The Fukuoka Softbank Hawks win the Japan Series sweeping the Tokyo Yomiuri Giants again in two consecutive years

It’s generally known that the Pacific League is much better than the Central League in the NPB for over a decade.  And when the Central League has a team that can win the Japan Series is a cause for celebration.

And Tokyo’s Yomiuri Giants are a team which has the most Japan Series wins but the last time the Giants or any team in the Central League has won a Japan Series was back in 2012.

From 2000 to 2020, the Central League has only won 6 out of 20 Japan Series.

Since 2011, the Fukuoka Softbank Haws have won the Japan Series 8 out of 10 years.

Since 2014, the Yomiuri Giants, the Hanshin Tigers, the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, the Yokohama DeNA BayStars and the Hiroshima Toyo Carp have each had a chance to defeat the Softbank Hawks and have failed.

The Yomiuri Giants was swept in 2019 and 2020 and suffice to say, it was a humiliating defeat two years straight.  The Yomiuri Giants didn’t even come close to to beating the Softbank Hawks in a game.  That’s how dominant the Hawks were.

But some question if the Yomiuri Giants could even compete with the second place Pacific League team, the Chiba Lotte Marines.

There is no doubt that the Pacific League has the best talent and depth, when it comes to pitching and batting.  Even with the spending power of the Yomiuri Giants, it’s not even enough to defeat the Hawks.

But with the Central League not being able to compete at a high level against the Pacific League, there have been calls to have a review of the Central League.

At this rate, it’s like a given that the Pacific League will win year after year in the Japan Series, and whoever wins the Central League, a hope of some element of surprise that they can win.

From 2000-2020, the Pacific League has 84 wins and 33 loses and 2 ties in the Japan Series. Since 2015, the Pacific League has 28 wins, 6 losses and 1 tie in the Japan Series.  The fact that the Central League has only produced 6 wins and 1 tie in the Japan Series since 2015 is sad.

Would a realignment between the two leagues make a difference?  It probably would.

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