1997 in Japanese Baseball
| 1997 in baseball |
|---|
| Cuban National League |
| Japanese baseball |
| American League |
| National League |
| << 1996 1998 >> |
Nippon Professional Baseball[edit]
Standings[edit]
- Bold indicates league champion; Italics indicate Nippon Series winner.
Central League[edit]
| Team | G | W | L | T | WPCT | GB | RS | RA | AVG | ERA | Manager(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yakult Swallows | 137 | 83 | 52 | 2 | 0.613 | 0.0 | 672 | 503 | 0.276 | 3.26 | Katsuya Nomura |
| Yokohama BayStars | 135 | 72 | 63 | 0 | 0.533 | 11.0 | 572 | 548 | 0.273 | 3.70 | Akihiko Oya |
| Hiroshima Toyo Carp | 135 | 66 | 69 | 0 | 0.489 | 17.0 | 651 | 653 | 0.259 | 4.44 | Toshiyuki Mimura |
| Yomiuri Giants | 135 | 63 | 72 | 0 | 0.467 | 20.0 | 550 | 536 | 0.251 | 3.69 | Shigeo Nagashima |
| Hanshin Tigers | 136 | 62 | 73 | 1 | 0.460 | 21.0 | 504 | 575 | 0.244 | 3.70 | Yoshio Yoshida |
| Chunichi Dragons | 136 | 59 | 76 | 1 | 0.438 | 24.0 | 510 | 644 | 0.243 | 4.33 | Senichi Hoshino |
Pacific League[edit]
| Team | G | W | L | T | WPCT | GB | RS | RA | AVG | ERA | Manager(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seibu Lions | 135 | 76 | 56 | 3 | 0.574 | 0.0 | 656 | 554 | 0.281 | 3.63 | Osamu Higashio |
| Orix BlueWave | 135 | 71 | 61 | 3 | 0.537 | 5.0 | 582 | 544 | 0.263 | 3.61 | Akira Ogi |
| Kintetsu Buffaloes | 135 | 68 | 63 | 4 | 0.519 | 7.5 | 603 | 579 | 0.274 | 3.79 | Kyosuke Sasaki |
| Fukuoka Daiei Hawks | 135 | 63 | 71 | 1 | 0.470 | 14.0 | 572 | 600 | 0.264 | 4.26 | Sadaharu Oh |
| Nippon Ham Fighters | 135 | 63 | 71 | 1 | 0.470 | 14.0 | 587 | 610 | 0.265 | 4.18 | Toshiharu Ueda |
| Chiba Lotte Marines | 135 | 57 | 76 | 2 | 0.430 | 19.5 | 466 | 584 | 0.249 | 3.84 | Akihito Kondo |
Leaders[edit]
- Bold indicates league record, Italics indicate all-time record
Batting[edit]
| Statistic | Central League | Pacific League | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leader | Team | Number | Leader | Team | Number | |||
| Batting Average | Takanori Suzuki | Yokohama BayStars | .335 | Ichiro Suzuki | Orix BlueWave | .345 | ||
| Runs | Koichi Ogata | Hiroshima Toyo Carp | 103 | Ichiro Suzuki | Orix BlueWave | 94 | ||
| Hits | Luis Lopez | Hiroshima Toyo Carp | 170 | Ichiro Suzuki | Orix BlueWave | 185 | ||
| Doubles | Luis Lopez | Hiroshima Toyo Carp | 37 | Tuffy Rhodes Hiroki Kokubo |
Kintetsu Buffaloes Fukuoka Daiei Hawks |
37 | ||
| Triples | Daisuke Masuda | Chunichi Dragons | 8 | Kazuo Matsui | Seibu Lions | 13 | ||
| Home Runs | Dwayne Hosey | Yakult Swallows | 38 | Nigel Wilson | Nippon Ham Fighters | 37 | ||
| Runs Batted In | Luis Lopez | Hiroshima Toyo Carp | 112 | Hiroki Kokubo | Fukuoka Daiei Hawks | 114 | ||
| Stolen Bases | Koichi Ogata | Hiroshima Toyo Carp | 49 | Kazuo Matsui | Seibu Lions | 62 | ||
| Walks | Hideki Matsui | Yomiuri Giants | 100 | Ken Suzuki | Seibu Lions | 90 | ||
Pitching[edit]
All-Star Game[edit]
The NPB All-Star Game featured two games and was a tie, one game to one. The first game was played at Osaka Dome and was won by the PL, 5 - 0. The second game was played at Meiji Jingu Baseball Stadium and was won by the CL, 6 - 3.
Postseason[edit]
In the Nippon Series, the Yakult Swallows (CL) defeated the Seibu Lions (PL), 4 games to 1. The winning manager was Katsuya Nomura and the series MVP was Atsuya Furuta.
