Saitama Seibu Lions

Saitama Seibu Lions
Saitama Seibu Lions
Established 1950
SeibuLionsNewLogo.jpg
Team logo
Seibu lions insignia.png
Cap Insignia
League affiliations
Current uniform
Colors Blue, White

         

Name
  • Nishitetsu Clippers (1950)
  • Nishitetsu Lions (1951–1972)
  • Taiheiyo Club Lions (1973–1976)
  • Crown Lighter Lions (1977–1978)
  • Seibu Lions (1979–2007)
  • Saitama Seibu Lions (2008–present)
Other nicknames
  • Shishi (獅子?, lion)
Ballpark
League titles
Japan Series titles (13) 1956, 1957, 1958, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 2004, 2008
PL Pennants (21) 1954, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1963, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2004, 2008
Owner(s): Seibu Railway
Manager: Hisanobu Watanabe
General Manager:
2011 Saitama Seibu Lions season

The Saitama Seibu Lions (埼玉西武ライオンズ Saitama Seibu Raionzu?) 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 team experienced a recent period of financial difficulty, but the situation brightened when the team received a record ¥6 billion (about $51.11 million) posting fee from the Boston Red Sox for the right to negotiate a contract with Daisuke Matsuzaka. Between 1978 amd 2008, the team logo and mascot were based on the adult version of Kimba the White Lion, a classic Japanese anime series by Osamu Tezuka.[1][2] In 2004, former Seibu Lions player Kazuo Matsui became the first Japanese infielder to play in Major League Baseball.[3]

Contents

Franchise history

Nishitetsu Clippers (1950)

In 1950, the team became a founding member of the Pacific League. It was then owned by Nishi-Nippon Railroad, which was based in Fukuoka. The team finished sixth that year, and at the end of the season was merged with the Nishi-Nippon Pirates to form the Nishitetsu Lions.

Nishitetsu Lions (1951–1972)

The Nishitetsu Lions were one of a dominant team in the Pacific League during the 1950s, winning four pennants three straight Japan Series against the Yomiuri Giants behind famed manager Osamu Mihara. The team struggled through the following decade and did witness much success on the field. In November 1972 was sold to the Fukuoka Baseball Corporation, also a part of Nishi-Nippon Railroad. Following the sale, the team was renamed the Taiheiyo Club Lions. The Nishitetsu Lions called Heiwadai Stadium home for their entire existence.

Taiheiyo Club Lions (1973–1976)

Nishi-Nippon Railroad, founded by Nagayoshi Nakamura, owner of Lotte and the Orions, sold the team's sponsorship rights to Taiheiyo Club, a golf course and resort developer. Through the 1970s, the Lions finished no higher than third.

Crown Lighter Lions (1977–1978)

At the end of the 1976 season, the Fukuoka Baseball Corporation announced that the team's new sponsor was Crown Gas Lighter. With this, the team's name for the upcoming season was changed to the Crown Lighter Lions. At the end of the 1978 season, the team was sold to Kokudo Keikaku (later Kokudo), and then merged into Prince Hotels.

Seibu Lions (1979–2007)

Following the sale of the Crown Lighter Lions and their merging into Price Hotels, the team was renamed the Seibu Lions and relocated to a new ballpark in Tokorozawa, Saitama.

The Golden Age (1982–1994)

The Lions finished in last place following the 1979 season. However, the following seasons would mark the beginning of a period of sustained success for the team under new manager Tatsuro Hirooka and with star players such as Osamu Higashio and Koichi Tabuchi. The club won two-year straight Japan Series in 1982 and 1983, and won the championship again in 1985.

Following the 1986 season, the club replaced Hirooka with Masaaki Mori, who was able to sustain the team's prolonged success. Mori won 8 league championship, between 1986 and 1988 and 1990–1994, and six Japan Series championships in his nine-year managing career, winning the Japan Series in 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991, and 1992.

The team gained the moniker "Invincible Seibu" during the 1980s and 1990s due to their sustained domination of the league. The Lions had a powerful lineup in this period, loaded with sluggers such as Kouji Akiyama, Kazuhiro Kiyohara and Orestes Destrade. Their defense also benefited from the services of skilled players such as Hiromichi Ishige, Hatsuhiko Tsuji and catcher Tsutomu Ito. Among the pitchers employed by the Lions in this period was "The Oriental Express" Taigen Kaku, Kimiyasu Kudoh, Hisanobu Watanabe, and relievers Yoshitaka Katori and Testuya Shiozaki.

