2011 Japan Series
The 2011 Japan Series (known as the Konami Nippon Series 2011 for sponsorship reasons) was the 62nd edition of Nippon Professional Baseball's championship series. The best-of-seven playoff matched the Chunichi Dragons and Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, the respective champions of the Central League's and the Pacific League's Climax Series (postseason). The Series began on Saturday, November 12, 2011 and was a rematch of the 1999 Japan Series, which the Hawks won, four games to one. The Hawks won the series in seven games, claiming their fifth Japan Series crown. Due to the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake delaying the season opener to April 12, the Japan Series was delayed to mid-November. Climax Series Summary Road to the Series Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks After not having won a playoff series since 2003 when they won the Japan Series that year, the Hawks finally broke through against the Saitama Seibu Lions. Earning a first-round bye and a one-game advantage in the Pacific League Climax Series Final Stage, the Hawks completed the sweep of the Lions to earn their spot in the Japan Series. During the regular season, the Hawks were the best team in the league record-wise at 88-46-10. They scored the second-most runs in the