When the Hanshin Tigers shut out the Chicago Cubs and the reigning World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers (and Shohei Ohtani) on consecutive nights at Tokyo Dome early in the spring, some fans jokingly said the Central League club was the best team in the world.
The Tigers have certainly looked like world-beaters since then.
Hanshin at least took a step toward becoming the best team in Japan by clinching the Central League pennant in record time with a 2-0 victory at home over the Hiroshima Carp on Sunday.
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