Prominent Golden Age Players

Name position Title and accomplishment Note
Kouji Akiyama CF Home Run Title 1987, Stolen Base Title 1990, Golden Glove 1987–1996, 1999
437 HR and 303 SB in career
Belonged to Daiei Hawks from 1994 to 2002. Current Hawks manager.
Kazuhiro Kiyohara 1B Rookie of the year 1986, Golden Glove (1988,1990, 1992–1994),
525 HR and 1527 RBIs in career
Belonged to Yomiuri Giants from 1997 to 2005, Orix Buffaloes from 2006 to 2008. Retired in 2008.
Orestes Destrade DH Home Run Title 1990–1992, RBI Title 1990–1991 Played 1993–1994 seasons with Florida Marlins of MLB.
Hiromichi Ishige 3B Rookie of the year, Golden Glove 1981–1983, 1985–1988, 1991–1993), MVP 1986 Manager of Orix BlueWave for a short time in 2003.
Hatsuhiko Tsuji 2B Batting Title 1993, Golden Glove 1986, 1988–1994 Played for Yakult Swallows in 1996, retired after '96 season.
Tsutomu Ito C Golden Glove 1985–1988, 1990–1992, 1994–1995, 1997–1998 Retired in 2003, Lions manager from 2004 to 2007.
Hisanobu Watanabe P Winning Percentage Title 1986, 1988, 1990, ERA Title 1986, Strikeout Title 1986, Golden Glove 1990, No-hitter 1996 Played for Yakult Swallows in 1998, retired from NPB after '98 season. Current manager of Lions.
Osamu Higashio P Wins Champion 1975,1983, ERA Title 1983, Strikeout Title 1975, MVP 1983, 1987, Golden Glove 1983–1987 Member of Lions through four different team owners (Nishitetsu, Taiheyo Club, Crown Lighter, Seibu).Lions manager from 1995–2001.
Taigen Kaku P MVP1991, Golden Grove 1991–1992, No-hitter 1985 Retired in 1996. Taiwan national team manager 2007.
Kimiyasu Kudoh P ERA Title 1985,1987,1993,1999, Winning Percentage Title1987,1991,1993,2000, Strikeout Title 1996,1999, Golden Glove 1994–1995,2000, MVP 1999, longest NPB career as player (28 years) Belonged to Daiei Hawks from 1994, Yomiuri Giants from 2000, Yokohama BayStars from 2007 to 2009, returned to Lions in 2010. Only active player in "Golden Age" in 2010 season.

Saitama Seibu Lions (2008–)

In order to reinforce the affiliation between the team and their home region, the Lions added the prefecture name "Saitama" to their team name in 2008. They were Pacific League Champions that year and when on to win the Japan Series. The team logo and uniforms were further modified for the 2009 season, with the team trading in their traditional light-blue colour scheme for a dark blue design similar to that employed during the Nishitetsu Lions' era in the 1950s and 1960s.

