TOKOROZAWA, Saitama Pref. -- Respect your elders, as the Japanese say. Seibu Lions ace Daisuke Matsuzaka and Giants outfielder Takayuki Saito went to the same Yokohama High School, four years apart.
And the elder one made sure the younger one wouldn't show him up. Saito, in his eighth year yet still considered "up-and-coming," singled off Matsuzaka in the sixth inning to drive in the Japan Series winning run as the Central League champs came out on top 6-2 at the Seibu Dome on Wednesday night.
The Giants clinched the Japan Series title for the 20th time and the first since 2000. The 2002 Giants became only the sixth team in the 53-year history of the Japan Series to clinch in a sweep.