The Yomiuri Giants clinched their 45th league title in franchise history on Friday, when they defeated the Yokohama BayStars 6-3.
The victory, combined with the Hiroshima Carp's 4-3 loss to the Hanshin Tigers, clinched the Giants' third straight Central League pennant. The Giants have won 36 CL titles and had nine before that in the single league era.
"This year's pennant race was indeed a long, hard, difficult season," said Giants manager Tatsunori Hara after his seventh CL title as Yomiuri skipper. "The players floundered and sweated, but kept their wits about them and really played hard. And now we are experiencing the greatest joy."