Season-by-season records

Year Team Name Place
1950 Nishitetsu Clippers 5th
1951 Nishitetsu Lions 2nd
1952 Nishitetsu Lions 3rd
1953 Nishitetsu Lions 4th
1954 Nishitetsu Lions 1st (lost Japan Series)
1955 Nishitetsu Lions 2nd
1956 Nishitetsu Lions 1st (Japan Series Winner)
1957 Nishitetsu Lions 1st (Japan Series Winner)
1958 Nishitetsu Lions 1st (Japan Series Winner)
1959 Nishitetsu Lions 4th
1960 Nishitetsu Lions 3rd
1961 Nishitetsu Lions 3rd
1962 Nishitetsu Lions 3rd
1963 Nishitetsu Lions 1st (lost Japan Series)
1964 Nishitetsu Lions 5th
1965 Nishitetsu Lions 3rd
1966 Nishitetsu Lions 2nd
1967 Nishitetsu Lions 2nd
1968 Nishitetsu Lions 5th
1969 Nishitetsu Lions 5th
1970 Nishitetsu Lions 6th
1971 Nishitetsu Lions 6th
1972 Nishitetsu Lions 6th
1973 Taiheiyo Club Lions 4th
1974 Taiheiyo Club Lions 4th
1975 Taiheiyo Club Lions 3rd
1976 Taiheiyo Club Lions 6th
1977 Crown Lighter Lions 6th
1978 Crown Lighter Lions 5th
1979 Seibu Lions 6th
1980 Seibu Lions 4th
1981 Seibu Lions 4th
1982 Seibu Lions 1st (Japan Series Winner)
1983 Seibu Lions 1st (Japan Series Winner)
1984 Seibu Lions 3rd
1985 Seibu Lions 1st (lost Japan Series)
1986 Seibu Lions 1st (Japan Series Winner)
1987 Seibu Lions 1st (Japan Series Winner)
1988 Seibu Lions 1st (Japan Series Winner)
1989 Seibu Lions 3rd
1990 Seibu Lions 1st (Japan Series Winner)
1991 Seibu Lions 1st (Japan Series Winner)
1992 Seibu Lions 1st (Japan Series Winner)
1993 Seibu Lions 1st (lost Japan Series)
1994 Seibu Lions 1st (lost Japan Series)
1995 Seibu Lions 3rd
1996 Seibu Lions 3rd
1997 Seibu Lions 1st (lost Japan Series)
1998 Seibu Lions 1st (lost Japan Series)
1999 Seibu Lions 2nd
2000 Seibu Lions 2nd
2001 Seibu Lions 3rd
2002 Seibu Lions 1st (lost Japan Series)
2003 Seibu Lions 2nd
2004 Seibu Lions 1st (Japan Series Winner)
2005 Seibu Lions 3rd
2006 Seibu Lions 2nd
2007 Seibu Lions 5th
2008 Saitama Seibu Lions 1st (Japan Series Winner)
2009 Saitama Seibu Lions 4th
2010 Saitama Seibu Lions 2nd
2011 Saitama Seibu Lions 3rd

Current roster (2010)

Pitchers

  • 11 Japan Takayuki Kishi (岸 孝之)
  • 12 Japan Toshihiro Iwao (岩尾 利弘)
  • 13 Japan Fumiya Nishiguchi (西口 文也)
  • 14 Japan Chikara Onodera (小野寺 力)
  • 15 Japan Kohji Onuma (大沼 幸二)
  • 16 Japan Kazuhisa Ishii (石井 一久)
  • 17 Japan Yusei (雄星)
  • 18 Japan Hideaki Wakui (涌井 秀章)
  • 19 Japan Masamitsu Hirano (平野 将光)
  • 20 Japan Ryoma Nogami (野上 亮磨)
  • 20 Japan Yuta Nakazaki (中崎 雄太)
  • 23 Republic of China Hsu Ming-Chieh (許 銘傑)
  • 24 Japan Hironori Matsunaga (松永 浩典)
  • 25 Japan Tetsuya Iwasaki (岩崎 哲也)
  • 26 Japan Tomoki Hoshino (星野 智樹)
  • 28 Japan Ryohei Fujiwara (藤原 良平)
  • 29 Japan Satoshi Yamazaki (山崎 敏)
  • 30 Japan Yosuke Okamoto (岡本 洋介)
  • 34 Japan Shuichiro Osada (長田 秀一郎)
  • 35 Japan Kenta Matsushita (松下 健太)
  • 36 Japan Minoru Yamagishi (山岸 穣)
  • 38 Japan Yoshihiro Doi (土肥 義弘)
  • 40 Japan Jun Yamamoto (山本 淳)
  • 41 Japan Fumikazu Kimura (木村 文和)
  • 45 Japan Taiyo Fujita (藤田 太陽)
  • 47 Japan Kazuyuki Hoashi (帆足 和幸)
  • 48 Japan Shota Takekuma (武隈 祥太)
  • 50 United States Brian Sikorski (ブライアン・シコースキー)
  • 54 United States Alex Graman (アレックス・グラマン)
  • 55 Japan Kimiyasu Kudoh (工藤 公康)
  • 57 Japan Shinji Taninaka (谷中 真二)
  • 59 Japan Atsushi Okamoto (岡本 篤志)
  • 62 China Zhu Dawei (朱 大卫)
  • 66 Japan Yasuhiro Tanaka (田中 靖洋)
  • 67 Japan Kazuki Miyata (宮田 和希)
  • 69 Japan Kojiro Uehara (上原 厚治郎)

Catchers

  •  2 Japan Ginjiro (銀仁朗)
  • 22 Japan Kohsuke Noda (野田 浩輔)
  • 27 Japan Tohru Hosokawa (細川 亨)
  • 39 Japan Tatsuya Gakuno (岳野 竜也)
  • 49 Japan Tatsuyuki Uemoto (上本 達之)
  • 63 Japan Taichi Yoshimi (吉見 太一)
  • 64 Japan Syota Nakata (中田 祥多)

