In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the start of the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) season causing the Central League (CL) to cancel their Climax Series entirely.[1] The Central League Climax Series (CLCS) returned in 2021, however, as with games during the regular season, no extra innings were played due to pandemic restrictions, resulting in games being called draws after nine innings instead of the usual twelve. As always, if a series ended in a tie, the higher-seed team advanced.[2] Additionally, attendance was also limited to the games for safety reasons. Contests held at Koshien Stadium gave groups of up to four people an additional seat to increase spacing between fans.[3] Yakult sold up to approximately 20,000 tickets per game at Meiji Jingu Stadium, with the CLCS Final Stage selected by the government to test the admission of people showing proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test result.[4]JERA sponsored the naming rights for the series, and it was officially known as the "2021 JERA Climax Series CE".[5]
The Hanshin Tigers were in first place for nearly the entire first half of the season.[6] By the last week of the season, the team was involved in the pennant race but ultimately fell short.[7] The Yomiuri Giants, conversely, struggled at the end of the season. They lost 10-straight decisions in October and fought off the Hiroshima Toyo Carp for the third and final Climax Series slot.[8] They finished the season with a .496 winning percentage, becoming only the sixth team to advance to the Climax Series with a losing record.[9] In the 25 regular season games between Hanshin and Yomiuri, the Tigers defeated the Giants with a 13–9–3 record and finished the season 11 games ahead.[10] Previously, the two teams met in the Climax Series a total of four times, twice in the First Stage and twice in the Final Stage with Yomiuri winning three of the four.
On October 26, for the second time in their history, the Tokyo Yakult Swallows clinched the CL pennant after finishing in last place the previous season. The championship was their first league title since 2015 and eighth overall. For several games in August and September, Yakult was forced to play their home games in Tokyo Dome instead of their home stadium of Meiji Jingu Stadium due to Jingu's proximity to the 2020 Summer Olympics and Paralympic games. Dramatic improvement to the Swallows pitching played a large part in the team's turnaround.[7] The championship advanced the Swallows directly to the Final Stage of the Climax Series to host the Giants, the eventual winner of the First Stage.[11] The two teams split the season series 11–11–3, with Swallows and finishing 11 games ahead of Yomiuri.[10] Previously, the two teams met in the Climax Series a total of three times, twice in the First Stage, once in the Final Stage, with Yakult winning two of the three.
The starting pitchers for Game 1 were Haruto Takahashi for Hanshin and Tomoyuki Sugano for Yomiuri. Both pitchers kept the teams scoreless until the fifth inning when Zelous Wheeler laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance Yoshihiro Maru who eventually scored on a single by Naoki Yoshikawa, giving the Giants the lead. Wheeler added to the lead the next inning when he hit a two-run double to put Yomiuri up 3–0. In the eighth inning, Wheeler collected his third run batted in (RBI) with a run-scoring single. Sugano pitched seven scoreless innings for the Giants. The Tigers loaded the bases in the ninth inning with two outs against Giants closerThyago Vieira, however relief pitcherSeishu Hatake induced a line out to earn the save and keep Hanshin scoreless in the loss.[14]
After being shutout in the first game of the series, Hanshin opened the scoring in Game 2. Giants starter Yuki Takahashi was taken out of the game in the second inning after Ryutaro Umeno doubled and then scored on a double by Teruaki Sato, giving the Tigers the lead. Hanshin added another run that same inning with an RBI-single by Takumu Nakano. The following inning, the Giants loaded the bases with no outs against Hanshin starter Koyo Aoyagi on an error and two singles. A single by Seiya Matsubara scored one run, and a two-run single by Maru gave the Giants the lead and prompted Hanshin to remove Aoyagi from the game. A sacrifice fly in the eighth inning by Wheeler added to the Giants lead, making it 4–2. Hanshin again threatened in the ninth inning with two outs when a Jefry Marté single and a Yusuke Oyama walk put the potential tying runs on base, however Vieira struck out Mel Rojas Jr. to end the game and get the save. In total for the game, the Tigers collected 11 hits and five walks but only scored two runs.[11]
