The Tokyo Yakult Swallows and Orix Buffaloes, winners of the last two pennants in the Central and Pacific League, respectively, are back in the Japan Series one year after one of the most tightly contested matchups in NPB history.
There are familiar faces up and down both teams’ rosters, with most of last year’s cast set to play starring roles again on Japanese baseball’s biggest stage. If the series is half as entertaining as the 2021 version, then NPB fans will be in for a treat.
That will also mean a razor-thin margin between winning and losing for a Swallows club trying to repeat and a Buffaloes squad seeking a happier ending to this year’s story.