Pacific League

The Pacific League (パシフィック・リーグ, Pashifikku Rīgu), or Pa League (パ・リーグ, Pa Rīgu), or the Persol Pacific League (パーソル パシフィック・リーグ), due to sponsorship reasons, 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. It currently consists of six teams from around Japan.

This article is about the Japanese major league. For the Mexican winter league, see Mexican Pacific League. For the American minor league, see Pacific Coast League. For the California league, see Pacific League (California).
Pacific League
SportBaseball
FoundedNovember 26, 1949 (1949-11-26) as Taiheiyo Baseball Union in Tokyo
No. of teams6
CountryJapan
Most recent
champion(s)		Orix Buffaloes (15th title)
Most titlesSaitama Seibu Lions (23)
Official websiteNPB.jp/pl

History

The circuit was founded as the Taiheiyo Baseball Union (太平洋野球連盟, Taiheiyo Yakyu Renmei) in 1949 (the name changing to its current form in 1980). Daiei Stars owner Masaichi Nagata was the first president of the Pacific League.[1]

The league began with seven teams: four holdovers from the previous iteration, the Japanese Baseball League—the Hankyu Braves, the Nankai Hawks, the Daiei Stars, and the Tokyu Flyers—and three new teams—the Kintetsu Pearls, the Mainichi Orions, and the Nishitetsu Clippers.

In 1954, an eighth Pacific League team was founded, the Takahashi Unions, to increase the number of teams to eight. Although the team was stocked with players from the other Pacific League teams, the Unions struggled from the outset and finished in the second division every season. In 1957, the Unions were merged with the Daiei Stars to form the Daiei Unions (and again bringing the number of Pacific League teams down to seven). In their first season, the Unions finished in last place, 43-1/2 games out of first. In 1958, the Unions merged with the Mainichi Orions to form the Daimai Orions. This enabled the Pacific League to shrink from the ungainly seven-team arrangement to six teams.

Fujio Nakazawa, a former player and television commentator, became the PL's first full-time president in 1959, serving through 1965.[2]

From 1973 to 1982, the Pacific League employed a split season, with the first-half winner playing against the second-half winner in a mini-playoff to determine its champion.

Beginning in 1975, the Pacific League began using the designated hitter (DH), as in the American League in Major League Baseball. During interleague play (adopted in 2005), the DH is used in Pacific League teams' home games.

After the 2004 Nippon Professional Baseball season and, the Orix BlueWave and the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes merged to form the Orix Buffaloes. A franchise was granted to internet shopping company Rakuten and the city of Sendai, forming the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles to fill the void caused by the merger.

Also since 2004, a three-team playoff system was introduced in the Pacific League (Pacific League Championship Series). The teams with the second- and third-best records play in the three-game first stage, with the winner advancing to a best-of-six final against the top team (the Pacific League pennant winner is granted a 1 game advantage in the Final Stage). The winner becomes the representative of the Pacific League to the Japan Series.

Since the Pacific League won every Japan Series after introducing this system, an identical system was introduced to the Central League in 2007, and the post-season intra-league games were renamed the "Climax Series" in both leagues. Player statistics and drafting order based on team records are not affected by these postseason games.

Current teams
Insignia Team Japanese Name Founded[3] Location Stadium Owner
Chiba Lotte Marines 千葉ロッテマリーンズ
Chiba Rotte Marīnzu		 November 26, 1949 Mihama-ku, Chiba, Chiba ZOZO Marine Stadium Lotte
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks 福岡ソフトバンクホークス
Fukuoka Sofutobanku Hōkusu		 February 22, 1938 Chūō-ku, Fukuoka, Fukuoka Fukuoka PayPay Dome SoftBank
Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters 北海道日本ハムファイターズ
Hokkaidō Nippon-Hamu Faitāzu		 November 6, 1945 Kitahiroshima, Hokkaidō Es Con Field Hokkaido Nippon Ham
Orix Buffaloes オリックス・バファローズ
Orikkusu Bafarōzu		 January 23, 1936 Nishi-ku, Osaka, Osaka Kyocera Dome Osaka ORIX
Saitama Seibu Lions 埼玉西武ライオンズ
Saitama Seibu Raionzu		 November 26, 1949 Tokorozawa, Saitama Belluna Dome Seibu Group
Tōhoku Rakuten Golden Eagles 東北楽天ゴールデンイーグルス
Tōhoku Rakuten Gōruden Īgurusu		 November 2, 2004 Miyagino-ku, Sendai, Miyagi Rakuten Mobile Park Miyagi Rakuten