Award Winners[edit]
The winner of the 1997 Sawamura Award was Fumiya Nishiguchi of the Seibu Lions. He had a 15 - 5 win-loss record, 192 strikeouts, and a 3.12 ERA in 207.2 innings.
| Award | League | Player | Team | Position | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | SB | AVG | OBP | SLG | W - L | SV | IP | HA | HRA | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Most Valuable Player | CL | Atsuya Furuta | Yakult Swallows | C | 509 | 74 | 164 | 9 | 86 | 9 | .322 | .413 | .446 | Did not pitch | |||||||
| PL | Fumiya Nishiguchi | Seibu Lions | P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .--- | .--- | .--- | 15 - 5 | 1 | 207.2 | 187 | 20 | 68 | 192 | 3.12 | |
| Rookie of the Year | CL | Toshikazu Sawazaki | Hiroshima Toyo Carp | P | 43 | 1 | 12 | 0 | 6 | 0 | .279 | .311 | .349 | 12 - 8 | 0 | 156.1 | 162 | 23 | 47 | 106 | 3.74 |
| PL | Makoto Kosaka | Chiba Lotte Marines | 2B | 499 | 66 | 130 | 1 | 30 | 56 | .261 | .329 | .323 | Did not pitch | ||||||||
Best Nine[edit]
The following players were part of the 1997 Best Nine teams.
Gold Gloves[edit]
The following players were the recipients of the Gold Glove Award in 1997.
High School Baseball[edit]
The 79th National High School Baseball Championship featured a total of 4093 schools competing for 49 spots in the finals at Koshien. In the championship game Chiben Wakayama High School (Wakayama) defeated Heian High School (Kyoto) by a score of 6 - 3.
The 69th National High School Baseball Invitational Tournament featured 32 schools competing in the tournament at Koshien. In the championship game Tenri Koukou (Nara) defeated Chukyo High School (Aichi) by a score of 4 - 1.
University Baseball[edit]
All-Japan University Baseball Championship Series[edit]
The 1997 All-Japan University Baseball Championship Series featured 25 schools competing in the tournament at Meiji-Jingu Stadium. In the championship game Kinki University defeated Asia University by a score of 2 - 0.
Meiji Jingu Baseball Convention[edit]
In the Meiji Jingu Baseball Convention Kinki University defeated Hosei University.
Tokyo Big6 Baseball League[edit]
| Season | First | Second | Third | Fourth | Fifth | Sixth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | Keio | Meiji | Hosei | Waseda | Rikkio | Tokyo |
| Fall | Hosei | Keio | Waseda | Meiji | Tokyo | Rikkio |
Tohto University Base Ball League[edit]
| Season | League | First | Second | Third | Fourth | Fifth | Sixth | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 | Asia | Aoyama Gakuin | Senshu | Komazawa | Rissho | Toyo | |
| 2 | Chuo | Kokushikan | Nihon | Tokyo Agriculture | Kokugakuin | Takushoku | ||
| Spring | 1 | Komazawa | Asia | Senshu | Rissho | Aoyama Gakuin | Toyo | |
| 2 | Nihon | Kokushikan, Tokyo Agriculture | Chuo | Takushoku | Kokugakuin | |||
Kansai 6 University Baseball League[edit]
| Season | First | Second | Third | Fourth | Fifth | Sixth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | Kinki | Ritsumeikan | Doshisha | Kwansei Gakuin | Kansai | Kyoto |
| Fall | Kinki | Ritsumeikan | Kansai | Doshisha | Kwansei Gakuin | Kyoto |
International Baseball[edit]
In the thirteenth Intercontinental Cup in Spain, the Japanese national baseball team won a gold medal.
Japanese Players in Other Countries[edit]
- Italics indicate a Major League appearance
- Shigetoshi Hasegawa: Anaheim Angels
- Hideki Irabu: Tampa Yankees, Florida State (NYY-A-Adv); Norwich Navigators, Eastern (NYY-AA); Columbus Clippers, International (NYY-AAA); New York Yankees
- Taisuke Ishimaru: Arizona Mariners, Arizona (SEA-R)
- Takashi Kashiwada: Norfolk Tides, International (NYM-AAA); New York Mets
- Keiichi Kojima: Charlotte Rangers, Florida State (AA) and Tulsa Drillers, Texas (TEX-A-Adv)
- Katsuhiro Maeda: Norwich Navigators, Eastern League (NYY-AA
- Jeff McCurry: Colorado Springs Sky Sox, Pacific Coast (COL-AAA); Colorado Rockies
- Keith McDonald: Arkansas Travelers, Texas (STL-AA)
- Hideo Nomo: Los Angeles Dodgers
- Dave Roberts: Jacksonville Suns, Southern (DET-AA)
- Junichi Sasaki: GCL Expos, Gulf Coast (R); Vermont Expos, New York-Penn (A); West Palm Beach Expos, Florida State (MON-A-Adv)
- Ryosuke Sawai: AZL Padres, Arizona (R)
- Mac Suzuki: Tacoma Rainiers, Pacific Coast (SEA-AAA)
Hall of Fame[edit]
The following people were elected to the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame:
- Makoto Hosaka, by Special Committee
- Katsuo Osugi, by Sportswriters Committee
- Eiichiro Yamamoto, by Special Committee
| Japanese Baseball Seasons
Pre-Professional Era
|
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