Infielders

  •  3 Japan Hiroyuki Nakajima (中島 裕之)
  •  3 Japan Mamoru Misawa (美沢 将)
  •  5 Japan Yoshihito Ishii (石井 義人)
  •  7 Japan Yasuyuki Kataoka (片岡 易之)
  •  8 Japan Hiroshi Hirao (平尾 博嗣)
  •  9 Japan Masahiro Abe (阿部 真宏)
  • 32 Japan Hideto Asamura (浅村 栄斗)
  • 33 Japan Hidekazu Hoshi (星 秀和)
  • 43 Japan Takuya Hara (原 拓也)
  • 56 Japan Haruki Kurose (黒瀬 春樹)
  • 60 Japan Takeya Nakamura (中村 剛也)
  • 61 Japan Yuya Tazawa (田沢 由哉)
  • 67 Japan Naomichi Umeda (梅田 尚通)

Outfielders

  •  0 Japan Yutaro Ohsaki (大崎 雄太朗)
  •  1 Japan Takumi Kuriyama (栗山 巧)
  •  6 Japan Taketoshi Gotoh (後藤 武敏)
  • 10 Japan Tomoaki Satoh (佐藤 友亮)
  • 31 Japan Ryo Sakata (坂田 遼)
  • 42 United States Dermal Bram (ダーマル・ブラウン)
  • 44 Japan Hisashi Takayama (高山 久)
  • 46 Japan G.G. Sato (G.G.佐藤)
  • 51 Japan Hiroyuki Ohshima (大島 裕行)
  • 55 Japan Mitsugu Ishikawa (石川 貢)
  • 58 Japan Kenta Matsusaka (松坂 健太)
  • 65 Japan Syogo Saitoh (斉藤 彰吾)

Coaches/Other

Manager

Coaches

  • 84 Japan Tomoyoshi Ohishi (大石友好) – Chief(Bench)
  • 86 Japan Tetsuya Shiozaki (潮崎 哲也) – Pitching(Bullpen)
  • 77 Japan Takehiro Hashimoto (橋本 武広) – Pitching
  • 88 Japan Katsuya Souma (相馬 勝也) – Battery
  • 89 Japan Hiroyuki Mori (森 博幸) – Hitting
  • 87 Japan Satoshi Kuroda (黒田 哲史) – Assistant Hitting
  • 70 Japan Yuusuke Kawada (河田 雄祐) – Defending and Base-running(First base)
  • 85 Japan Masakazu Seike (清家 政和) – Defending and Base-running(third base)
  • 81 Japan Hisataka Yukizawa (行澤久隆) – Farm Manager
  • 80 Japan Kazuyoshi Ono (小野 和義) – Farm Pitching
  • 97 Japan Takashi Ishii (石井 貴) – Farm Pitching
  • 91 Japan Hisashi Ooi (大井 久士) – Farm Battery
  • 96 Japan Hiromoto Ookubo (大久保 博元) – Farm Hitting
  • 72 Japan Yasutomo Suzuki (鈴木 康友) – Farm Defending and Base-running
  • 78 Japan Toru Kumazawa (熊沢 とおる) – Farm Defending and Base-running
  • 98 Japan Kouichi Ohsako (大迫 幸一) – Training
  • 92 Japan Shinobu Sakamoto (坂元 忍) – Farm Training
  • 74 Japan Susumu Yoneda (米田 進) – Farm Conditioning
  • 75 Japan Kazuki Minamitani (南谷 和樹) – Farm Conditioning

Managers

  • Japan Kaname Miyazaki (宮崎 要) 1950
  • Japan Osamu Mihara (三原脩) 1951–1959
  • Japan Tokuji Kawasaki (川崎 徳次) 1960–1961
  • Japan Futoshi Nakanishi (中西 太) 1962–1969
  • Japan Kazuhisa Inao (稲尾 和久) 1970–1974
  • Japan Shinichi Eto (江藤 愼一) 1975
  • United States Leo Durocher (レオ・ドローチャー) 1976
  • Japan Masaichi Kito (鬼頭 政一) 1976–1977
  • Japan Rikuo Nemoto (根本 陸夫) 1978–1981
  • Japan Tatsuro Hirooka (広岡 達朗) 1982–1985
  • Japan Masahiko Mori (森 祇晶) 1986–1994
  • Japan Osamu Higashio (東尾 修) 1995–2001
  • Japan Haruki Ihara (伊原 春樹) 2002–2003
  • Japan Tsutomu Ito (伊東 勤) 2004–2007
  • Japan Hisanobu Watanabe (渡辺 久信) 2008–present

