| 99th | Top professional sports leagues |
The Pacific League (パシフィック・リーグ Pashifikku Rīgu) or Pa League (パリーグ Pa Rīgu) is one of Japan's two major professional baseball leagues, the other being the Central League.
It was founded as the Taiheiyo Baseball Union in 1949 with seven teams, the name changing to its current form in 1980. Designated hitters are used in Pacific League teams' home games.
Contents |
| Team | Japanese Name | Place | Sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chiba Lotte Marines | 千葉ロッテマリーンズ Chiba Rotte Marīnzu |
Chiba | Lotte |
| Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks | 福岡ソフトバンクホークス Fukuoka Sofutobanku Hōkusu |
Fukuoka | SoftBank |
| Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters | 北海道日本ハムファイターズ Hokkaidō Nippon-Hamu Faitāzu |
Sapporo,Hokkaido | Nippon Ham |
| Orix Buffaloes | オリックス・バファローズ Orikkusu Bafarōzu |
Osaka | Orix Group |
| Saitama Seibu Lions | 埼玉西武ライオンズ Saitama Seibu Raionzu |
Tokorozawa | Seibu Railway |
| Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles | 東北楽天ゴールデンイーグルス Tōhoku Rakuten Gōruden Īgurusu |
Sendai | Rakuten |
After the 2004 season, the Orix BlueWave and the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes merged to form the Orix Buffaloes. A franchise was granted to the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles to fill the void caused by the merger.
Also since 2004, a three-team Playoff system was introduced in the Pacific League (Pacific League Championship Series). The teams with the 2nd- and 3rd-best records play in the 3-game first stage, with the winner advancing to the 5-game final against the top team. The winner becomes the representative of the Pacific League to the Japan Series. Since the Pacific League won every Japan Series after introducing this system, an identical system was introduced to the Central League in 2007, and the post-season intra-league games were renamed "Climax Series" in both leagues. Player statistics and drafting order based on team records are not affected by these postseason games.
   | List of players at ''Japanese Baseball'' - Japanese Baseball Players - Japanese Baseball |
| | Japanese Baseball Data Archive at ''The Baseball Guru'' - The Baseball Guru - Japanese Baseball Data: Analysis, Stats and Downloads |
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