2023 Nippon Ichi Season

Regular Season Standings

Managed by: Akinobu Okada

Pennant Clinched On: September 14 (Game 128)

Batting Stats

Pitching Stats

* Bold indicates league-best

Season Story

(Click here for a more detailed look at scores and boxscores for the entire season.)

The Tigers began the year with Aoyagi on the mound against the Baystars and won that game comfortably, as well as the next two. They had an up-and-down April and found themselves in second place heading into May. The overall standings did not look terribly different than they did at the end of 2022, although the Swallows had started showing some fatigue from their previous two championship seasons. The Tigers used a revamped rotation, including burgeoning stars Murakami and Ohtake, to blaze their way to the top in May. They had an eight-game win streak at the start of the month, and a nine-game tear as interleague began at month’s end.

They hit a bit of a wall in June, losing a lot of tight games in the late going. Yuasa in particular stumbled mightily, blowing leads in games against the Marines, Eagles, and Buffaloes before being de-activated and missing the remainder of the regular season. The team fell into second place three games into the resumption of league play, as they were swept in Yokohama.

They worked through injuries to two of their major players, though. Chikamoto missed a dozen games due to fractured ribs at the start of July, and Umeno broke a bone in his wrist in the middle of August. It did not faze the team badly, though, as they won 10 straight games in August, seven of which were on the road. They lit up the magic lamp for the first time on August 16, but lost it at month’s end with another pair of losses to the Baystars.

When September rolled around and Okada told them that the true battle was beginning, the team responded with their best winning streak in 41 seasons. They swept the Swallows and Dragons on the road, and then reduced their magic number to five with a three-game sweep of the Carp at home (September 8-10). During that set, Murakami, Ohtake, and Itoh all picked up their tenth wins on the year. Now, it would come down to a three-game set at home against the Giants. A sweep, plus some help from the Swallows (who were facing the second-place Carp) would allow them to celebrate their first pennant in 18 years on home turf. The Tigers beat the Giants 1-0 on Tuesday (September 12) thanks to a brilliant outing from Yuki Nishi, and 4-0 on Wednesday (September 13) on a Sato grand slam and clutch pitching from Aoyagi. The magic number was 1 heading into Thursday’s matchup.

Saiki gave the team every chance to win, as he threw six shutout innings. But even at that point, his team had provided no run support for him, and the game’s final result was up in the air. In the bottom of the sixth, though, Ohyama opened the scoring with a sacrifice fly, and Sato hit a two-run home run to pad the lead further. The Giants and Tigers swapped blows in the seventh, leaving the Tigers two innings from their goal. The Giants clawed back in the eighth with one run, and they got another in the ninth. With two outs and the tying run on third base, though, Iwazaki induced a high fly ball to second, and when the ball landed in Nakano’s open glove, the celebration began. The team had won its first pennant in 18 years. Now all that was left was to see who they would face in the playoffs.

The team played through its final 15 games and the season ended on October 4. They had a two-week gap in the schedule before their playoffs were to start…

Climax Series vs Hiroshima Toyo Carp

In Game 1 (October 18), Murakami surrendered the first run in the fourth inning, but Morishita got it right back in the bottom of the inning with a solo home run. The very next inning, Sakamoto took one for the team, then Kinami singled, and Murakami hit a go-ahead double down the right-field line. Chikamoto followed it up with a two-RBI single up the middle. Kirishiki, Shimamoto, Ishii, and Iwazaki combined to shut out the Carp the rest of the way. Final: Tigers 4, Carp 1

Itoh did a similar thing in Game 2, giving up a first-inning run before he settled in to shut out the Carp for the next six innings. His mates tied the game up in the second inning, as Sato and Neuse hit back-to-back singles. The second of those was misplayed by the Carp right-fielder, rolling to the wall and allowing Sato to cross home. The game remained tied until the bottom of the ninth, when Ohyama doubled, Neuse got IBB’ed, Sakamoto drew a walk, and Kinami hit a 1-2 pitch through the right side of the infield. Walk-off win! Final: Tigers 2x, Carp 1

Once again in Game 3, the Carp got on board first. Ohtake surrendered a run in the top of the fourth. The Tigers got two back in the bottom of the frame, though, as Nakano and Ohyama set the table for back-to-back RBI singles from Neuse and Sakamoto. The Carp fought back to tie the game the very next inning, and Ohtake’s night was over. Fortunately, the Tigers pieced together a rally in the sixth. Sakamoto drove Sato in for the go-ahead run. One inning later, Morishita drew a bases-loaded walk to score an insurance run. Once again, the Tigers’ bullpen was rock-solid. Kirishiki, Iwasada, Ishii, Shimamoto, and Iwazaki recorded the game’s final 12 outs while only allowing four base runners. The series ended before the bats even had a chance to warm up. Final: Tigers 4, Carp 2

Nippon Series vs Orix Buffaloes

Game 1 (October 28, Kyocera Dome Osaka) featured each league’s eventual MVP on the mound. Murakami and Yamamoto brought their best for four innings, but the wheels fell off the wagon in the fifth for the latter. Sato singled, stole second base, and scored on a Watanabe bloop single. The attack continued from there, with Chikamoto hitting a two-RBI triple and Nakano driving him home with a single to left. The next inning, the Tigers knocked Yamamoto off the mound with three more runs, which came on Kinami, Sakamoto, and Nakano hits. With a seven-run lead, Murakami cruised along for seven clean innings. Morishita added another run in the ninth on a single up the middle, bringing this game to a shocking conclusion. Final: Tigers 8, Buffaloes 0

