The 2004 Nippon Professional Baseball season ended with the Seibu Lions defeating the Chunichi Dragons in the 2004 Japan Series. This season also saw the first and only players strike in Japanese professional baseball history. Players went on strike for two days in September because of the potential mergers and realignment.
| 2004 NPB season | |
|---|---|
| League | Nippon Professional Baseball |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Duration | March 27, 2004 – October 25, 2004 |
| Regular Season | |
| Season MVP | CL: Kenshin Kawakami (CHU) PL: Nobuhiko Matsunaka (DAI) |
| League Postseason | |
| CL champions | Chunichi Dragons |
| CL runners-up | Yakult Swallows |
| PL champions | Seibu Lions |
| PL runners-up | Fukuoka Daiei Hawks |
| Japan Series | |
| Champions | Seibu Lions |
| Runners-up | Chunichi Dragons |
| Finals MVP | Takashi Ishii (SEI) |
Format
editCentral League
edit- Season Format
- Regular Season
- Regular Season 1st place is the champion
Pacific League
edit- Season Format
- Regular Season
- Playoff 1st Stage: Regular Season 2nd place vs. Regular Season 3rd place – Best of 3
- Playoff 2nd Stage: Regular Season 1st place vs. Playoff 1st Stage winner – Best of 5
- Playoff 2nd Stage winner is the champion
Japan Series
edit- Central League champion vs. Pacific League champion – Best of 7
Standings
editNote:Two games for each team are cancelled due to players' strike
Central League
editRegular season
edit| Central League | G | W | L | T | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chunichi Dragons | 138 | 79 | 56 | 3 | .583 | — |
| Yakult Swallows | 138 | 72 | 64 | 2 | .529 | 7.5 |
| Yomiuri Giants | 138 | 71 | 64 | 3 | .525 | 8.0 |
| Hanshin Tigers | 138 | 66 | 70 | 2 | .485 | 13.0 |
| Hiroshima Toyo Carp | 138 | 60 | 77 | 1 | .438 | 20.0 |
| Yokohama BayStars | 138 | 59 | 76 | 3 | .438 | 20.0 |
Pacific League
editRegular season
edit| Pacific League | G | W | L | T | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fukuoka Daiei Hawks | 133 | 77 | 52 | 4 | .594 | — |
| Seibu Lions | 133 | 74 | 58 | 1 | .560 | 4.5 |
| Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters | 133 | 66 | 65 | 2 | .504 | 12.0 |
| Chiba Lotte Marines | 133 | 65 | 65 | 3 | .500 | 12.5 |
| Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes | 133 | 61 | 70 | 2 | .466 | 17.0 |
| Orix BlueWave | 133 | 49 | 72 | 2 | .376 | 29.0 |
Playoff 1st Stage
editSeibu Lions (2) vs. Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters (1)
| Game | Score | Date | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters – 7, Seibu Lions – 10 | October 1 | Seibu Dome |
| 2 | Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters – 5, Seibu Lions – 4 | October 2 | Seibu Dome |
| 3 | Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters – 5, Seibu Lions – 6 | October 3 | Seibu Dome |
Playoff 2nd Stage
editFukuoka Daiei Hawks (2) vs. Seibu Lions (3)
| Game | Score | Date | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seibu Lions – 3, Fukuoka Daiei Hawks – 9 | October 6 | Fukuoka Dome |
| 2 | Seibu Lions – 11, Fukuoka Daiei Hawks – 1 | October 7 | Fukuoka Dome |
| 3 | Seibu Lions – 6, Fukuoka Daiei Hawks – 5 | October 9 | Fukuoka Dome |
| 4 | Seibu Lions – 1, Fukuoka Daiei Hawks – 4 | October 10 | Fukuoka Dome |
| 5 | Seibu Lions – 4, Fukuoka Daiei Hawks – 3 (10 innings) | October 11 | Fukuoka Dome |
Japan Series
editChunichi Dragons (3) vs. Seibu Lions (4)
| Game | Score | Date | Location | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dragons – 0, Lions – 2 | October 16 | Nagoya Dome | 37,909 |
| 2 | Dragons – 11, Lions – 6 | October 17 | Nagoya Dome | 37,969 |
| 3 | Lions – 10, Dragons – 8 | October 19 | Seibu Dome | 23,910 |
| 4 | Lions – 2, Dragons – 8 | October 21 | Seibu Dome | 29,073 |
| 5 | Lions – 1, Dragons – 6 | October 22 | Seibu Dome | 31,526 |
| 6 | Dragons – 2, Lions – 4 | October 24 | Nagoya Dome | 38,120 |
| 7 | Dragons – 2, Lions – 7 | October 25 | Nagoya Dome | 38,050 |
See also
editReferences
edit
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