2019 NPB Power Rankings: June Edition

This scoreboard speaks for itself between the top and bottom of our power rankings.

We're officially two months through the 2019 NPB Season and for some, separation has started among the packs. With a few teams rising, parity is also showing elsewhere.

Here's how our power rankings look after May:

Reminder: Power rankings are not solely based on win-loss record. That's what standings are for. 

1. [^] (7) Hiroshima Carp (32-19-1), 20-4 in May

There's no doubt who the hottest team in NPB has been for the month. An 11-game win streak despite a cold Kosuke Tanaka will put the team on top of these rankings. A slow start to 2019 has been flipped around with Xavier Batista finding more ichi-gun time with home runs. Hiroki Tokoda is also flying under the radar.

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2. [^] (9) Hanshin Tigers (28-23-2), 15-9-1 in May

The Hanshin Tigers take a leap after having four consecutive wins against the Yomiuri Giants. While Randy Messenger could be getting hit by father-time, Minoru Iwata is having a revival season. The highly-touted Yusuke Oyama is also coming off a great month and leads the team in home runs. Could he be turning the corner? Lots of fun wins have kept this team interesting as skipper Akihiro Yano has this group fighting.

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3. [^] (4) Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters (26-24-2), 14-12 in May

The Fighters record isn't the best of the Pacific, but their pitching is near the top. Kohei Arihara is being looked at by MLB scouts while Ryo Akiyoshi is having a revival season as the team's closer. Their short start "opener" strategy has been a mixed bag, but it's possible they can adjust. Power numbers are obviously down from last year without Brandon Laird, but there's a lot to like about the defense and ability to hit for average from several players.

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4. [^] (6) Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles (27-23-1), 14-12 in May

The Eagles take a leap as they're currently tied for the top of the Pacific League pennant. Reigning PL rookie of the year Kazuki Tanaka is having a sophomore slump, but the development of first round draft pick Ryosuke Tatsunami should remain interesting. Jabari Blash is looking like a home run import signing to boost their offense, something this group is dependent on. It's unsure if the starting pitching is sustainable, but the bullpen is looking solid.

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5. [=] Saitama Seibu Lions (26-23-1), 14-11 in May

The Lions have made a nice run in terms of wins for May, but the pitching staff is still a concern from the rotation. Shinsaburo Tawata appears to be off somewhere and has been sent to ni-gun. Tatsuya Imai and Kona Takahashi continue to develop while Daiki Enokida is back. Ken Togame has prevented any losing record this month as he is on pace to have a good year, continuing his trend of doing well in odd-numbered years compared to even-numbered years. 

Offensively, Shuta Tonosaki has also been red hot in addition to the already powerful Hotaka Yamakawa.

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6. [v] (1) Fukuoka Softbank Hawks (27-23-2), 12-13 in May

The defending Japan Series champions are feeling the pain without Yuki Yanagita in the lineup, but the other players stepping in are getting valuable playing time. Starting pitching has been up and down, though Kotaro Otake looks to be another great pickup among former ikusei players and is an unsung hero through two months. Relying on Kenta Imamiya is not exactly the best thing for the Hawks offense.

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7. [v] (2) Yomiuri Giants (25-23-1), 9-13-1 in May

Tomoyuki Sugano is having a slow season as the Giants take a big fall from being near the top. Bullpen is the other issue where guys are being thrown in and out, but the offense is still above average with Yoshihiro Maru living up to the hype. They're going to need more consistency if they think they can win the CL pennant.

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8. [^] (10) Chiba Lotte Marines (23-26-1), 12-13 in May

The Marines are hanging in there, but the starting pitching is nowhere near enough to be an A-class team. Naoya Masuda is likely happy this month is over, as it was a nightmare month for him as the team's closer. Daiki Iwashita has been decent and Kuan-Yu Chen should arguably be a starter with the season he's having in relief.

