2000 Japan Series | ||||||||||
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Dates | October 21–28 | |||||||||
MVP | Hideki Matsui (Yomiuri) | |||||||||
Broadcast | ||||||||||
Television | NTV (Games 1, 2, 4, 6), TNC and Fuji TV (Game 3), RKB (Game 5) | |||||||||
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The 2000 Japan Series matched the Central League champion Yomiuri Giants against the Pacific League champion and defending Japan Series champion Fukuoka Daiei Hawks. The press called it the O N series because of the managers on both sides: Sadaharu Oh for the Hawks and Shigeo Nagashima for the Giants. The two were teammates in the 1960s and 1970s, and their combined hitting prowess gave them the nickname, "O-N Cannon."
The defending Japan Series Champions were largely the same team that had taken the field in 1999, with one major exception: left-handed starter Kimiyasu Kudoh had departed as a free agent over the winter and signed with the Giants. The core of the team was still intact, with Kenji Johjima anchoring a strong lineup that also featured stars Nobuhiko Matsunaka and Hiroki Kokubo. Pitching-wise, the Hawks saw the big-stage debut of future right-handed ace Kazumi Saitoh, who would make three appearances in relief without giving up a run.
For the first time in four years, the Giants had reached the Japan Series. They had not won the series since 1994, when they faced the Seibu Lions. A lot had changed in the six years since they had won, but the plethora of stars that they had been building since the mid-1990s was finally enough to get back to the Japan Series. Yomiuri had a powerful middle of the order between aging slugger Kazuhiro Kiyohara and Hideki Matsui. The pitching staff featured established stars such as Kudoh and Hiromi Makihara.
Game | Score | Date | Location | Attendance |
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1 | Giants – 3, Hawks – 5 | October 21 | Tokyo Dome | 43,848 [1] |
2 | Giants – 3, Hawks – 8 | October 22 | Tokyo Dome | 43,850 [1] |
3 | Hawks – 3, Giants – 9 | October 23 | Fukuoka Dome | 36,625 [1] |
4 | Hawks – 1, Giants – 2 | October 26 | Fukuoka Dome | 36,701 [1] |
5 | Hawks – 0, Giants – 6 | October 27 | Fukuoka Dome | 36,787 [1] |
6 | Giants – 9, Hawks – 3 | October 28 | Tokyo Dome | 44,033 [1] |