Chiba Marines: Year in Review

2010 started with mixed feelings for fans of the Pacific League’s Chiba Lotte Marines. 2009 had been a fiasco when upper management hamstrung the team out of misplaced fear that a winning season would have made their decision not to renew manager Bobby Valentine’s contract look bad (read more about that here)--like fans would have really cared if the team had made the playoffs in 2009 and 2010 under different managers. As it was, former player and first time manager, Norifumi Nishimura, had the advantage of starting his career with a team that had nowhere to go but up.

The team also seemed eager to turn the page from the successful Valentine era by introducing sharp looking road and third jerseys that contrasted with their previous red and black uniforms that were as bombastic as their former manager. After receiving my very own replica road jersey as a birthday present at the beginning of the season, I felt a renewed sense of optimism that the postseason just might be in reach.

The Marines surprised one and all by breaking out of the gate to first place in the standings. While I suspected that the Seibu Lions and Fukuoka Hawks might overhaul them before the end of the season, the old adage “wins in April count just as much as those in September” only bolstered the sense that this could be a playoff year.

Traditionally, the Marines have done well in interleague play, and 2010 was no exception. The only problem was that the entire Pacific League dominated the Central League this time around, so Chiba gained no separation in the standings. The PL’s success did bode well for their eventual champion, however, once the Japan Series finally rolled around.

As expected, the Hawks and Lions slowly started to reel in the Marines over the course of the season. Unexpectedly, perhaps, the three frontrunners took turns beating each other up in a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors where Marines beat Lions, Lions beat Hawks, and Hawks beat Marines. In one sense this helped Chiba stay in the top three, in another, it gave the bottom three teams a reason to keep playing hard since there was so little separation from one to six.

Then July 29 came, and with it a seven game losing streak that would leave the Marines scrambling for the rest of the season. The Nichi-Ham Fighters (unsurprisingly) and the Orix Buffaloes (surprisingly) fought themselves back into the mix, and on any given day the Marines would find themselves in third, fourth, or fifth place.

From August 6 to September 5, the Marines put together a strong month, going 17-10, only to stumble into a five game losing streak. This left them no choice but to win their last three games of the year to edge out the Fighters by half a game in the final standings. The mettle they showed with their backs against the wall foreshadowed an amazing playoff run which would see them sweep the Lions in two games on the road, then march down to Fukuoka automatically down 1-0 in games to take four of the next six and clinch the league championship.

After watching a disappointing World Series which seemed like it did not have a single lead change, the Japan Series promised a better finale almost by default. The first two games offered little hope of improvement with the Marines taking the first game 5-2 before being blown out by the Chunichi Dragons 12-1. The Marines responded in their first playoff home game with a laugher of their own, beating the Dragons 7-1. The Dragons bounced back with a 4-3 extra innings victory that had fans saying, “that’s more like it,” only to see the Marines dominate again with a 10-3 effort in Game 5.

The Japan Series then took a turn for the historic in Game 6 when the teams played to a fifteen inning, 2-2 tie (don’t ask--it’s Japanese baseball). Both managers seemed committed to playing into small ball oblivion, combining for six failed sacrifice bunt attempts. The eleventh inning proved to be the most painful for Marines fans when the players provided enough hits for what would have been the game winning run had they not bunted into a double play earlier in the inning.

Game 7 proved to be another nail biter, with the Marines outlasting the Dragons 8-7 in a twelve inning game to take their second Japan Series title since 2005. In the process, they also become the first team to win it all after starting behind the eight ball with the third place seed. Given all the obstacles they overcame, no one could begrudge them the victory.

On November 13, the Marines wrapped up their season with a 3-0 victory over the cooly named SK Wyverns in a challenge match featuring the Japanese and Korean league champs. Marines fans were left feeling the need to savour the success while it lasts, because the playoffs might not even be on the horizon next year, let alone another Japan Series. Recent news that closer Hiroyuki Kobayashi and all star shortstop Tsuyoshi Nishioka are seeking greener pastures in Major League Baseball suggest that it is Chiba’s turn to take a step back after benefitting from their rivals’ loss of key players in recent years to the North American league.

Regardless of what happens in 2011, this will be a season to remember for Marines fans. Even in a twelve team league, championships don’t grow on trees (1950, 1974, 2005, & 2010 being it for CLM), so it is best to celebrate every one that comes along instead of worrying about the future. If you want to join in, here’s a link to the team’s site where you can download some wallpapers for your computer.

N.B. Special thanks to Jason Coskrey of The Japan Times for his excellent coverage of Pro Yakyu all season long and to Jim Allen of The Daily Yomiuri who did stellar work during the playoffs, including tweeting real time updates for fans living outside the country.

Finally, congratulations to the following team award winners:

Climax Series MVP: Yoshihisa Naruse (P)
Japan Series MVP: Toshiaki Imae (3B)
Shoriki Award: Norifumi Nishimura (Manager)

Related Links: You Gotta Have Wa: A Book Review
We Love Marines: An English fan site