Offensively, the home runs are there while Laird continues to hit for average to a pleasant surprise, but that HR terrace appears to hurt the pitching more than it helps the team's hitting through two months. They're going to need Shogo Nakamura to step it up if they want to make a run in interleague play.

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9. [^] (12) Yokohama DeNA Baystars (22-28), 12-11 in May

The Baystars get a winning record in May and even escaped the Central League cellar through two months. For a team that is HR dependent offensively, the pitching from Shota Imanaga has single-handily carried them through May.

Their pitching staff is adequate, but the defense and offense on the field isn't there. If anything, they're not dead and have the best chance to make a run challenging for A-class. 

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10. [v] (8) Chunichi Dragons (23-27), 10-14 in May

The Dragons can hit on occasion while the starting pitching has been average. Their biggest weakness has been in the bullpen, where young closer Hiroshi Suzuki is either up or down. Tsuyoshi Yoda is trusting the process on this while Shuhei Takahashi is rewarding the team with a possible breakout season. On paper, there's too much to overcome, but they're not out yet.

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11. [=] Orix Buffaloes (19-29-3), 10-15 in May

Orix is wasting some outstandings performances from rotation pitchers Taisuke Yamaoka, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tsubasa Sakakibara. Bullpen has underachieved, defense is full of mental mistakes lacking attention to detail, but the hitting is offensive for the wrong reasons. It's mostly invisible if Koji Oshiro has the best batting average in the group. Their offensive black hole could be their downfall of the season as they're the only team with two straight months of having records five-games under .500.  No one in the Pacific League comes close to how far down Orix is.

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12. [v] Tokyo Yakult Swallows (21-31-2), 5-20-1 in May

To sum this up, everything has gone wrong for the Swallows in May with a 15-game losing streak to end the month. Defense in the field is one of the largest culprits in this, but the pitching is also bottom of the barrel. Hitting has also been unclutch this month with 12 games resulting losses by two runs or fewer.

This could be a long year for the Swallows, who came off a surprise 2018 season.

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Overall, this shuffle appears to be extreme in the Central League while the Pacific has been tight-knit. With Interleague play coming up, we could see some changes again as it will be telling which side is better, or worse.

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2019 Seibu Lions Weekly Digest: Yamakawa powers through the week

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With a delayed digest, the Saitama Seibu Lions went 5-2 against the Softbank Hawks, Nippon-Ham Fighters and Rakuten Eagles. Through games on May 29, the Lions are currently one game behind the Softbank Hawks and 1/2 game behind the Rakuten Eagles for the Pacific League Pennant.

Here is how it all happened:

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The first game from Okinawa had Ken Togame facing Nao Higashihama, where the latter is a local native. Takumi Kuriyama hit a two-run HR in the second inning. Yurisbel Gracial responded with a solo HR, but Shuta Tonosaki and the Lions scored two more from a timely hit and a bases-loaded walk in the 5th.

After the Hawks brought the team within one run, Hotaka Yamakawa hit a three-run HR in the 7th inning to make it 7-3. Togame would go six innings with only one run given up.

Each run mattered, because a passed ball by Tomoya Mori and error gave the Hawks two more runs in the 8th, while Tatsushi Masuda struggled in the 9th. Masuda allowed one run and it could have been more with the bases loaded, but a foul out and strikeout closed the door as the Lions won their second straight.

Lions 7, Hawks 6

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The second and final game in Okinawa featured Kona Takahashi and Kotaro Otake. Both teams traded runs in the first three innings, but the Lions took control in the 4th after one in the top of the frame. With consecutive hits, Kuriyama hit a timely to tie it at 2-2 and an error by Kenji Akashi made it 3-2. Sosuke Genda made the Hawks pay with another timely hit for a two-run lead.

A two-out rally and a sacrifice fly gave the Lions two more runs to seal this one. Takahashi went seven innings and allowed two runs through it all, making it his second straight win against the Hawks in as many games played.

