The Saitama Seibu Lions are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based north of Tokyo in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture. They were established in 1950. Before 1979, they were based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture, in Kyushu. The team is owned by a subsidiary of Seibu Railway, which in turn is owned by the Seibu Holdings.https://npb.jp/bis/teams/yearly_l.html
In 76 seasons, they have won the Japan Series thirteen times (1956, 1957, 1958, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 2004, 2008) and have finished first place in the Pacific League 23 times, most recently in 2019. In the playoff era of the Pacific League (1973–1982, 2004-present), the Lions have reached the postseason thirteen times, most recently doing so in 2022.
Table key + Key to symbols and terms in season tableWNumber of regular season winsLNumber of regular season lossesTNumber of regular season tiesGBGames behind from league's first-place teamROYPacific League Rookie of the Year AwardMVPPacific League Most Valuable Player AwardESAEiji Sawamura AwardMSAMatsutaro Shoriki AwardSeries MVPJapan Series Most Valuable Player AwardFSAFighting Spirit Award
Season-by-season records Japan Series Champions(1950–present) †Pacific League Pennant(1950–present) Pacific League Regular Season Champions(1950–present) ^Climax Series Berth(2004–present) ¤ Season LeagueFinishWinsLossesTiesWin%GBPlayoffsAwardsNishitetsu Clippers / Lions 1950 Pacific 5th51 67 2 .432 31.5 1951 Pacific2nd53 42 10 .558 18.5 1952 Pacific3rd67 52 1 .563 8.51953 Pacific4th57 61 2 .48313.51954 Pacific1st90 47 3 .657 –Lost Japan Series (Dragons) 4–3Hiroshi Oshita (MVP)1955 Pacific2nd90 50 4 .643 91956 Pacific1st96 51 7 .646 –Won Japan Series (Giants) 4–2Futoshi Nakanishi (MVP)Yasumitsu Toyoda (Series MVP)Kazuhisa Inao (FSA)1957 Pacific1st83 44 5 .648 –Won Japan Series (Giants) 4–0–1Kazuhisa Inao (MVP)Hiroshi Ohshita (Series MVP)1958 Pacific1st78 47 5 .619 –Won Japan Series (Giants) 4–3Kazuhisa Inao (MVP)Kazuhisa Inao (Series MVP)1959 Pacific4th66 64 14 .508 221960 Pacific3rd70 60 6 .538 121961 Pacific3rd81 56 3 .589 5.51962 Pacific3rd6268 6 .477 161963 Pacific1st86 60 4 .589 –Lost Japan Series (Giants) 4–31964 Pacific5th63 816 .438 19.51965 Pacific3rd72 64 4 .529 15.51966 Pacific2nd75 55 8 .577 41967 Pacific2nd66 64 10 .508 91968 Pacific5th56 74 3 .431 241969 Pacific5th51 75 4 .405 251970 Pacific6th43 78 9 .355 341971 Pacific6th38 84 8 .311 43.51972 Pacific6th47 80 3 .370 32.5Taiheiyo Club Lions 1973 Pacific4th/5th59 64 7 .4801974 Pacific3rd/4th59 64 7 .480 1975 Pacific2nd/4th58 62 10 .4831976 Pacific6th/6th44 76 10 .367Crown Lighter Lions 1977 Pacific6th/5th49 73 8 .4021978 Pacific4th/5th51 67 12 .432Seibu Lions 1979 Pacific6th/5th45 7312 .381 1980 Pacific6th/4th62 64 4 .4921981 Pacific2nd/5th61 61 8 .500 1982 Pacific1st/3rd68 58 4 .540 –Won Pacific League playoffs (Fighters) 3–1Won Japan Series (Dragons) 4–2 Osamu Higashio (Series MVP)1983 Pacific1st86 40 4 .683–Won Japan Series (Giants) 4–3Osamu Higashio (MVP)Takuji Ota (Series MVP)1984 Pacific3rd62 61 7 .504 14.51985 Pacific1st79 45 6 .637–Lost Japan Series (Tigers) 4–21986 Pacific1st68 49 13 .581 –Won Japan Series (Carp) 4–3–1Hiromichi Ishige (MVP)Kimiyasu Kudoh (Series MVP)1987 Pacific1st71 45 14 .612 –Won Japan Series (Giants) 4–2Osamu Higashio (MVP)Kimiyasu Kudoh (Series MVP)1989 