Chunichi Dragons
Encyclopedia
The are a professional baseball team based in Nagoya, the chief city in the Chubu ("Middle of Japan") region of Japan
. The team is in the Central League
. They won the 2007 Japan Series
and 2007 Asia Series
.
from winning the league for their tenth consecutive year. Another league title came in 1999, and in that year, Dragons set a record by winning 11 consecutive games at the opening of the season. In the 2004 season they reached the Japan Series
, but lost to the Seibu Lions
, the Pacific League
Champions. Although they have had little success in the playoffs, they are still known as one of the most powerful teams in NPB.
in a best-of-three series, then, in a huge upset, swept the heavily favoured Yomiuri Giants
in a best-of-five series to advance to the Japan Series against the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters. In an exact reversal of the 2006 Japan Series, Hokkaido won game 1 of the series, but the Dragons won the next four straight games, including a combined perfect game
from Daisuke Yamai
to star closer Hitoki Iwase
in the deciding Game 5, to become the 2007 Japan Series Champions.
(1947) (1947–1950, 1954–1958, 1963–1968) (1949–1958) (1960–1986, 1992–1995, 2012-) (1961–1962, 1963–1966, 1970–1977) (1962) (1978–1980) (1984–1986) (1999–2003) (1998–1999)
Retired:
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. The team is in the Central League
Central League
The or is one the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League in the annual Japan Series. It currently consists of six teams from around the country,The Central League...
. They won the 2007 Japan Series
2007 Japan Series
The Japan Series, the 58th edition of Nippon Professional Baseball's championship series, began Saturday, October 27, 2007, pitting the Pacific League Regular League and Climax Series' Champion, the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, and the Chunichi Dragons, winners of the Central League's Climax...
and 2007 Asia Series
2007 Asia Series
The third annual Konami Cup Asia Series was held in November 2007 with four teams participating. The champions from the domestic leagues in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan along with an all-star team from China took part in the competition. The tournament was sponsored by the Nippon Professional...
.
History
The Chunichi Dragons were formed in 1936 as the Nagoya Club. They had experimented with five different names between 1936 and 1953 before settling with "Dragons" in 1954. 1954 was the same year that the Dragons won their first Japan Series championship. The Dragons had won the Central League pennant seven times until 2006, but until 2007 their last Japan Series victory was in 1954, the longest such drought in Nippon Professional Baseball(NPB). In 1974, the team won the league title for the first time in 20 years, and this victory stopped the Yomiuri GiantsYomiuri Giants
The are a professional baseball team based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. The team competes in the Central League in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top level of professional play in Japan. They play their home games in the Tokyo Dome, opened in 1988. The English-language press occasionally calls the...
from winning the league for their tenth consecutive year. Another league title came in 1999, and in that year, Dragons set a record by winning 11 consecutive games at the opening of the season. In the 2004 season they reached the Japan Series
Japan Series
, or is the annual championship series in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top baseball league in Japan. It is a seven-game series between the winning clubs of the league's two circuits, the Central League and the Pacific League....
, but lost to the Seibu Lions
Seibu Lions
The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based west of Tokyo in Tokorozawa, Saitama. Before 1979, they were based in Fukuoka in Kyushu. The team is owned by a subsidiary of Prince Hotels, which in turn is owned by the Seibu Group...
, the Pacific League
Pacific League
The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues constituting Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship competes against the winner in the Central League for the annual Japan Series...
Champions. Although they have had little success in the playoffs, they are still known as one of the most powerful teams in NPB.
2007 Japan Series Title
In early 2007, the playoff rules were changed: The top team in the league would advance automatically, while the second and third teams in the league would play a best-of-three series. The winner would face the 1st place team in a best-of-five series to see who would advance to the Japan Series finals. The Dragons took advantage of the new playoff system, and after finishing second in the season standings, swept the Hanshin TigersHanshin Tigers
The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team based in Koshien, Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and are in the Central League. Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd., the subsidiary of Hankyu Hanshin Holdings Inc., owns the Hanshin Tigers directly...
in a best-of-three series, then, in a huge upset, swept the heavily favoured Yomiuri Giants
Yomiuri Giants
The are a professional baseball team based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. The team competes in the Central League in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top level of professional play in Japan. They play their home games in the Tokyo Dome, opened in 1988. The English-language press occasionally calls the...
in a best-of-five series to advance to the Japan Series against the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters. In an exact reversal of the 2006 Japan Series, Hokkaido won game 1 of the series, but the Dragons won the next four straight games, including a combined perfect game
Perfect game
A perfect game is defined by Major League Baseball as a game in which a pitcher pitches a victory that lasts a minimum of nine innings and in which no opposing player reaches base. Thus, the pitcher cannot allow any hits, walks, hit batsmen, or any opposing player to reach base safely for any...
from Daisuke Yamai
Daisuke Yamai
is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher with the Chunichi Dragons. In the 2007 Nippon Series, he threw eight innings of a combined perfect game with Hitoki Iwase to decide the series against the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters.-References:...
to star closer Hitoki Iwase
Hitoki Iwase
Hitoki Iwase is a Japanese professional baseball player from Nishio, Aichi, Japan. He is a closing pitcher....
in the deciding Game 5, to become the 2007 Japan Series Champions.
Baseball Hall of Famers (incomplete list)
The following Hall of Famers played and/or managed for the Dragons, and are listed with the years they were with the club.(1947) (1947–1950, 1954–1958, 1963–1968) (1949–1958) (1960–1986, 1992–1995, 2012-) (1961–1962, 1963–1966, 1970–1977) (1962) (1978–1980) (1984–1986) (1999–2003) (1998–1999)
MLB Players
Active:- Kosuke FukudomeKosuke Fukudomeis a Japanese professional baseball outfielder.Prior to arriving in the United States, Fukudome played nine seasons for the Chunichi Dragons of the Japanese Central League...
(2008-) - Kenshin KawakamiKenshin KawakamiKenshin Kawakami is a right-handed Japanese professional baseball starting pitcher, who is a free agent.-Japanese career:...
(2009-)
Retired:
- Akinori OtsukaAkinori Otsukais a currently inactive Japanese Major League Baseball player. He was formerly the set-up man for the San Diego Padres and the Texas Rangers...
(2003-2007)