2006 Nippon Professional Baseball season
| 2006 NPB season | |
|---|---|
| League | Nippon Professional Baseball |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Duration | March 25, 2006 – October 26, 2006 |
| Regular season | |
| Season MVP | CL: Kosuke Fukudome (CHU) PL: Michihiro Ogasawara (NIP) |
| League postseason | |
| CL champions | Chunichi Dragons |
| CL runners-up | Hanshin Tigers |
| PL champions | Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters |
| PL runners-up | Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks |
| Japan Series | |
| Venue | |
| Champions | Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters |
| Runners-up | Chunichi Dragons |
| Finals MVP | Atsunori Inaba (NIP) |
In 2006 the Nippon Professional Baseball season ended with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of the Pacific League defeating the Chunichi Dragons of the Central League in the Japan Series.
Format
[edit]Central League
[edit]- Season format
- Regular season
- Regular season 1st place are the champions
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 winners – Best of 5 (regular-season 1st place take a one-win advantage)
- Playoff 2nd stage winners are the champions
Japan Series
[edit]- Central League champions vs. Pacific League champions – Best of 7
Standings
[edit]Central League
[edit]Regular season
[edit]| Central League | G | W | L | T | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chunichi Dragons | 146 | 87 | 54 | 5 | .617 | -- |
| Hanshin Tigers | 146 | 84 | 58 | 4 | .592 | 3.5 |
| Tokyo Yakult Swallows | 146 | 70 | 73 | 3 | .490 | 18 |
| Yomiuri Giants | 146 | 65 | 79 | 2 | .451 | 23.5 |
| Hiroshima Toyo Carp | 146 | 62 | 79 | 5 | .440 | 25 |
| Yokohama BayStars | 146 | 58 | 84 | 4 | .408 | 29.5 |
Pacific League
[edit]Regular season
[edit]| Pacific League | G | W | L | T | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters | 136 | 82 | 54 | 0 | .603 | -- |
| Seibu Lions | 136 | 80 | 54 | 2 | .597 | 1 |
| Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks | 136 | 75 | 56 | 5 | .573 | 4.5 |
| Chiba Lotte Marines | 136 | 65 | 70 | 1 | .481 | 16.5 |
| Orix Buffaloes | 136 | 52 | 81 | 3 | .391 | 28.5 |
| Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles | 136 | 47 | 85 | 4 | .356 | 33 |
Playoff 1st stage
[edit]Seibu Lions (1) vs. Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks (2)
| Game | Score | Date | Location | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks – 0, Seibu Lions – 1 | October 7 | Invoice Seibu Dome | 29,187[1] |
| 2 | Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks – 11, Seibu Lions – 3 | October 8 | Invoice Seibu Dome | 31,338[2] |
| 3 | Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks – 6, Seibu Lions – 1 | October 9 | Invoice Seibu Dome | 27,344[3] |
Playoff 2nd stage
[edit]Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters (3) vs. Fukuoka Softbank Hawks (0) The Fighters have a one-game advantage.
| Game | Score | Date | Location | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks – 1, Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters – 3 | October 11 | Sapporo Dome | 42,380[4] |
| 2 | Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks – 0, Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters – 1 | October 12 | Sapporo Dome | 42,380[5] |
Japan Series
[edit]It featured the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, champions of the Pacific League, and the Chunichi Dragons, champions of the Central League. The series was played as a best-of-seven format and took place from October 21 to October 26, 2006.[6]
The Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters emerged victorious, defeating the Chunichi Dragons 4 games to 1 to secure their first Japan Series title since 1962. The series began at the Nagoya Dome, home of the Dragons, where the Fighters claimed a narrow victory in Game 1. The remaining games were held at the Sapporo Dome, where the Fighters capitalized on strong pitching and timely hitting to dominate the series.
Atsunori Inaba of the Fighters was named the Japan Series Most Valuable Player (MVP) for his exceptional performance throughout the series, which included critical offensive contributions and solid defensive play. The Fighters were managed by Trey Hillman, who became the first foreign manager to win the Japan Series since Bobby Valentine in 2005.
Following their Japan Series victory, the Fighters advanced to the Asian Series, representing NPB against other league champions from Asia to compete for the title of the top baseball team in the region.[7]
Awards
[edit]The Eiji Sawamura Award, the award given to the top pitcher in Japan, was given to pitcher Kazumi Saito of the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. He had a win–loss record of 18-5, 205 strikeouts, and an ERA of 1.75 in 201.0 innings, winning the Pacific League's pitching triple crown.
Best Nine Awards
[edit]Central League
Pacific League
Gold Gloves
[edit]Central League
Pacific League
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 2006 NPB Final standings (Japanese)
- ↑ "2006 PL Playoff 1st Stage Game 1".
- ↑ "2006 PL Playoff 1st Stage Game 2".
- ↑ "2006 PL Playoff 1st Stage Game 3".
- ↑ "2006 PL Playoff 2nd Stage Game 1".
- ↑ "2006 PL Playoff 2nd Stage Game 2".
- ↑ "2006 Japan Central League". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
- ↑ "KONAMI CUP Asia Series 2005". 2005-11-06. Archived from the original on 6 November 2005. Retrieved 2025-05-04.
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