The Seibu Lions lost their best pitcher and one of their best hitters off last year's Pacific League title winner.
As for the PL pennant, they're going to hold on to that a little while longer.
The Seibu batters roared at the plate as usual, Zach Neal had another solid game on the mound, and the Lions got the win they needed in Chiba — by a 12-4 margin — and the loss by the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks they needed in Sendai to clinch their second straight PL title on Tuesday night.