Pacific League pennant winners
Year Team W L T Postseason Result
1950Mainichi Orions81345Won 1950 Japan Series 4–2 over the Shochiku Robins
1951Nankai Hawks72248Lost 1951 Japan Series 1–4 to the Yomiuri Giants
1952Nankai Hawks76441Lost 1952 Japan Series 2–4 to the Yomiuri Giants
1953Nankai Hawks71481Lost 1953 Japan Series 2–4–1 to the Yomiuri Giants
1954Nishitetsu Lions90473Lost 1954 Japan Series 3–4 to the Chunichi Dragons
1955Nankai Hawks99413Lost 1955 Japan Series 3–4 to the Yomiuri Giants
1956Nishitetsu Lions96517Won 1956 Japan Series 4–2 over the Yomiuri Giants
1957Nishitetsu Lions83445Won 1957 Japan Series 4–0–1 over the Yomiuri Giants
1958Nishitetsu Lions78475Won 1958 Japan Series 4–3 over the Yomiuri Giants
1959Nankai Hawks88424Won 1959 Japan Series 4–0 over the Yomiuri Giants
1960Daimai Orions82483Lost 1960 Japan Series 0–4 to the Taiyō Whales
1961Nankai Hawks85496Lost 1961 Japan Series 2–4 to the Yomiuri Giants
1962Toei Flyers78523Won 1962 Japan Series 4–2–1 over the Hanshin Tigers
1963Nishitetsu Lions86604Lost 1963 Japan Series 3–4 to the Yomiuri Giants
1964Nankai Hawks84633Won 1964 Japan Series 4–3 over the Hanshin Tigers
1965Nankai Hawks88493Lost 1965 Japan Series 1–4 to the Yomiuri Giants
1966Nankai Hawks79513Lost 1966 Japan Series 2–4 to the Yomiuri Giants
1967Hankyu Braves75554Lost 1967 Japan Series 2–4 to the Yomiuri Giants
1968Hankyu Braves80504Lost 1968 Japan Series 2–4 to the Yomiuri Giants
1969Hankyu Braves76504Lost 1969 Japan Series 2–4 to the Yomiuri Giants
1970Lotte Orions80473Lost 1970 Japan Series 1–4 to the Yomiuri Giants
1971Hankyu Braves803911Lost 1971 Japan Series 1–4 to the Yomiuri Giants
1972Hankyu Braves80482Lost 1972 Japan Series 1–4 to the Yomiuri Giants
1973Nankai Hawks68584Lost 1973 Japan Series 1–4 to the Yomiuri Giants
1974Lotte Orions695011Won 1974 Japan Series 4–2 over the Chunichi Dragons
1975Hankyu Braves64597Won 1975 Japan Series 4–0–2 over the Hiroshima Toyo Carp
1976Hankyu Braves79456Won 1976 Japan Series 4–3 over the Yomiuri Giants
1977Hankyu Braves695110Won 1977 Japan Series 4–1 over the Yomiuri Giants
1978Hankyu Braves82399Lost 1978 Japan Series 3–4 to the Yakult Swallows
1979Kintetsu Buffaloes744511Lost 1979 Japan Series 3–4 to the Hiroshima Toyo Carp
1980Kintetsu Buffaloes68548Lost 1980 Japan Series 3–4 to the Hiroshima Toyo Carp
1981Nippon-Ham Fighters68548Lost 1981 Japan Series 2–4 to the Yomiuri Giants
1982Seibu Lions68584Won 1982 Japan Series 4–2 over the Chunichi Dragons
1983Seibu Lions86404Won 1983 Japan Series 4–3 the Yomiuri Giants
1984Hankyu Braves754510Lost 1984 Japan Series 3–4 to the Hiroshima Toyo Carp
1985Seibu Lions79456Lost 1985 Japan Series 2–4 to the Hanshin Tigers
1986Seibu Lions684913Won 1986 Japan Series 4–3–1 over the Hiroshima Toyo Carp
1987Seibu Lions714514Won 1987 Japan Series 4–2 over the Yomiuri Giants
1988Seibu Lions73516Won 1988 Japan Series 4–1 over the Chunichi Dragons
1989Kintetsu Buffaloes71545Lost 1989 Japan Series 3–4 to the Yomiuri Giants
1990Seibu Lions81454Won 1990 Japan Series 4–0 over the Yomiuri Giants
1991Seibu Lions81436Won 1991 Japan Series 4–3 over the Hiroshima Toyo Carp
1992Seibu Lions80473Won 1992 Japan Series 4–3 over the Yakult Swallows
1993Seibu Lions74533Lost 1993 Japan Series 3–4 to the Yakult Swallows
1994Seibu Lions76522Lost 1994 Japan Series 2–4 to the Yomiuri Giants
1995Orix BlueWave82471Lost 1995 Japan Series 1–4 to the Yakult Swallows
1996Orix BlueWave74506Won 1996 Japan Series 4–1 over the Yomiuri Giants
1997Seibu Lions76563Lost 1997 Japan Series 1–4 to the Yakult Swallows
1998Seibu Lions70614Lost 1998 Japan Series 2–4 to the Yokohama BayStars
