Hokkaido Clinches Open-Sen

Discussion in the NPB News forum

With their tie against the mighty Giants on Sunday [boxscore - in Japanese], the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters have clinched first place in open-sen (the pre-season) for the first time in franchise history since they were the Toei Flyers in 1969. They finished in 4th place during the regular season that year, how will they do their first year in Kitaguni?

Interestingly, since 1969 only 6 teams have won both open-sen and the regular season for their league. They were the Giants in 1971 and 1976, Kintetsu in 1979, Hankyu (now Orix) in 1984, and Seibu in 1990 and 1998. On the other hand, the open-sen champion finished last in their league four years in a row from 1992 to 1995, the teams being Lotte, Hiroshima, Yokohama, and Hanshin respectively. The reason that so many Hanshin fans are reserved in their predictions is because Hanshin has a tendency to do well in open-sen, then finish in B-class during the regular season.

Source: Nikkan Sports

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