Even more shocking was the reversal of fortunes and score in Game 2. The Tigers could not figure Miyagi out, while the Buffaloes dissected Yuki Nishi early (a run in the third and three more in the fourth). Beasley took the middle innings and kept the score the same, but the subsequent relievers (Okadome, Shimamoto, Kajiya) allowed four more runs to score in the final two innings of Buffaloes batting. The result was a mirror of the previous day’s score. Final: Buffaloes 8, Tigers 0

Heading back to Koshien for Game 3 (October 31) with the series tied, the Tigers took a quick lead on a Sakamoto RBI ground out to second. The Buffaloes tied the game up in the bottom of the frame on a Tongu home run, and scored a few in the game’s middle innings. Itoh’s night was over and the home team was down 4-1 heading into the sixth. Brewer made his lone appearance of the series but allowed the Buffaloes an insurance run. The game looked completely lost, but the Tigers mounted a rally in the seventh inning. The first run scored on a force out at first with the bases loaded. Morishita brought home two more runs with a single to right, and the gap was down to one. However, Ohyama grounded out to end the chance. Opportunity struck again in the ninth, with two runners reaching base on walks, and Ohyama back up at the plate. He struck out on a full-count forkball, though, and the Buffaloes took their first (and only) series lead. Final: Buffaloes 5, Tigers 4

The near-comeback in the previous game gave the Tigers hope that they could win Game 4 (November 1) if they played well. They got out to an early lead, as Morishita cashed in Chikamoto in the first. The teams exchanged runs in the second inning, and the Tigers extended their lead in the bottom of the fifth as Ohyama brought home a runner on a grounder to second. The Buffaloes stormed back in the seventh, though, tying the game on a Mune single. The Buffaloes nearly took the lead in the eighth, but their rally was snuffed by Yuasa, who came in with the game in the balance but needed just one pitch to end the inning safely. In the bottom of the ninth, Chikamoto walked and took two bases on two separate wild pitches. The Buffaloes elected to walk Nakano (who had a full count on him) and Morishita to force a do-or-die situation for Ohyama. He punched a full-count pitch through the left side of the infield for a walk-off win. Series tied. Final: Tigers 4x, Buffaloes 3

The Tigers were stymied by the Buffaloes’ Game 5 (November 2) starter, and were trailing 1-0 in the seventh inning. With one out and Mune on first, Mori hit a grounder that was first bobbled by Nakano, then over-run by Morishita. The second run of the game had scored. In the bottom of the eighth, though, the Tigers put together a rally for the ages. Chikamoto knocked in the first run, and with two runners on base, Morishita atoned for his previous error by hitting a two-run triple to the left-center gap. This was followed by an Ohyama RBI, and later, a two-run triple to right by Sakamoto. Six runs in the eighth inning did the trick, and the series was heading back to the Dome with the Tigers a win from the championship. Final: Tigers 6, Buffaloes 2

In a rematch of the previous Saturday’s game, Murakami and Yamamoto were on the mound again for Game 6 (November 4) at Kyocera Dome. Though the Tigers opened the scoring in the second inning with a Neuse home run, that would be all they would manage on this day. Yamamoto brought his A-game, striking out a Japan Series record 14 batters en route to a complete game victory. The Buffaloes put up four runs against Murakami and added another for good measure later in the game. The series would need a final game to determine the champs. Final Score: Buffaloes 5, Tigers 1

Neither pitcher (Miyagi or Aoyagi) gave any runs up through the game’s first three innings of Game 7 (November 5). The scoreless tie was broken in the top of the fourth when Chikamoto singled, Ohyama got hit by an inside pitch, and Neuse swatted his second home run in as many games. The next inning, the Tigers continued their onslaught as Neuse knocked in another run, which was followed up by RBIs from Morishita and Ohyama. In the top of the ninth, Morishita added his Japan Series rookie record-best 7th RBI. After Kirishiki recorded two outs in the bottom of the frame, Iwazaki entered the game. He served up a first-pitch home run, then a single, but got the final out of the game on a fly out to left. Final: Tigers 7, Buffaloes 1

Individual Awards

All-Star Game:

• Murakami (P – first)
• Umeno (C – fourth)
• Ohyama (1B – second)
• Nakano (2B – third)
• Sato (3B – third)
• Kinami (SS – first)
• Chikamoto (OF – fourth, withdrew due to injury)
• Neuse (OF – first)
• Iwazaki (RP – third)
• Yuasa (RP – second, withdrew due to injury)
• Ohtake (SP – first)

Central League Best Nine:

• Ohyama (1B, first time)
• Kinami (SS, first time)
• Chikamoto (OF, third time)

Golden Glove Awards:

• Sakamoto (C, first time)
• Ohyama (1B, first time)
• Nakano (2B, first time)
• Kinami (SS, first time)
• Chikamoto (OF, third time)

Awards/Titles:

• Chikamoto – Most Stolen Bases (28 – fourth time)
• Nakano – Most Hits (164 – first time)
• Ohyama – Highest On-Base Percentage (.403 – first time)
• Murakami – Best ERA (1.75 – first time)
• Murakami – Lowest WHIP (0.74 – first time)
• Murakami – Rookie of the Year
• Murakami – Central League MVP
• Kinami – Climax Series MVP
• Chikamoto – Japan Series MVP
• Morishita, Neuse – Japan Series Outstanding Player Award