It is the first time that Orix and Hanshin have won the same season in professional baseball, including their predecessor Hankyu. If both teams win the climax series next month, the Japan series will be the first "Kansai showdown" in 59 years.
In this season's professional baseball competition, Hanshin, based at Koshien Stadium in Nishinomiya City, Hyogo Prefecture, won the Central League title for the first time in 14 years on the 18th of this month, and Orix, based at the Kyocera Dome Osaka in the Pacific League, clinched its third consecutive league title on the night of the 20th.
Since the current two-league system began in 1950 (Showa 25) in professional baseball, Hanshin has won the championship for the sixth time, and Orix has won the championship for the 2th time, including its predecessor Hankyu, but this is the first time that both teams have won the championship in the same season.
1972 Hankyu wins, but Hanshin finishes second
In 1972 (Showa 47), both teams finished the first half of the game at the same time for the first time, and Hankyu led the team with Yutaka Fukumoto scoring a season world record 106 stolen bases and won the league championship back-to-back.
Hanshin, on the other hand, was in second place, 3.5 games behind, and could not stop the Giants from winning back-to-back titles.
Hankyu in 1984 Hanshin won in 1985
Hankyu won the league championship in 1984 (Showa 59) and Hanshin in 1985, but they were one year apart.
In the season in which they both won the championship, Hankyu's Boomer and Hanshin's Randy Barth led the batting line with their Triple Crown wins.
After that, the so-called "golden years" of both teams did not overlap, and the simultaneous championship in the same season did not materialize.
1995 Consecutive league titles led by Ichiro
Since 1995 (Heisei 7), when the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake occurred, ORIX has won back-to-back league titles under coach Akira Oki under the slogan "Ganbaro KOBE" led by Ichiro, who later played in the big leagues, while Hanshin finished in last place for the second consecutive year.
2003 League champion with Hoshino Hanshin
In the 2000s, Hanshin won the league championship for the first time in 2003 years in 15 (Heisei 20) under manager Senichi Hoshino, with pitcher Kei Igawa winning 18 games.
2005 Won the league title with the success of "JFK"
In 2005 (Heisei 17), under manager Shofu OkadaJeff Williams,Fujikawa Kyūji pitcher,Kubota TomoyukiAchieved the league championship with a winning pattern called "JFK" that connects the three, but Orix slumped to 3th place in 2003 and 6th place in 2005.
2021 At the same time, he finished the first half of the season in first place ...
In 2021 (Reiwa 3), Hanshin and Orix finished the first half of the season at the same time for the first time in 2 years, except for the time when the Pacific League was a two-season system, but Hanshin stalled at the end of the game and missed out on the championship.
1964 Hanshin and Nankai Japan Series
On the other hand, there was only one Japan series between Kansai-based teams.
It was a confrontation between Hanshin and Nankai, which was based at Osaka Baseball Stadium in Naniwa Ward, Osaka City, held in 1 (Showa 1964).
In this Japan series, Nankai went 39-4 and tied the Japan, while pitcher Joe Stanka pitched three shutouts. This series was also called the "Midosuji Series" because the parent companies of both teams at the time were based at Umeda and Namba stations in Osaka City, respectively.
If both teams win, they will face off in Kansai for the first time in 59 years.
If Hanshin and ORIX win the final stage of the Climax Series starting on the 18th of next month, the Japan Series will face off against Kansai for the second time in 59 years.