View source for 2008 Japan Series

{{Infobox Japan Series
  | image = 2008japanseries.png
  | caption = 
  | country = Japan
  | year = 2008
  | champion = [[Saitama Seibu Lions]]&nbsp;(4)
  | champion_manager = [[Hisanobu Watanabe]]
  | champion_games = 76&ndash;64&ndash;4, (.543), GA:&nbsp;2.5
  | runnerup = [[Yomiuri Giants]]&nbsp;(3)
  | runnerup_manager = [[Tatsunori Hara]]
  | runnerup_games = 84&ndash;57&ndash;3, (.596), GA:&nbsp;2
  | date = November 1&ndash;9
  | MVP = [[Takayuki Kishi]] (Lions)
  | television = '''Japan:''' [[Nippon Television|NTV]] (Games 1, 6, 7)<br/>[[TV Asahi]] (Games 2, 3, 4, 5)<br/>'''South Korea:''' [[Seoul Broadcasting System|SBS Sports Channel]]
  | announcers = Ryo Kawamura, Shunsuke Shimizu, Takao Nakayama
  | radio_network = 
  | radio_announcers = 
  | umpires = 
}}

The '''2008 Japan Series''' was the 59th edition of [[Nippon Professional Baseball]]'s [[Japan Series|championship series]]. The [[best-of-seven playoff]] between the respective champions of the [[Central League]]'s and the [[Pacific League]]'s Climax Series (postseason) began on Saturday, November 1, [[2008 Nippon Professional Baseball season|2008]], and went the full seven games. The deciding Game 7 took place on Sunday, November 9.

== Climax Series ==
{{main|2008 Central League Climax Series|2008 Pacific League Climax Series}}
{{6TeamBracket-info
|team-width=200
|RD1=First Stage
|RD2=Second Stage
|RD3=[[Japan Series]]

|RD1-text1={{center|[[Central League]]}}
|RD1-text2={{center|[[Pacific League]]}}
| Second=yes
| RD1-seed1=2
| RD1-team1=[[Hanshin Tigers]]
| RD1-score1=1
| RD1-seed2=3
| RD1-team2='''[[Chunichi Dragons]]'''
| RD1-score2='''2'''

| RD1-seed3=2
| RD1-team3=[[Orix Buffaloes]]
| RD1-score3=0
| RD1-seed4=3
| RD1-team4={{nowrap|'''[[Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters]]'''}}
| RD1-score4='''2'''

| RD2-seed1=1
| RD2-team1='''[[Yomiuri Giants]]'''
| RD2-score1='''3'''
| RD2-seed2=3
| RD2-team2=Chunichi Dragons
| RD2-score2=1

| RD2-seed3=1
| RD2-team3='''[[Saitama Seibu Lions]]'''
| RD2-score3='''4'''
| RD2-seed4=3
| RD2-team4={{nowrap|Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters}}
| RD2-score4=2

| RD3-seed1=CL1
| RD3-team1=Yomiuri Giants
| RD3-score1=3
| RD3-seed2=PL1
| RD3-team2='''Saitama Seibu Lions'''
| RD3-score2='''4'''
}}
{{Reflist}}

==Summary==
{{MLB Playoff Summary
| summary = 
| winner = Saitama Seibu Lions
| leader = 
| score = 4–3
| date1 = November 1
| score1 = '''Saitama Seibu Lions''' – 2, Yomiuri Giants – 1
| loc1 = [[Tokyo Dome]]
| time1 = 2:45
| att1 = 44,757
| ref1 = 
| date2 = November 2
| score2 = Saitama Seibu Lions – 2, '''Yomiuri Giants''' – 3
| loc2 = Tokyo Dome
| time2 = 3:18
| att2 = 44,814
| ref2 =
| date3 = November 4
| score3 = '''Yomiuri Giants''' – 6, Saitama Seibu Lions – 4
| loc3 = [[Seibu Dome]]
| time3 = 3:14
| att3 = 24,495
| ref3 =
| date4 = November 5
| score4 = Yomiuri Giants – 0, '''Saitama Seibu Lions''' – 5
| loc4 = Seibu Dome
| time4 = 2:53
| att4 = 27,930
| ref4 =
| date5 = November 6
| score5 = '''Yomiuri Giants''' – 7, Saitama Seibu Lions – 3
| loc5 = Seibu Dome
| time5 = 3:31
| att5 = 28,763
| ref5 =
| date6 = November 8
| score6 = '''Saitama Seibu Lions''' – 4, Yomiuri Giants – 1
| loc6 = Tokyo Dome
| time6 = 3:24
| att6 = 44,749
| ref6 =
| date7 = November 9
| score7 = '''Saitama Seibu Lions''' – 3, Yomiuri Giants – 2
| loc7 = Tokyo Dome
| time7 = 3:20
| att7 = 44,737
| ref7 =
}}

