BASEBALL/ Road warriors Yokohama win first Japan Series title in 26 yearsTHE ASAHI SHIMBUN November 4,chicken feet 2024 at 17:38 JST
Yokohama DeNA BayStars manager Daisuke Miura is tossed in the air in celebration of the team's Japan Series title on Nov. 3. (Soichiro Yamamoto) YOKOHAMA—The Yokohama DeNA BayStars completed a remarkable playoff run by trouncing the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks 11-2 on Nov. 3 to win their first Japan Series championship in 26 years. The title, the third in Yokohama’s history, snapped the longest championship drought among the 12 teams in Nippon Professional Baseball. BayStars manager Daisuke Miura, 50, was a key player on the team when it last won the Japan Series in 1998. Amid the celebration on Nov. 3, Miura said: “After winning the championship in 1998, (the team) had a hard time winning, and I, too, wanted to win again, but I was unable to do so as an active player. So, I’m happy to win the championship as a manager.” The BayStars finished the regular season in third place in the Central League, a standing that put them at a significant disadvantage in the playoffs. Forced to play all games on the road, the BayStars swept the Hanshin Tigers and then upended the Central League champion Yomiuri Giants. In the Japan Series against Pacific League champion Softbank, DeNA could finally play in front of a home crowd but dropped the first two games to the Hawks at Yokohama Stadium. Down in the hole, Yokohama team captain Shugo Maki gathered the players for a pep talk. “It was my first Japan Series, and I didn’t know what the atmosphere would be like, and the team went on to lose two games in a row,” Maki, the second baseman, said of his intentions. Three veterans spoke to the players, including outfielder Masayuki Kuwahara. “I may have sounded a little harsh, but I told them, ‘To be frank, I don’t feel any atmosphere of us winning against Softbank right now.’” Kuwahara reminded his teammates of Yokohama’s come-from-behind victory in Game 6 against the Giants that sent the BayStars to the Japan Series. “Are we fighting with the feeling that if we lose, it’s over? Like in that game?” Kuwahara asked them. He said he felt angry that the team did not appear frustrated at losing the first two games to the favored Hawks. The talks worked. Yokohama’s success on the road continued, and it swept all three games held in Fukuoka. The BayStars first home victory in the playoffs came on Nov. 3 in Game 6 of the best-of-seven series. Kuwahara inspired the players not only with his words but also with great hitting and defense. He was named series MVP. The only other third-place team to win the Japan Series was the Chiba Lotte Marines in 2010. Yokohama is the first Central League team to do so. The BayStars finished the regular season with a 71-69-3 record and a .570 winning percentage, the lowest percentage of any team to win the Japan Series. |
マツコ、村上信五に高槻市長就任の勧め「あなたが政党を立ち上げるのもありなんじゃないですか?」上田綺世が応援リーダー、直筆メッセージでエール送る…全国高校サッカー選手権吉岡里帆、デコルテ全開で大はしゃぎ!筧美和子&ももとの女子旅オフショに「お揃いの衣装で決まってますね」【キーンランドC】ビッグシーザーは火曜追いで力強い動き 陣営「前走よりはいいかなと思います」【新潟2歳S】レースセンス抜群のトータルクラリティ 陣営「前走の感じならやれていいと思う」上田綺世が応援リーダー、直筆メッセージでエール送る…全国高校サッカー選手権「10年は日本に帰ってくるなよ」米ツアー10勝目を挙げた松山英樹が守った恩師との男の約束【阪神】投手陣不調の岡田阪神…逆転優勝へ23日の広島戦は高橋遥人に託した!登板後問題なければ翌週巨人戦での先発も木村多江の母校にネット仰天「超お嬢様」「次元の違う学校」ポニテもNG「規則がものすごく厳しくて」「10年は日本に帰ってくるなよ」米ツアー10勝目を挙げた松山英樹が守った恩師との男の約束