Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles win 2013 NPB Championship

Golden Eagles defeat record title holder Yomiuri Giants 3-0 in decisive 7th game of Nippon Series

The Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles have won the 2013 championship in Nippon Professional Baseball. They defeated record title holder Yomiuri Giants 3-0 in the decisive seventh game of the best-of-seven Nippon Series on Sunday to capture their first NPB title in team history.

It was a back and forth affair in the Konami Nippon Series 2013. The two teams split the first two games played at Kleenex Miyagi. The Golden Eagles then took a 3-2 lead during the three matches at the Tokyo Dome.

The Nippon Series returned to Kleenex Miyagi for games six and seven. The Giants were able to force a game seven by handing Masahiro Tanaka his first loss of the season on Saturday. However Tohoku recovered one day later and prevailed in a tight affair.

The Nippon Series was a meeting of the two best teams in Nippon Professional Baseball. The Yomiuri Giants finished in first place in the Central League with an 84-53 record (seven ties), while Rakuten ranked first in the Pacific League with an 82-59 (three ties) record.

After having a bye in the first round of the Climax Series, the Giants eliminated Hiroshima Toyo Carp in the final stage. The Golden Eagles reached the finals through defeating the Chiba Lotte Marines.

As the winner of Nippon Professional Baseball, the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles now are qualified for the Asia Series 2013 “International Tournament of Champions”, which will be played from November 15 to 20, 2013 at Intercontinental Stadium in Taichung. Also participating are the Canberra Cavalry (winner Australian Baseball League), Fortitudo Bologna (European Champions Cup winner), Samsung Lions (KBO winner) and the hosts Eda Rhinos and Uni-President Lions (both CPBL).

Results Nippon Series 2013:

Saturday, October 26, 2013:
Rakuten 0 – Yomiuri 2

Sunday, October 27, 2013:
Rakuten 2 – Yomiuri 1

Tuesday, October 29, 2013:
Yomiuri 1 – Rakuten 5

Wednesday, October 30, 2013:
Yomiuri 6 – Rakuten 5

Thursday, October 31, 2013:
Yomiuri 2 – Rakuten 4

Saturday, November 2, 2013:
Rakuten 2 – Yomiuri 4

Sunday, November 3, 2013:
Rakuten 3 – Yomiuri 0