The Orix Buffaloes completed an unlikely run to the Pacific League title on Wednesday, joining the Tokyo Yakult Swallows in unprecedented dual worst-to-first pennant runs in the same year for Nippon Professional Baseball teams.
The Buffaloes clinched the PL pennant when the Tohoku Rakuten Eagles edged the Chiba Lotte Marines 2-1 at Rakuten Seimei Park Miyagi.
The Swallows entered action on Tuesday with a magic number of two, wrapping up their first Central League title in six years -- eighth overall -- when they defeated the Yokohama DeNA BayStars 5-1 at Yokohama Stadium and the Chunichi Dragons knocked off the second-place Hanshin Tigers 4-0 at Koshien Stadium.
Including the years when the franchise was known as the Hankyu Braves, it was the 13th league title for Orix, which hadn't won the pennant since merging with the Kintetsu Buffaloes ahead of the 2005 season.
The Orix BlueWave captured back-to-back league titles in 1995 and '96 when Ichiro Suzuki was their star player.
Both teams had finished in last place in their respective league the past two seasons before making surprise pennant runs.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
.png?w=600)
