) years. However, oversea FA right which allow them to play in the Major League Baseball still needs 9 playing years. This amendment is also effective on non-Japanese players. Alex Ramírez, who served 8 playing years in Japan, became a "local player" after the season.In NPB, no team can have more than 4 "non-local" players in their active roster, and they cannot be all pitchers or all fielders, non-Japanese players who entered NPB by draft, or obtained the FA right are not bounded with this restriction.
Standings
Central League
Regular season
Climax Series 1st stage Hanshin Tigers (1) vs. Chunichi Dragons (2) GameScoreDateLocationAttendance1Chunichi Dragons – 2, Hanshin Tigers – 0October 18Kyocera Dome Osaka33,8242Chunichi Dragons – 3, Hanshin Tigers – 7October 19Kyocera Dome Osaka33,8813Chunichi Dragons – 2, Hanshin Tigers – 0October 20Kyocera Dome Osaka33,021
Climax Series 2nd stage Yomiuri Giants (3) vs. Chunichi Dragons (1) The Giants have a one-game advantage. GameScoreDateLocationAttendance1Chunichi Dragons – 4, Yomiuri Giants – 3October 22Tokyo Dome44,0722Chunichi Dragons – 2, Yomiuri Giants – 11October 23Tokyo Dome43,5363Chunichi Dragons – 5, Yomiuri Giants – 5 (12 innings)October 24Tokyo Dome45,8464Chunichi Dragons – 2, Yomiuri Giants – 6October 25Tokyo Dome46,797
Pacific League
Regular season
Climax Series 1st stage Orix Buffaloes (0) vs. Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters (2) GameScoreDateLocationAttendance1Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters – 4, Orix Buffaloes – 1October 11Kyocera Dome Osaka25,5322Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters – 7, Orix Buffaloes – 2October 12Kyocera Dome Osaka26,703
Climax Series 2nd stage Saitama Seibu Lions (4) vs. Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters (2) The Lions have a one-game advantage. GameScoreDateLocationAttendance1Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters – 3, Saitama Seibu Lions – 10October 17Omiya Park Baseball Stadium20,5002Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters – 5, Saitama Seibu Lions – 0October 18Seibu Dome30,9183Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters – 7, Saitama Seibu Lions – 4October 19Seibu Dome33,0784Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters – 4, Saitama Seibu Lions – 9October 21Seibu Dome18,7045Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters – 0, Saitama Seibu Lions – 9October 22Seibu Dome21,731
Interleague Games
Climax Series
Note: All of the games that are played in the first two rounds of the Climax Series are held at the higher seed's home stadium. The team with the higher regular-season standing also advances if the round ends in a tie.
Japan Series Saitama Seibu Lions (4) vs. Yomiuri Giants (3) GameScoreDateLocationAttendance1Saitama Seibu Lions – 2, Yomiuri Giants – 1November 1Tokyo Dome44,7572Saitama Seibu Lions – 2, Yomiuri Giants – 3November 2Tokyo Dome44,8143Yomiuri Giants – 6, Saitama Seibu Lions – 4November 4Seibu Dome24,4954Yomiuri Giants – 0, Saitama Seibu Lions – 5November 5Seibu Dome27,9305Yomiuri Giants – 7, Saitama Seibu Lions – 3November 6Seibu Dome28,7636Saitama Seibu Lions – 4, Yomiuri Giants – 1November 8Tokyo Dome44,7497Saitama Seibu Lions – 3, Yomiuri Giants – 2November 9Tokyo Dome44,737
See also 2008 Korea Professional Baseball season 2008 Major League Baseball season
References
Central League standings Pacific League standings
External links