The 2021 Japan Series was one of the most thrilling in history. Last year’s series between the Tokyo Yakult Swallows and Orix Buffaloes featured some of Japan’s brightest rising stars and two success-starved fanbases hanging on every pitch. Every game was a nail-biter, with five of the six decided by one run — the outlier was a two-run margin in Game 2.
The Japanese Fall Classic felt like a clash between dueling Cinderella stories, with teams that finished last in their respective leagues in the previous two seasons. Now that they are preparing for a rematch, it’s clear their success last season was no fluke.
The Swallows punched their return ticket to the Japan Series by beating the Hanshin Tigers in the final stage of the Central League Climax Series on Friday. The Buffaloes did the same by getting past the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in the Pacific League on Saturday.