==Game summaries==
===Game 1===
{{Linescore|
|Date=Saturday, November 1, 2008,
|Time= 6:15&nbsp;pm ([[Japan Standard Time|JST]])
|Location=[[Tokyo Dome]] in [[Bunkyō]], [[Tokyo]]
|Road=Saitama Seibu|RoadAbr=SEI
|R1=0|R2=0|R3=0|R4=0|R5=1|R6=1|R7=0|R8=0|R9=0|RR=2|RH=6|RE=1
|Home=Yomiuri|HomeAbr=YOM
|H1=0|H2=0|H3=0|H4=1|H5=0|H6=0|H7=0|H8=0|H9=0|HR=1|HH=2|HE=0
|RSP=|HSP=
|WP=[[Hideaki Wakui]]|LP=[[Koji Uehara]]|SV=[[Alex Graman]]
|RoadHR=[[Taketoshi Gotoh]] (1), [[Hiroyuki Nakajima]] (1)|HomeHR=
|}}

===Game 2===
{{Linescore|
|Date=Sunday, November 2, 2008,
|Time= 6:17&nbsp;pm (JST)
|Location=Tokyo Dome in Bunkyō, Tokyo
|Road=Saitama Seibu|RoadAbr=SEI
|R1=0|R2=0|R3=0|R4=2|R5=0|R6=0|R7=0|R8=0|R9=0|RR=2|RH=3|RE=0
|Home=Yomiuri|HomeAbr=YOM
|H1=0|H2=1|H3=0|H4=0|H5=0|H6=1|H7=0|H8=0|H9=1|HR=3|HH=8|HE=0
|RSP=|HSP=
|WP=[[Daisuke Ochi]]|LP=[[Shinya Okamoto]]|SV=
|RoadHR=[[Hiroyuki Nakajima]] (2)|HomeHR=[[Alex Ramírez]] (1)
|}}

===Game 3===
{{Linescore|
|Date=Tuesday, November 4, 2008,
|Time= 6:18&nbsp;pm (JST)
|Location=[[Seibu Dome]] in [[Tokorozawa, Saitama|Tokorozawa]], [[Saitama Prefecture]]
|Road=Yomiuri|RoadAbr=YOM
|R1=1|R2=3|R3=0|R4=0|R5=0|R6=1|R7=0|R8=1|R9=0|RR=6|RH=8|RE=0
|Home=Saitama Seibu|HomeAbr=SEI
|H1=0|H2=0|H3=0|H4=0|H5=0|H6=4|H7=0|H8=0|H9=0|HR=4|HH=7|HE=0
|RSP=|HSP=
|WP=[[Tetsuya Utsumi]]|LP=[[Kazuhisa Ishii]]|SV=[[Marc Kroon]]
|RoadHR=[[Takahiro Suzuki]] (1), Alex Ramírez (2), [[Michihiro Ogasawara]] (1)|HomeHR=[[Takeya Nakamura]] (1)
|}}

===Game 4===
{{Linescore|
|Date=Wednesday, November 5, 2008,
|Time= 6:18&nbsp;pm (JST)
|Location=Seibu Dome in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture
|Road=Yomiuri|RoadAbr=YOM
|R1=0|R2=0|R3=0|R4=0|R5=0|R6=0|R7=0|R8=0|R9=0|RR=0|RH=4|RE=0
|Home=Saitama Seibu|HomeAbr=SEI
|H1=1|H2=0|H3=0|H4=2|H5=0|H6=2|H7=0|H8=0|H9=x|HR=5|HH=7|HE=0
|RSP=|HSP=
|WP=[[Takayuki Kishi]]|LP=[[Seth Greisinger]]|SV=
|RoadHR=|HomeHR=Takeya Nakamura (2, 3)
|}}

Takayuki Kishi tossed a 147-pitch, complete-game shutout, striking out 10 Giants in the process.  His opponent, Seth Greisinger, gave up 5 runs in as many innings, continuing his season-long struggles against the Lions.  Tempers flared in the 4th when Greisinger hit Seibu shortstop [[Hiroyuki Nakajima]] on the elbow with a pitch.  The two started shouting at each other, and the benches cleared.  No punches were thrown, but the next batter, [[Takeya Nakamura]], crushed his first home run of the day to extend Seibu's lead to 3-0.  Nakamura would strike again in the 6th off Greisinger with another 2-run blast to end the scoring.

