2012 Japan Series | |||||||||||||
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Teams | |||||||||||||
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Dates | October 27 – November 3, 2012 | ||||||||||||
MVP | Tetsuya Utsumi (YOM) | ||||||||||||
FSA | Atsunori Inaba (NIP) | ||||||||||||
Broadcast | |||||||||||||
Television |
In Japan: NTV (Games 1, 2 and 6) TV Asahi (Games 3, 5) Fuji TV (Game 4) |
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Radio | JRN, NRN | ||||||||||||
Team (Wins) | Manager | Season | |
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Yomiuri Giants (4) | Tatsunori Hara | 86–43–15, .667, GA: 10.5 | |
Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters (2) | Hideki Kuriyama | 74–59–11, .556, GA: 3.0 |
The 2012 Konami Japan Series was the 63rd edition of Nippon Professional Baseball's (NPB) championship series known colloquially as the Japan Series. The best-of-seven playoff was won by the Central League champion Yomiuri Giants in six games over the Pacific League champion Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. It was the Giants' 22nd Japan Series title, second in the last four years. The series began on Saturday, October 27, 2012 and ended on Saturday, November 3, 2012 at the Tokyo Dome in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Giants' starting pitcher Tetsuya Utsumi, who was the winning pitcher in Games 1 and 5, was named the Japan Series Most Valuable Player (MVP). Giants players Shinnosuke Abe, Hisayoshi Chono and John Bowker were also recognized with Outstanding Player awards.
CL Yomiuri Giants (4) vs. PL Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters (2)
Saturday, October 27, 2012 – 6:11 p.m. (JST) at Tokyo Dome in Bunkyō, Tokyo
After three scoreless innings, the Giants scored the first run of the series in the bottom of the fourth with an RBI single off the bat of catcher Shinnosuke Abe. Later in the same inning, former Major League Baseball (MLB) player John Bowker hit a two-out, three-run home run to put the Giants up 4–0. Fighters' starter Mitsuo Yoshikawa was taken out of the game following the inning. He gave up four runs on seven hits. The next inning, the Giants added two runs to their total with RBIs from Abe and outfielder Yoshinobu Takahashi. After a scoreless sixth inning, Bowker struck again in the seventh. He hit a double to right field with the bases loaded, driving in two more runs. Bowker finished the game with five RBIs, one shy of tying the Japan Series record. All eight of the Giants' starting position players finished the game with at least one hit.