The Orix Buffaloes of Nippon Professional Baseball are a familiar team to Korean baseball fans. Koo Dae-sung played for them, and Park Chan-ho, Lee Seung-yeop, and Lee Dae-ho played for them. The “baseball genius” Ichiro Suzuki led the Orix in batting for seven consecutive years. The Oryx Blue Wave, based in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, near Osaka, merged with the Kintetsu Buffaloes to form the Oryx Buffaloes in 2005.

The Oryx had been far from winning since Ichiro won back-to-back Pacific League titles in 1995 and 1996. After hovering near the bottom of the standings, the team took first place in 2021 and won back-to-back titles in 2022.

With 13 games left in the regular season, they popped the champagne for the first time in front of a packed Osaka Dome in Anbang.

Last year, they clinched the title with wins over the Rakuten Eagles and Sendai. In the 143rd game of the pennant race, they took first place in the final game.

Luck was on their side as the leaders, the SoftBank Hawks, lost to the Chiba Lotte Marines in the final game. They pulled off an incredible comeback from 11.5 games down.

The dramatic first-place finish allowed the Orix to defeat the Yakult Swallows in the Japan Series and reach the top of Nippon Professional Baseball for the first time in 26 years. Their path to victory was equally impressive. They came back from a 1-2 deficit to win four games in a row and celebrate.

Orix ace Yamamoto. He threw his second no-hitter of the season and improved to 14-0. Photo credit: Oryx Buffaloes SNS

Yoshida at the plate during his time with the Oryx. Photo credit: Oryx Buffaloes SNS
Masataka Yoshida, 30, was a key part of the Oryx’s championship run in 2021-2022. During the Oryx’s back-to-back championships, he led the team as captain while batting fourth.

Yoshida, who was part of the back-to-back championships, was traded to the Boston Red Sox at the end of last year. He signed a five-year, $95 million contract with an average annual salary of $18 million. It’s a great deal for him, and he’s finally made it to the major leagues.

Osaka’s Kyocera Dome on the 20th, after the Orix clinched the championship by beating Chiba Lotte. Yoshida sent a congratulatory message to the team on the scoreboard.안전놀이터

“We are aiming to win the Japan Series for the second year in a row, and although it will be tough, I want us to do our best to be in the best shape for the Climax Series (postseason) and the Japan Series,” Yoshida told Japanese media.

In Nippon Professional Baseball, the first through third-place teams in both leagues advance to the Japan Series through the Climax Series. The second- and third-place teams play in the First Stage, and the winner plays the first-place team in the Final Stage.

Year 1 of the Major League. Yoshida watched the highlights of the Orix game. He says, “Strong pitchers

Oryx players run onto the field after winning the championship last year. Photo credit: Oryx Buffaloes SNS
“It was impressive that Gene was able to keep the runs down to a minimum and win the game.

The Oryx have one of the best mounds in the league, with a team ERA of 2.63. Ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto has 14 wins and left-hander Hayato Miyagi has 10.

The Orix filled Yoshida’s void with a free agent signing. They brought in Tomoya Mori, a right-handed hitting catcher from the Seibu Lions. Mori was the 2019 Pacific League batting champion.

A farewell party was held for Yoshida by the main players, including Yamamoto and Yutaro Sugimoto, and Mori attended. “Mori came in and made it easier for me to leave,” Yoshida said.

“When I joined in 2016, the Oryx were a team that didn’t win often. It was rewarding to see the number of games we won and the number of spectators increase.

Prior to the Oryx, the Hanshin Tigers, who call Nishinomiya Koshien Stadium in Hyogo Prefecture, near Osaka, home, won the Central League title. It’s the first time two teams from the Kansai region have won the title at the same time.