===Game 5===
{{Linescore|
|Date=Thursday, November 6, 2008,
|Time= 6:17&nbsp;pm (JST)
|Location=Seibu Dome in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture
|Road=Yomiuri|RoadAbr=YOM
|R1=0|R2=1|R3=0|R4=0|R5=0|R6=0|R7=4|R8=0|R9=2|RR=7|RH=10|RE=2
|Home=Saitama Seibu|HomeAbr=SEI
|H1=1|H2=0|H3=1|H4=0|H5=0|H6=0|H7=0|H8=0|H9=1|HR=3|HH=13|HE=0
|RSP=|HSP=
|WP=[[Kentaro Nishimura]] (1–0)|LP=Hideaki Wakui (1–1)|SV=
|RoadHR=[[Shinnosuke Abe]] (1)|HomeHR=[[Hiroshi Hirao]] (1)
|}}

===Game 6===
{{Linescore|
|Date=Saturday, November 8, 2008,
|Time= 6:15&nbsp;pm (JST)
|Location=Tokyo Dome in Bunkyō, Tokyo
|Road=Saitama Seibu|RoadAbr=SEI
|R1=3|R2=0|R3=0|R4=0|R5=1|R6=0|R7=0|R8=0|R9=0|RR=4|RH=10|RE=0
|Home=Yomiuri|HomeAbr=YOM
|H1=0|H2=1|H3=0|H4=0|H5=0|H6=0|H7=0|H8=0|H9=0|HR=1|HH=10|HE=0
|RSP=|HSP=
|WP=[[Takayuki Kishi]]|LP=[[Hisanori Takahashi]]|SV=
|RoadHR=[[Hiroshi Hirao]] (2)|HomeHR=
|}}

Kishi came through again with {{frac|5|2|3}} innings of shutout ball in relief of Seibu starter Kazuyuki Hoashi after Hoashi got into trouble in the 4th.  The unsung hero of the Series, Hiroshi Hirao, crushed a 3-run home run to give the Lions a 3-0 lead off veteran lefty starter Hisanori Takahashi in the first.  Takahashi only lasted 2 innings, giving up 3 runs on 5 hits, walking 2 and striking out 2.

===Game 7===
{{Linescore|
|Date=Sunday, November 9, 2008,
|Time= 6:16&nbsp;pm (JST)
|Location=Tokyo Dome in Bunkyō, Tokyo
|Road=Saitama Seibu|RoadAbr=SEI
|R1=0|R2=0|R3=0|R4=0|R5=1|R6=0|R7=0|R8=2|R9=0|RR=3|RH=6|RE=0
|Home=Yomiuri|HomeAbr=YOM
|H1=0|H2=1|H3=1|H4=0|H5=0|H6=0|H7=0|H8=0|H9=0|HR=2|HH=2|HE=0
|RSP=|HSP=
|WP=[[Tomoki Hoshino]]|LP=Daisuke Ochi|SV=Alex Graman
|RoadHR=[[Hiram Bocachica]] (1)|HomeHR=[[Hayato Sakamoto]] (1)
|}}

The critical inning was the 8th.  Daisuke Ochi came in for the Giants to keep the Lions at bay, but Ochi got off to a bad start by hitting Kataoka.  Kataoka then stole second, and he was sacrificed to 3rd.  Hiroyuki Nakajima then hit a slow ground ball to 3rd, and Kataoka's speed allowed him to beat the throw home, tying the game up at 2.  Ochi then proceeded to walk the next two batters, then Hiroshi Hirao, on a 3-1 pitch, lined a breaking ball back up the middle to score Takeya Nakamura and give Seibu the lead.  Alex Graman closed out the Giants in the 9th to give the Lions their first Japan Series Championship since 2004.

==See also==
*[[2008 Korean Series]]
*[[2008 World Series]]

{{JapanSeries}}
{{2008 NPB season}}
{{Saitama Seibu Lions}}
{{Yomiuri Giants}}
{{Japan-baseball-stub}}

[[Category:Japan Series]]
[[Category:Saitama Seibu Lions postseason]]
[[Category:Yomiuri Giants postseason]]
[[Category:2008 Nippon Professional Baseball season|Japan Series]]