Pacific1st73 51 6 .589 –Won Japan Series (Dragons) 4–1Hiromichi Ishige (Series MVP)1989 Pacific3rd69 53 8 .566 0.51990 Pacific1st81 45 4 .643 –Won Japan Series (Giants) 4–0Orestes Destrade (Series MVP)1991 Pacific1st81 43 6 .653 –Won Japan Series (Carp) 4–3Taigen Kaku (MVP)Koji Akiyama (Series MVP)1992 Pacific1st80 47 3 .630 –Won Japan Series (Swallows) 4–3Takehiro Ishii (MVP)Takehiro Ishii (Series MVP)1993 Pacific1st74 53 3 .583 –Lost Japan Series (Swallows) 4–3Kimiyasu Kudo (MVP)1994 Pacific1st76 52 2 .594 –Lost Japan Series (Giants) 4–21995 Pacific3rd67 57 6 .540 12.51996 Pacific3rd62 64 4 .492 131997 Pacific1st76 56 3 .576 –Lost Japan Series (Giants) 4–1Fumiya Nishiguchi (MVP)1998 Pacific1st70 614 .534 –Lost Japan Series (BayStars) 4–2Kazuo Matsui (MVP)1999 Pacific2nd75 59 1 .560 42000Pacific2nd69 61 5 .531 2.52001Pacific3rd73 67 0 .521 62002Pacific1st90 49 1 .647 –Lost Japan Series (Giants) 4–0https://www.espn.com/mlb/news/2002/1030/1453135.htmlAlex Cabrera (MVP)2003Pacific2nd77 61 2 .558 5.52004Pacific1st74 58 1 .561 – Won Pacific League playoffs First Stage (Fighters) 2–1Won Pacific League Playoffs Second Stage (Hawks) 3–2Won Japan Series (Dragons) 4–3 Takashi Ishii (Series MVP)2005Pacific3rd67 69 0 .493232006Pacific2nd80 54 2 .597 12007Pacific5th66 76 2 .465 14.5Saitama Seibu Lions 2008Pacific1st76 64 4 .543 –Won Climax Series Second Stage (Fighters) 4–2Won Japan Series (Giants) 4–3https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2008/11/11/baseball/japanese-baseball/strength-in-relief-gives-pitch-perfect-lions-win/Takayuki Kishi (Series MVP)2009Pacific4th70 70 4 .500 112010Pacific2nd78 651 .5450Lost Climax Series First Stage (Marines) 2–02011Pacific3rd68 67 9 .504 20.5Won Climax Series First Stage (Marines) 2–0Lost Climax Series Final Stage (Hawks) 4–02012Pacific2nd72 63 9 .533 3Lost Climax Series First Stage (Hawks) 2–12013Pacific2nd 74 66 4 .529 7.5Lost Climax Series First Stage (Marines) 2–12014Pacific5th63 77 4 .450 162015Pacific4th69 69 5 .500 20.52016Pacific4th64 76 3 .457 232017Pacific2nd79 61 3 .564 13.5Lost Climax Series First Stage (Golden Eagles) 2–1 2018Pacific1st88 53 2 .624 – Lost Climax Series Final Stage (Hawks) 4–2Hotaka Yamakawa (MVP)2019Pacific1st80 62 1 .563 –Lost Climax Series Final Stage (Hawks) 4–1Tomoya Mori (MVP)2020Pacific3rd58 58 4 .500 15.5 2021Pacific6th55 70 18 .440 152022Pacific3rd72 68 3 .514 3.5 Lost Climax Series First Stage (Hawks) 2–02023Pacific5th65 77 1 .458 22.52024Pacific6th49 91 3 .350 422025Pacific5th63 77 3 .450 24.5
Notes This is determined by calculating the difference in wins plus the difference in losses divided by two. The award was not open to the Pacific League until 1989. The award was not given out in the following years: 1971, 1980, 1984, 2000, 2019, and 2024. Excluding ties, the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks had a record of 76–63 (.5467) while the Lions had a record of 78–65 (.5454) Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, NPB saw both of their leagues modify their playoff format. The Pacific League decided to modify the traditional Climax Series format and eliminate the First Stage series to instead play only one modified Final Stage series (between the top-2 teams) while the Central League sent the first-place team directly to the Japan Series, which in this case was Yomiuri.
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