| 2022 Japan Series | ||||||||||
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| Dates | October 22–30 | |||||||||
| MVP | Yutaro Sugimoto (Orix) | |||||||||
| FSA | José Osuna (Yakult) | |||||||||
| Broadcast | ||||||||||
| Television | Fuji TV (Games 1, 3, 5, 6, & 7) NHK-BS1 (Games 2, 3, 5, & 6) TV Asahi (Game 2) TBS (Game 4) TVer (All Games,live streaming)[1] | |||||||||
| Radio | JOLF (All Games) NHK Radio 1 (All Games) JOQR (Games 1, 2, 6 & 7) MBS (Games 3, 4, & 5) | |||||||||
The2022 Japan Series (known as theSMBC Nippon Series 2022 for sponsorship reasons) was the championship series ofNippon Professional Baseball for the2022 season. The 73rd edition of theJapan Series, it was abest-of-seven playoff between the winning teams of thePacific League andCentral League'sClimax Series. The series began on October 22 and ended on October 30.
TheTokyo Yakult Swallows advanced to the Japan Series from the2022 Central League Climax Series. They faced theOrix Buffaloes, winners of the2022 Pacific League Climax Series.[2] This matchup was a rematch of theprevious year's Japan Series, when Yakult won in six games.
In the 2022 series, Yakult won Games 1 and 3, while Game 2 ended in a twelve-inning tie. Orix then won the next four games to win the series, taking home the first Japan Series under the Buffaloes moniker in league history and Orix's first since 1996, when they were the Orix BlueWave.Yutaro Sugimoto won theJapan Series Most Valuable Player Award.
| First Stage | Final Stage | Japan Series | |||||||||||
| 1 | Tokyo Yakult Swallows | 4 | |||||||||||
| 2 | Yokohama DeNA BayStars | 1 | 3 | Hanshin Tigers | 0 | ||||||||
| 3 | Hanshin Tigers | 2 | CL1 | Tokyo Yakult Swallows | 2 | ||||||||
| PL1 | Orix Buffaloes | 4 | |||||||||||
| 1 | Orix Buffaloes | 4 | |||||||||||
| 2 | Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks | 2 | 2 | Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks | 1 | ||||||||
| 3 | Saitama Seibu Lions | 0 | |||||||||||
TheOrix Buffaloes finished the regular season in first place of thePacific League, their second straight pennant and 14th overall, after a tiebreaker with theFukuoka SoftBank Hawks; the Buffaloes finished with 15 wins head to head against the Hawks who finished with 10. The Buffaloes automatically advanced to the final stage of the Climax Series. They faced the Hawks and defeated them 4–1 in four games (as Orix had a one game advantage for finishing in first place).[3]
TheTokyo Yakult Swallows finished the regular season in first place in theCentral League to win their second straight pennant, and their ninth overall. They advanced directly to the final stage of the Climax Series, where they defeated theHanshin Tigers in three games (with the one game advantage for finishing in first place).[4]
The Buffaloes and Swallows faced each other in the2021 Japan Series, with the Swallows winning in six games.[5] It was Orix's first appearance in the championship round since they won the1996 Japan Series.[6] Many key players from the 2021 series returned to the 2022 series, including SwallowscloserScott McGough andoutfielderJosé Osuna and BuffaloesoutfielderYutaro Sugimoto andacepitcherTaisuke Yamaoka. Also, both of the reigningNippon Professional Baseball Most Valuable Player Award winners appeared in the series:Yoshinobu Yamamoto of the Buffaloes was the most valuable player of the Pacific League in 2021, whileMunetaka Murakami, who won theTriple Crown in 2022, won the 2021 Central League's most valuable player award.[7] Yamamoto also won theEiji Sawamura Award, given to the best pitcher inNippon Professional Baseball, in 2021 and 2022.[8]
Orix won the series, 4–2–1.
| Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | October 22 | Orix Buffaloes – 3,Tokyo Yakult Swallows – 5 | Meiji Jingu Stadium | 3:48 | 29,402[9] |
| 2 | October 23 | Orix Buffaloes – 3, Tokyo Yakult Swallows – 3(12) | Meiji Jingu Stadium | 5:03 | 29,410[10] |
| 3 | October 25 | Tokyo Yakult Swallows – 7, Orix Buffaloes – 1 | Kyocera Dome Osaka | 3:28 | 33,098[11] |
| 4 | October 26 | Tokyo Yakult Swallows – 0,Orix Buffaloes – 1 | Kyocera Dome Osaka | 3:28 | 33,210[12] |
| 5 | October 27 | Tokyo Yakult Swallows − 4,Orix Buffaloes − 6 | Kyocera Dome Osaka | 3:40 | 33,135[13] |
| 6 | October 29 | Orix Buffaloes − 3, Tokyo Yakult Swallows − 0 | Meiji Jingu Stadium | 3:11 | 29,379[14] |
| 7 | October 30 | Orix Buffaloes – 5, Tokyo Yakult Swallows – 4 | Meiji Jingu Stadium | 3:12 | 29,381[15] |
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orix | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Yakult | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | X | 5 | 10 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| WP:Yasuhiro Ogawa (1–0) LP:Yoshinobu Yamamoto (0–1) Sv:Scott McGough (1) Home runs: ORX: None YAK:Yasutaka Shiomi (1),José Osuna (1),Munetaka Murakami (1) Attendance: 29,402 Boxscore | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Yasuhiro Ogawa started Game 1 for Yakult whileYoshinobu Yamamoto started for Orix.[16] In the bottom of the first inning,José Osuna recorded tworuns batted in (RBIs) for the Swallows on adouble that scoredYasutaka Shiomi andMunetaka Murakami. Orix tied the score in the second inning with an RBIsingle byKotaro Kurebayashi and abases loadedwalk byShuhei Fukuda, but Shiomi broke the tie with a home run in the third inning and Osuna hit a home run in the fourth inning. Yamamoto left the game in the fifth inning due to muscle cramp, after allowing four runs.Takahiro Okada had an RBI single for the Buffaloes in the top of the eighth inning, but Yakult scored a run in the bottom of the eighth inning.[17]
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | R | H | E | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orix | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 13 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Yakult | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Starting pitchers: ORX:Sachiya Yamasaki YAK:Cy Sneed Home runs: ORX: None YAK:Sōma Uchiyama (1) Attendance: 29,410 Boxscore | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sachiya Yamasaki, Orix's starting pitcher for Game 2, recorded an RBI single off ofCy Sneed, Yakult's starting pitcher, in the third inning. The Buffaloes added a second run in the inning on anerror byDomingo Santana, Yakult'sright fielder.Yutaro Sugimoto hit an RBIinfield single for Orix in the fifth inning to increase the lead to 3–0.Pinch hitting for the Swallows in the bottom of the ninth inning,Sōma Uchiyama hit a three-run home run off ofShota Abe, after a double byTakeshi Miyamoto and a walk issued toYasutaka Shiomi, to tie the game.[18] Neither team scored duringextra innings, and the game ended in a tie after the 12th inning. It was the first tied Japan Series game since Game 1 of the2018 Japan Series.[19]
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| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yakult | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 11 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Orix | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| WP:Keiji Takahashi (1–0) LP:Hiroya Miyagi (0–1) Home runs: YAK:Tetsuto Yamada (1) ORX: None Attendance: 33,098 Boxscore | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
For Game 3, the series shifted to Orix's home stadium, theKyocera Dome Osaka. The game was scoreless into the top of the fifth inning, whenTetsuto Yamada hit a three-run home run for the Swallows off of Orix's starting pitcher,Hiroya Miyagi.Keiji Takahashi started for Yakult and threw six innings without allowing a run, only permitting threehits and two walks against sevenstrikeouts. Yakult added their fourth run when theircleanup hitter,Munetaka Murakami, drew a walk with the bases loaded. Murakami drove in two runs in the ninth inning on his second double of the game, and Osuna drove Murakami home with an RBI single to extend the lead to 7–0. Orix scored one run in the bottom of the ninth inning, but lost 7–1.[20]