1999Fukuoka Daiei Hawks78543Won 1999 Japan Series 4–1 over the Chunichi Dragons
2000Fukuoka Daiei Hawks73602Lost 2000 Japan Series 2–4 to the Yomiuri Giants
2001Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes78602Lost 2001 Japan Series 1–4 to the Yakult Swallows
2002Seibu Lions90491Lost 2002 Japan Series 0–4 to the Yomiuri Giants
2003Fukuoka Daiei Hawks82553Won 2003 Japan Series 4–3 over the Hanshin Tigers
2004*Seibu Lions74581Won 2004 Japan Series 4–3 over the Chunichi Dragons
2005*Chiba Lotte Marines84493Won 2005 Japan Series 4–0 over the Hanshin Tigers
2006*Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters82540Won 2006 Japan Series 4–1 over the Chunichi Dragons
2007Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters79605Lost 2007 Japan Series 1–4 to the Chunichi Dragons
2008Saitama Seibu Lions76644Won 2008 Japan Series 4–3 over the Yomiuri Giants
2009Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters82602Lost 2009 Japan Series 2–4 to the Yomiuri Giants
2010Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks76635Lost 2010 Pacific League Climax Series 3–4 to the Chiba Lotte Marines
2011Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks884610Won 2011 Japan Series 4–3 over the Chunichi Dragons
2012Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters745911Lost 2012 Japan Series 2–4 to the Yomiuri Giants
2013Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles82593Won 2013 Japan Series 4–3 over the Yomiuri Giants
2014Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks78606Won 2014 Japan Series 4–1 over the Hanshin Tigers
2015Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks90494Won 2015 Japan Series 4–1 over the Tokyo Yakult Swallows
2016Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters87533Won 2016 Japan Series 4–2 over the Hiroshima Toyo Carp
2017Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks94490Won 2017 Japan Series 4–2 over the Yokohama DeNA BayStars
2018Saitama Seibu Lions88532Lost 2018 Pacific League Climax Series 2–4 to the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
2019Saitama Seibu Lions80621Lost 2019 Pacific League Climax Series 1–4 to the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
2020Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks73425Won 2020 Japan Series 4–0 over the Yomiuri Giants
2021Orix Buffaloes705518Lost 2021 Japan Series 2–4 to the Tokyo Yakult Swallows
2022Orix Buffaloes76652Won 2022 Japan Series 4–2–1 over the Tokyo Yakult Swallows
2023Orix Buffaloes---TBD

*From 2004 to 2006 the winner of the play-offs was considered Pacific League Champion, afterwards the regular season champion again.

Pacific League statistics
Team First Second Third
Saitama Seibu Lions231215
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks19177
Orix Buffaloes15158
Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters7815
Chiba Lotte Marines5914
Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes498
Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles113
Daiei Unions002
Takahashi Unions000

Most Valuable Pitcher
See: Best Nine Award#Other notes

Best Nine Awards
Main article: Best Nine Award

See also

References
  1. "Nagata, Masaichi". Hall of Famers List. The Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Archived from the original on 1 January 2020. Retrieved 24 September 2011.
  2. "Nakazawa, Fujio," Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine The Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum (Japan). Accessed March 27, 2015.
  3. 一般社団法人日本野球機構. "球団別インデックス | NPB.jp 日本野球機構". Npb.jp. Retrieved 2022-08-23.
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