Email - 5/13/10

Friends and Family -

Other tidbits of Japanese baseball for your reading pleasure

There are 144 games played in Japan ball (compared to the 162 in MLB)
The playoff series in Japan (Pacific League teams vs. Central League teams) is called the ‘Climax Series’ (vs. Division or Conference Series in MLB). A playoff series is relatively new in Japan first starting in 2007. The top three teams of each league play
The World Series in Japan is called the Japan Series. Regular season first-place champions are considered the League Champions even if another team wins the Climax Series

Pacific League Logo

Much more colorful than the American or National League logos

Got my 12 inning observation from previous email answered – looks like games may end in a tie if there is no winner after 12 innings of play
I wonder if the pitchers bat or if they use a DH. I’ll have to hunt that one down.

Meg