Former players of note

  • Japan Hiroshi Ohshita (大下 弘) 1952–1959
  • United States Phil Paine 1953
  • United States Terry Whitfield (テリー・ウィットフィールド) 1981–1983
  • Japan Koichi Tabuchi (田淵 幸一) 1979–1984
  • United States Steve Ontiveros (スティーブ・オンティベロス) 1980–1985
  • United States George Vukovich (ジョージ・ブコビッチ) 1986–1987
  • Japan Osamu Higashio (東尾 修) 1969–1988
  • United States Ty Van Burkleo (タイラー・バン・バークレオ) 1987–1990
  • Japan Yoshiie Tachibana (立花 義家) 1977–1991
  • Japan Kouji Akiyama (秋山 幸二) 1981–1993
  • Japan Hiromichi Ishige (石毛 宏典) 1981–1994
  • Cuba Orestes Destrade (オレステス・デストラーデ) 1989–1995
  • Japan Kazuhiro Kiyohara (清原 和博)1986–1996
  • United States Darrin Jackson (ダリン・ジャクソン)1995–1996
  • Republic of China Taigen Kaku (郭 泰源) 1985–1997
  • United States James L. Byers (ジェームズ・バイアーズ)1998–2000
  • Dominican Republic Tony Fernández (トニー・フェルナンデス) 2000
  • United States Corey Paul (コーリー・ポール) 1999–2001
  • Japan Kazuo Matsui (松井 稼頭央) 1994–2003
  • Japan Tetsuya Shiozaki (潮崎 哲也) 1990–2004
  • Japan Shinji Mori (森 慎二) 1997–2005
  • Japan Daisuke Matsuzaka (松坂 大輔) 1999–2006
  • Republic of China Chang Chih-Chia (張 誌家) 2002–2006
  • Venezuela Alex Cabrera (A・カブレラ) 2001–2007
  • Dominican Republic Mateo Alou 1974-1976

Honored numbers

  • none

MLB players

Active:

Retired:

External links

Notes and references

  1. ^ Although many fans, team officials, and members of the press consider the mascot to be a variation of Kimba, Tezuka has stated that it is based on Caesar, the father of Kimba.[citation needed]
  2. ^ The Lions adopted a new mascot for the 2009 season.[citation needed]
  3. ^ Colorado Rockies. 2006. November 9, 2010. http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20060609&content_id=1497193&vkey=pr_col&fext=.jsp&c_id=col

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Saitama Seibu Lions — Seibu Dome, estadio de los Lions. Saitama Seibu Lions (en japonés 埼玉西武ライオンズ, Saitama Seibu Raionzu) es un equipo de béisbol con sede en la ciudad de Tokorozawa de la Prefectura de Saitama, en Japón. Fue fundado en 1950, juega en la Liga Japonesa… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Saitama Seibu Lions — Surnom …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Saitama Seibu Lions — Die Saitama Seibu Lions (jap. 埼玉西武ライオンズ, saitama seibu raionzu) sind eine japanische Baseball Profimannschaft in der Pacific League. Das Team befindet sich im Besitz der Seibu Group, zu der die Eisenbahngesellschaft Seibu Tetsudō und die… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Seibu Lions — Saitama Seibu Lions Saitama Seibu Lions …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Seibu Lions Stadium — Seibu Dome 35° 46′ 07″ N 139° 25′ 14″ E / 35.7685, 139.4205 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Seibu Lions — Die Saitama Seibu Lions (jap. 埼玉西武ライオンズ, saitama seibu raionzu) sind eine japanische Baseball Profimannschaft in der Pacific League. Das Team befindet sich im Besitz der Seibu Group, zu der die Eisenbahngesellschaft Seibu Tetsudō und die… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Seibu Dome — Généralités Noms précédents Seibu Lions Stadium (1979 1997) Seibu Dome (1998 2004) Invoice Seibu Dome (2005 2006 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Seibu Dome — Frühere Namen Seibu Lions Stadium, Invoice Seibu Dome, Goodwill Dome Daten …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Seibu Railway — Co., Ltd. 西武鉄道株式会社 …   Википедия

  • Seibu — may refer to: *Saitama Seibu Lions *Seibu Department Stores *Seibu Kaihatsu *Seibu Railway …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”