Play Offs?

Others here can probably give you a better set of details in answer to this question, but I can at least give the basics as I believe things this season are running the same as last season.

It wasn't always that way, but up until last year the Japan Series was played between the regular season champions of each league (i.e. no playoffs). But last season the Pacific League introduced a new playoff system which created a lot of excitement. The top three teams at the end of the regular season qualify. Then the #3 team plays the #2 team in a 3-game playoff, and the winner of that series faces the regular season champ in a 5-game series. The winner of the 5-game series then faces the Central League's regular season champ in the Japan Series, as the CL doesn't have a playoff.

The CL hinted at one point that they might adopt this PL playoff system, but I haven't heard anything more concrete about that. Last year's PL playoff was very exciting!

During the regular season, the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks and the Seibu Lions got a decent lead over the rest of the PL, but the #3 slot was hotly contested even down to the last regular season game between the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters and the Chiba Lotte Marines. The Fighters ended up 0.5 games in front of the Marines and made the playoffs.

Seibu took the first playoff series in 3 games to advance, and then beat the #1 ranked Hawks in 5 games to reach the Japan Series. And then they won a hard-fought Japan Series with the Chunichi Dragons, that series also going its full length (7 games).

Hope this helps. I'm sure others can give a better explanation about the playoffs in a more historical context (i.e. I know there have been playoffs before in NPB history).

- Stevie

This topic describes the new playoff format nicely. The second and third place teams will a best 2 game out of 3 series. Then the winner of that series will play the 1st place team for a best 3 out of 5 series.

- are only the top 1 or 2 teams from the Central and Pacific League in the running? Or is it only the top team in each league?

No, the 1st place team gets a bye. The 2nd and 3rd place teams play a series. Then that winner goes on to play the 1st place team. Then the winners from the 2nd round go on to the Japan Series.

It's worth adding that the best of 5 series between the 1st place PL team and the winner of the 2nd vs. 3rd series team takes place entirely at the home park of the 1st place team, in order to give advantage to the 1st place team.

Not that that helped the Hawks last season, though.

That's a best of 7 series. Sorry for the typo.

[From Admin: No, that wasn't a typo. Stage 1 (2nd vs. 3rd place) is best of 3, Stage 2 (1st place vs. Stage 1 winner) is best of 5. The Nippon Series (PL vs. CL) is best of 7.]

- [From Admin: No, that wasn't a typo. Stage 1 (2nd vs. 3rd place) is best of 3, Stage 2 (1st place vs. Stage 1 winner) is best of 5. The Nippon Series (PL vs. CL) is best of 7.]

Indeed it is. Got myself all confused. 7 games would be the logical length.