To start the bottom of the first inning, Giants starting pitcher Shun Yamaguchi allowed a leadoff double by Yasutaka Shiomi and walked Tetsuto Yamada. After advancing to third, Shiomi scored on a Munetaka Murakami flyout into shallow left. Domingo Santana then hit a two-run home run to extend the Swallows' lead to 3–0. Yakult starter Yasunobu Okugawa went on to pitch a complete gameshut out to secure the win. Over the nine-inning game, he struck out nine Yomiuri batters and did not issue a walk on 98 pitches. Yakult added one more run to their lead in the seventh inning after Naomichi Nishiura doubled, advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt, and scored on Shiomi's second double of the game. The win, along with their one-win advantage, gave the Swallows a 2–0 series lead.[18]
Keiji Takahashi started for the Swallows, while Tomoyuki Sugano started for the Giants. Takahashi worked out of a bases-loaded situation in the first inning and kept Yomiuri scoreless in his six-inning outing. He allowed two hits and walked three batters while striking out eight. Yakult cleanup hitter Murakami singled to open the second inning and, after two walks, scored the game's first run on a sacrifice fly by Nishiura off of Sugano. In the sixth inning, Murakami stretched a singled into a double after the Giants misplayed the ball in the outfield and an error in the infield allowed another runner on with no outs. With two outs and first base open, the Giants intentionally walked the bases loaded before pinch hitterShingo Kawabata walked to force in a run. Shiomi then hit a three-run triple, making it 5–0. Yakult relief pitchers kept the Giants scoreless to complete the two-hit shutout.[19]
Game 3
Swallows closer Scott McGough pitched a scoreless ninth inning to secure the tie.
Friday, November 12, 2021, 6:01 pm (JST) at Meiji Jingu Stadium in Shinjuku, Tokyo
Attendance: 19,022 Notes: Extra innings were not played in Climax Series games in 2021 because of pandemic restrictions. If a Climax Series ends in a tie, the higher seed advances, therefore Yakult advanced following this draw as it ensured that Yomiuri could do no better than tie the series. Boxscore
Juri Hara started for the Swallows, while Cristopher Mercedes started for the Giants. Scoring for the first time in the series, Yomiuri opened the scoring in the third inning against Yakult reliever Yuto Kanakubo. Naoki Yoshikawa walked, advanced to third base on a single by Yoshiyuki Kamei, then scored on a sacrifice fly by Hayato Sakamoto. After pitching six scoreless innings, Mercedes was replaced by reliever Rubby De La Rosa, who loaded the bases with two outs in the seventh inning. Norichika Aoki then hit a two-run single off of Giants reliever Kota Nakagawa to give Yakult the lead, 2–1. Yomiuri scored a run next inning against reliever Noboru Shimizu, but left two runners on base at the end of the inning to leave the game tied. With a tie good enough to ensure a series win, Swallows closer Scott McGough got all three Giants batters out in the ninth inning to end the game and the series in favor of Yakult.[20]
^"パ・リーグがＣＳ詳細日程発表、セ・リーグと同様に同点は九回打ち切り" [The Pacific League announced the detailed schedule for the CS, and as in the Central League, ties will end the game in the ninth inning]. Sankei Sports (in Japanese). October 28, 2021. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
^"阪神ＣＳチケット発売へ 新型コロナ対策でグループごとに１席空ける" [Hanshin CS tickets to go on sale, one seat vacant for each group to prevent new corona]. Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). October 28, 2021. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
^Une, Natsuki (October 18, 2021). "ＣＳ進出は読売か広島東洋か。ここからの４試合と７試合の全パターンはこうなる" [Will it be Yomiuri or Hiroshima Toyo that advances to the CS? Here's the full pattern for the next four and seven games]. Yahoo! Japan. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
^Une, Natsuki (November 2, 2021). "負け越してＣＳ進出の球団は、そこから勝ち上がったのか。今年の読売は３位ながら借金１" [The team that lost and made it to the CS, did they win from there? This year's Yomiuri team is in third place but with a debt of 1]. Yahoo! Japan. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
