The Hanshin Tigers, the leader of the Kansai region centered around Osaka, are on the verge of winning their first championship in 18 years. In 120 games, they recorded 72 wins, 4 draws, and 44 losses, and a winning percentage of .622.1, ranking them alone in first place in the Central League. Last weekend, they swept the three-game away game against Yakult Swallows, making the winning magic number 15. They are in overwhelming first place, 7.5 games ahead of 2nd place Hiroshima Carp and 11.5 games ahead of 3rd place Yokohama BayStars.
There is no leader in batting, home runs, RBI, or most wins, but the two-hitting balance is good. A particularly powerful mound stands out. The team’s average ERA is 2.73, the only one among the six Central League teams in the 2-point range. There is no pitcher with 10 wins yet, but there are three pitchers with 9 wins.
Shoki Murakami (25), Kotaro Otake (28), and Masashi Ito (27), who emerged as aces this season, each won nine games. Koyo Aoyagi (30) has 7 wins, and Hiroto Saiki (27) has 6 wins. Murakami ranks first in this category with an ERA of 1.79.먹튀검증
The ability to mobilize audiences is also the best. A total of 2,403,949 people attended the 59 home games. There are 40,745 people per game. They surpassed the Yomiuri Giants (37,710) and ranked first among 12 teams in both leagues. Hanshin is the only team with an average attendance exceeding 40,000.
Japanese media reported on the 4th that Katsuhiro Miyamoto, professor emeritus at Kansai University, calculated the economic effect of Hanshin winning at 87.22114 billion yen (about 78.6 billion won). This amount is significantly higher than the 65.43329 billion yen (approximately 58.9 billion won) recorded when winning the WBC (World Baseball Classic) held last March.
Japan has the strongest team with top players such as Shohei Otani (LA Angels), Yu Darvish (San Diego Padres), Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Olix Buffaloes), Rocky Sasaki (Chiba Lotte Marines), and Masataka Yoshida (Boston Red Sox). Reached the top spot in 3 competitions after 14 years.
However, it was believed that the economic impact of the Hanshin win was greater than that of the WBC win. Professor Emeritus Matsumoto said that the atmosphere among Hanshin fans was greatly heightened as their first win in 18 years was confirmed. Economic revitalization following the lifting of the coronavirus pandemic is also good news.
Hanshin, which started anew this season under coach Akinobu Okada (66), is a team with many stories. Young prospects such as Murakami have established themselves as key players. In the fan vote for the All-Star Game last July, 10 of 11 positions were filled with Hanshin players. The number of spectators increased by 20% compared to last year.
Coach Okada, a Hanshin legend, contributed to the Japan Series victory as a central hitter in 1985. He played a key role in Hanshin’s only Japan Series victory. He also led the Hanshin championship in 2005 as the head coach. This is Hanshin’s last win of the regular season. Coach Okada is the oldest manager in Japanese professional baseball.
This year, for the first time in history, two teams based in the Kansai region are on the verge of winning both leagues. percy
Director Hanshin Okada and Ace Murakami. Hanshin is on the verge of winning its first championship in 18 years. Photo source = Hanshin Tigers SNS
The Orix Buffaloes of the Pick League are in first place by 10.5 games. A third straight league loss is certain.
Orix uses Kyocera Dome in Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture as its home stadium. It was originally based in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, but merged with Kintetsu and moved to Osaka. Hanshin uses Nishinomiya Koshien Stadium in Hyogo Prefecture, near Osaka, as its home base. In the Kansai region, Hanshin is far ahead of Orix in popularity.
Two teams have never won the league title at the same time in the same year. Hankyu, the predecessor of Orix, won in 1984, and Hanshin won in 1985. In 1995-1996, when Orix won its second consecutive league title, Hanshin ranked last. When Orix stood at the top in 2021-2022, Hanshin ranked second and third. In 2003 and 2005, when Hanshin won, Orix ranked last and fourth.