1998 in Japanese Baseball
| 1998 in baseball |
|---|
| Cuban National League |
| Japanese baseball |
| American League |
| National League |
| << 1997 1999 >> |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yokohama BayStars | 136 | 79 | 56 | 1 | 0.585 | 0.0 | 642 | 524 | 0.277 | 3.49 | Hiroshi Gondo |
| Chunichi Dragons | 136 | 75 | 60 | 1 | 0.555 | 4.0 | 488 | 458 | 0.248 | 3.14 | Senichi Hoshino |
| Yomiuri Giants | 135 | 73 | 62 | 0 | 0.541 | 6.0 | 632 | 551 | 0.267 | 3.74 | Shigeo Nagashima |
| Yakult Swallows | 135 | 66 | 69 | 0 | 0.489 | 13.0 | 493 | 548 | 0.253 | 3.69 | Katsuya Nomura |
| Hiroshima Carp | 135 | 60 | 75 | 0 | 0.444 | 19.0 | 578 | 613 | 0.265 | 4.01 | Toshiyuki Mimura |
| Hanshin Tigers | 135 | 52 | 83 | 0 | 0.385 | 27.0 | 450 | 589 | 0.242 | 3.95 | Yoshio Yoshida |
Pacific League[edit]
| Team | G | W | L | T | WPCT | GB | RS | RA | AVG | ERA | Manager(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seibu Lions | 135 | 70 | 61 | 4 | 0.533 | 0.0 | 586 | 559 | 0.270 | 3.66 | Osamu Higashio |
| Nippon Ham Fighters | 135 | 67 | 65 | 3 | 0.507 | 3.5 | 635 | 571 | 0.255 | 3.83 | Toshiharu Ueda |
| Orix BlueWave | 135 | 66 | 66 | 3 | 0.500 | 4.5 | 586 | 609 | 0.264 | 4.03 | Akira Ogi |
| Fukuoka Daiei Hawks | 135 | 67 | 67 | 1 | 0.500 | 4.5 | 546 | 596 | 0.264 | 4.02 | Sadaharu Oh |
| Kintetsu Buffaloes | 135 | 66 | 67 | 2 | 0.496 | 5.0 | 593 | 629 | 0.267 | 4.28 | Kyosuke Sasaki |
| Chiba Lotte Marines | 135 | 61 | 71 | 3 | 0.463 | 9.5 | 581 | 563 | 0.271 | 3.70 | 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 | .337 | Ichiro Suzuki | Orix BlueWave | .358 | ||
| Runs | Takuro Ishii Hideki Matsui |
Yokohama BayStars Yomiuri Giants |
103 | Kazuo Matsui | Seibu Lions | 92 | ||
| Hits | Takuro Ishii | Yokohama BayStars | 174 | Ichiro Suzuki | Orix BlueWave | 181 | ||
| Doubles | Tomonori Maeda | Hiroshima Toyo Carp | 36 | Phil Clark | Kintetsu Buffaloes | 48 | ||
| Triples | Mitsuru Manaka | Yakult Swallows | 8 | Makoto Kosaka | Chiba Lotte Marines | 8 | ||
| Home Runs | Hideki Matsui | Yomiuri Giants | 34 | Nigel Wilson | Nippon Ham Fighters | 33 | ||
| Runs Batted In | Hideki Matsui | Yomiuri Giants | 100 | Nigel Wilson | Nippon Ham Fighters | 124 | ||
| Stolen Bases | Takuro Ishii | Yokohama BayStars | 39 | Kazuo Matsui Makoto Kosaka |
Seibu Lions Chiba Lotte Marines |
43 | ||
| Walks | Hideki Matsui | Yomiuri Giants | 104 | Atsushi Kataoka | Nippon Ham Fighters | 113 | ||
Pitching[edit]
All-Star Game[edit]
The NPB All-Star Game featured two games and was won by the Central League one game to none, with one tie. The first game was played at Nagoya Dome and was won by the CL, 4 - 1. The second game was played at Chiba Marine Stadium and was a tie, 3 - 3.
Postseason[edit]
In the Nippon Series, the Yokohama BayStars (CL) defeated the Seibu Lions (PL), 4 games to 2. The winning manager was Hiroshi Gondo and the series MVP was Takanori Suzuki.
Award Winners[edit]
The winner of the 1998 Sawamura Award was Kenjiro Kawasaki of the Yakult Swallows. He had a 17 - 10 win-loss record, 94 strikeouts, and a 3.04 ERA in 204.1 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 | Kazuhiro Sasaki | Yokohama BayStars | P | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 1 - 1 | 45 | 56.0 | 32 | 1 | 13 | 78 | 0.64 |
| PL | Kazuo Matsui | Seibu Lions | SS | 575 | 92 | 179 | 9 | 58 | 43 | .311 | .370 | .442 | Did not pitch | ||||||||
| Rookie of the Year | CL | Kenshin Kawakami | Chunichi Dragons | P | 59 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 0 | .102 | .115 | .203 | 14 - 6 | 0 | 161.1 | 123 | 14 | 51 | 124 | 2.57 |
| PL | Tatsuya Ozeki | Seibu Lions | OF | 322 | 44 | 91 | 3 | 24 | 15 | .283 | .358 | .370 | Did not pitch | ||||||||
Best Nine[edit]
The following players were part of the 1998 Best Nine teams.
Gold Gloves[edit]
The following players were the recipients of the Gold Glove Award in 1998.
