2013 Japan Series

The 2013 Japan Series (known as the Konami Nippon Series 2013 for sponsorship reasons) was the 64th edition of Nippon Professional Baseball's (NPB) championship series known colloquially as the Japan Series. The best-of-seven playoff was won by the Pacific League champion Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in seven games over the Central League champion Yomiuri Giants. It was the Eagles' first Japan Series appearance and their first win since the team's creation in 2005. The series began on Saturday, October 26, 2013 and ended on Sunday, November 3, 2013 at the Miyagi Baseball Stadium in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture. Eagles' starting pitcher Manabu Mima, who was the winning pitcher in Games 3 and 7, was named the Japan Series Most Valuable Player (MVP). This was also the last Japan Series that Konami would sponsor, as SMBC would take over the naming rights in 2014. Before the 2022 Japan Series, it was the last Japan Series to go the full 7 games, however 2022 would see 1 drawn game, so the 2023 Japan Series would be the latest to be played to a full 7 game series where each game had a winner declared.