Where else but Japanese baseball can a team lose Game 1 of a playoff series and show up at the ballpark the next day down 0-2?
That was the reality for the Chiba Lotte Marines Wednesday after their 10-inning, 3-2 loss to the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks in Game 1 of the Pacific League Climax Series final stage. It was almost the same for the Yomiuri Giants, but the Kyojin managed a 4-1 victory over the Tokyo Yakult Swallows in the Central League's final-stage opener. Of course, instead of being up 1-0 the Giants went back to Jingu Stadium with the series tied 1-1.
This wacky math has been the norm in Japanese baseball since 2008, the first season both the CL and PL began giving pennant winners a one-game advantage in each league's championship series. So far, the 2010 Marines and 2014 Hanshin Tigers are the only teams to dig out of the hole and advance to the Japan Series.