The Yokohama BayStars lost their 69th game of the 2012 season on Sept. 5, dropping a 3-1 decision to the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. The BayStars thus sealed their 11th consecutive losing season, and it is safe to say the team's performance this year has been nothing short of disappointing.
Yokohama was not expected to qualify for the Central League Climax Series, but it was hoped the colorful first-year manager Kiyoshi Nakahata might lead the club out of last place (still a possibility, although unlikely). It does appear however Yokohama will win more games and slightly improve on the its 2011 record of 47 wins, 86 losses and 11 ties. With 40 victories through games of Sept. 12, the team needed to win just eight of its remaining 22 games in order to say at least it got a little better.
However, the fans in the port city must be getting tired of the futility and seeing their boys come in dead last year after year. Yokohama has registered sixth-place finishes in eight of the last 10 seasons and four in a row. The only times the BayStars were out of the basement were in 2005 when they finished third, and 2007 in fourth place.