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yakult | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Orix | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | X | 1 | 3 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| WP:Yuki Udagawa (1–0) LP:Masanori Ishikawa (0–1) Sv:Jacob Waguespack (1) Home runs: YAK: None ORX: None Attendance: 33,210 Boxscore | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Taisuke Yamaoka started Game 4 for Orix whileMasanori Ishikawa started for Yakult.[20] Orix'sKeita Nakagawa washit by a pitch in the third inning andYutaro Sugimoto scored the run with an RBI single. Yamaoka pitched4+1⁄3 innings, allowing atriple to Yakult in the fifth inning, butrelief pitcherYuki Udagawa prevented the runner from scoring with two strikeouts. Orix's pitchers threw a combinedshutout, allowing six hits to the Swallows.[21]
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yakult | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 12 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Orix | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 11 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| WP:Jacob Waguespack (1–0) LP:Scott McGough (0–1) Home runs: YAK:Domingo Santana (1) ORX:Masataka Yoshida 2 (2) Attendance: 33,135 Boxscore | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Orix startedDaiki Tajima in Game 5 while Yakult startedHikaru Yamashita.[21] Yakult took the lead in the top of the first inning on a single byNorichika Aoki and an RBI single byJosé Osuna. In the second inning,Domingo Santana hit a solo home run for Yakult off of Tajima. The Buffaloes tied the game in the fourth inning with four hits off of Yamashita, including RBIs byKotaro Kurebayashi andKenya Wakatsuki. With the score tied at two,Masataka Yoshida hit a solo home run for Orix off of Yamashita in the bottom of the fifth inning. In the top of the sixth inning, the Swallows retook the lead with an RBI double by Aoki. Entering the bottom of the ninth inning trailing 4–3, Orix tied the game on a walk and aninfield single, followed by athrowing error byScott McGough that allowed the tying run to score. Yoshida hit awalk-off home run off of McGough to end the game.[22]
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| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orix | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Yakult | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| WP:Sachiya Yamasaki (1–0) LP:Yasuhiro Ogawa (1–1) Sv:Jacob Waguespack (2) Home runs: ORX: None YAK: None Attendance: 29,379 Boxscore | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sachiya Yamasaki started Game 6 for Orix, whileYasuhiro Ogawa started for Yakult. Yamasaki pitched five shutout innings. The game remained scoreless until the top of the sixth inning, whenRyo Ota hit a single, was advanced to second base on asacrifice hit, and scored on an RBI single byYutaro Sugimoto. Orix scored two more runs in the ninth inning following a throwing error byScott McGough. Yakult led off the game with a hit in the first inning, but Yamasaki and fourrelief pitchers (Yuki Udagawa,Yoshihisa Hirano,Soichiro Yamazaki, andJacob Waguespack) combined to shut out Yakult, only allowing the one hit.[23]
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orix | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Yakult | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| WP:Hiroya Miyagi (1–1) LP:Cy Sneed (0–1) Sv:Jacob Waguespack (3) Home runs: ORX:Ryo Ota (1) YAK:José Osuna (2) Attendance: 29,381 Boxscore | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In Game 7,Hiroya Miyagi started for Orix andCy Sneed started for Yakult.[23]Ryo Ota led off the game for Orix with a solohome run. In the top of the fifth inning, Orix'sTorai Fushimi singled, followed bybunt singles by Miyagi and Ota. Yakult's first basemanJosé Osuna turned adouble play, but a walk loaded the bases, a hit by pitch scored a run, and then aline drive byYutaro Sugimoto tocenter fielderYasutaka Shiomi was misplayed for anerror that allowed three runs to score. Pitching on short rest, Miyagi allowed three hits and one walk over five innings. Yakult scored four runs in the eighth inning, including a three-run home run by Osuna, butMotoki Higa was able to escape the inning for Orix with a 5–4 lead. Orix held on to win the game and the series, asJacob Waguespack earned his thirdsave of the series. Sugimoto won theJapan Series Most Valuable Player Award.[24]