High School Baseball[edit]
The 80th National High School Baseball Championship featured a total of 4102 schools competing for 55 spots in the finals at Koshien. In the championship game Yokohama High School (East Kanagawa) defeated Kyoto Seisho High School (Kyoto) by a score of 3 - 0, with Daisuke Matsuzaka throwing a no-hitter.
The 70th National High School Baseball Invitational Tournament featured 36 schools competing in the tournament at Koshien. In the championship game Yokohama High School (Kanagawa) defeated Kansai University Daiichi High School (Osaka) by a score of 3 - 1.
University Baseball[edit]
All-Japan University Baseball Championship Series[edit]
The 1998 All-Japan University Baseball Championship Series featured 25 schools competing in the tournament at Meiji-Jingu Stadium. In the championship game Kinki University defeated Tokai University by a score of 4 - 3.
Meiji Jingu Baseball Convention[edit]
In the Meiji Jingu Baseball Convention Asia University defeated Tohoku Fukushi University.
Tokyo Big6 Baseball League[edit]
| Season | First | Second | Third | Fourth | Fifth | Sixth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | Meiji | Keio | Rikkio | Hosei | Waseda | Tokyo |
| Fall | Hosei | Meiji | Keio | Waseda | Rikkio | Tokyo |
Tohto University Base Ball League[edit]
| Season | League | First | Second | Third | Fourth | Fifth | Sixth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | 1 | Asia | Komazawa, Senshu | Rissho | Nihon | Aoyama Gakuin | |
| 2 | Kokushikan | Chuo | Kokugakuin | Toyo | Tokyo Agriculture | Takushoku | |
| Fall | 1 | Asia | Senshu | Komazawa | Nihon | Aoyama Gakuin | Rissho |
| 2 | Toyo | Chuo | Kokushikan | Tokyo Agriculture | Kokugakuin | Takushoku | |
Kansai 6 University Baseball League[edit]
| Season | First | Second | Third | Fourth | Fifth | Sixth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | Kinki | Ritsumeikan | Kwansei Gakuin | Doshisha | Kansai | Kyoto |
| Fall | Kinki | Ritsumeikan | Kansai | Doshisha | Kwansei Gakuin | Kyoto |
International Baseball[edit]
The Major League All-Stars toured Japan in the fall of 1998. The touring team went 6 - 2 - 0 against Japanese competition.
At the thirty-third Baseball World Cup in Italy, the Japanese national baseball team placed fifth. In the third AAA Asia Baseball Championship in Japan, the Japanese national baseball team won a gold medal. At the nineteenth Haarlemse Honkbalweek in Haarlem, the Netherlands, the Japanese national baseball team placed sixth.
Japanese Players in Other Countries[edit]
- Italics indicate a Major League appearance
- Shigetoshi Hasegawa: Anaheim Angels
- Koji Hoshina: GCL Expos, GCL (MON-R)
- Hideki Irabu: New York Yankees
- Takehito Ishida: Martinsville Phillies, Appalachian (PHI-Rookie)
- Taisuke Ishimaru, Duluth-Superior Dukes, Northern
- Junichi Iwasaki: Billings Mustangs, Pioneer (CIN-Rookie)
- Takahiro Kanamori: Uni-President Lions, Chinese Professional Baseball League
- Takaaki Kato: Williamsport Cubs, New York-Pennsylvania (CHC-A-)
- Kenichiro Kawabata: GCL Red Sox, Gulf Coast (BOS-R)
- Masashi Kiyono: Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, Northwest (SFG-A-); San Jose Giants, California (SFG-A-Adv)
- Katsuhiro Maeda: Norwich Navigators, Eastern (AA); Columbus Clippers, International (AAA) (NYY)
- Takamasa Matsui: Uni-President Lions, Chinese Professional Baseball League
- Jeff McCurry: Nashville Sounds, Pacific Coast (PIT-AAA); Pittsburgh Pirates
- Keith McDonald: Memphis Redbirds, Pacific Coast (STL-AAA)
- Daisuke Miyashita: Newark Bears, Atlantic League
- Micheal Nakamura: Fort Wayne Wizards, Midwest (MIN-A); Fort Myers Miracle, Florida State (MIN-A-Adv)
- Hideo Nomo: Los Angeles Dodgers; New York Mets
- Stephen Randolph: Tucson Sidewinders, Pacific Coast (ARI-AAA); High Desert Mavericks, California (ARI-A-Adv)
- Dave Roberts: Akron Aeros, Eastern (CLE-AA); Jacksonville Suns, Southern (DET-AA); Buffalo Bisons, International (CLE-AAA)
- Mac Suzuki: Tacoma Rainiers, Pacific Coast (SEA-AAA); Seattle Mariners
- Toshio Tajima: Brother Elephants, Chinese Professional Baseball League
- Masahiro Tanaka: Martinsville Phillies, Appalachian (PHI-Rookie)
- Minoru Tanaka: OB Bears, Korea Baseball Organization
- Osamu Tsujita: GCL Devil Rays, Gulf Coast (TBR-Rookie)
- Tomoyuki Uchiyama: Reading Phillies, Eastern (PHI-AA)
- Juei Ushiromatsu: GCL Mets, Gulf Coast (NYM-Rookie)
- Masato Yoshii: New York Mets
Hall of Fame[edit]
The following people were elected to the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame:
- Shinjiro Iguchi, by Special Committee
- Hiroshi Nakao, by Special Committee
| Japanese Baseball Seasons
Pre-Professional Era
|
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