Lions 7, Hawks 3

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The week shifted back home to Tokorozawa as the Fighters came in with Takayuki Kato against Daiki Enokida. This one had high scoring affair with both starters giving up several runs./The difference maker was the Lions bullpen, pitching four scoreless frames after the 5th inning while Shuta Tonosaki was a single short of a possible cycle.

The Lions scored five runs in the fifth inning to break it open with Tonosaki hitting a two-run HR and a timely hit from Sosuke Genda.

Lions 10, Fighters 5

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Johnny Barbato took the mound for the Fighters against Shinsaburo Tawata. This was another ugly game for both sides as the starters wouldn't last. The Lions jumped out to a 5-0 lead with two of them being solo HRs by Shogo Akiyama. Tawata coughed it up quickly and the game was tied in the 4th. A bases-loaded walk in the 7th inning from Takeya "Okawari-kun" Nakamura was the game-deciding run as the Lions win streak went to five straight. Tawata was deactivated after the game.

Lions 7, Fighters 5

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The final game had Wataru Matsumoto against Naoki Uwasawa. This one had the Lions blowing a 4-0 lead and the bullpen couldn't keep it tied. Katsunori Hirai allowed too many base runners to make it 4-4, while Kensuke Kondo broke the tie in the 8th as Matsumoto had a no-decision. A late run from the Lions was not enough as the win streak was snapped.

Fighters 6, Lions 5

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The Lions went back on the road with two special games in the Tohoku region. The first one took place in Iwate prefecture with Takahiro Shiomi against Tatsuya Imai. Two home runs came from Yamakawa and Akiyama for a 2-0 lead.

Imai looked like he was cruising through five innings without a hit allowed, but Hideto Asamura broke it up and Jabari Blash hit a three-run HR to turn the tables. The Lions couldn't overcome this late deficit as the losing streak reached two.

Eagles 7, Lions 2

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The final game of this series took place in Hirosaki, Aomori as Ken Togame faced Yuya Furukawa. This one had the Lions jump out to a 2-0 lead with timely hits from Akiyama and a sacrifice fly from home-town native Shuta Tonosaki.

The Eagles cut the lead in half in the third off a hit by "Ginji" Akaminai, but Togame was lights out by going six innings and allowing only one run. Hotaka Yamakawa had a solo HR in the 7th and a timely hit from Okawari-kun sealed it as it was a split in Tohoku.

Lions 4, Eagles 1

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This week was solid with the sweep in Okinawa. If anything, the Lions are right in the thick of a hunt and should stay there barring no injuries.The only concern is Tawata being off to a bad year, but let's hope his time in ni-gun improves.

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2019 Seibu Lions Weekly Digest: Matsumoto wins debut

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The Saitama Seibu Lions went 4-2 against the Softbank Hawks and Orix Buffaloes on a six-game road trip. At 20-21-1, they're slightly out of A-class, but only one game separates second place from fifth place in the Pacific League.

Here is how everything went down:

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The first game came from Kitakyushu with Kona Takahashi against Arata Shiino, where the latter made his first career start. After a wild pitch brought the Hawks first blood, the Lions power set the tone off Shiino. Shuta Tonosaki hit a three-run HR while Shogo Akiyama and Hotaka Yamakawa followed that up with solo HRs to take the starter out of the game in the third inning.

This wasn't a clean outing from Takahashi, as he allowed five runs and continued to allow men on base. Two of those runs came without a hit as he balked a run in. Solid defense from Sosuke Genda limited any damage as both teams traded runs throughout the night. Takeya "Okawari-kun" Nakamura hit a three-run HR in the fifth inning which put the game away for good as the Lions took the first game of the series.

Lions 11, Hawks 7

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Game two returned to the Fukuoka Yafuoku! Dome with Kotaro Otake and Keisuke Honda. The Lions scored first off a solo HR from Yamakawa in the 2nd, but the Hawks responded with a HR from Alfredo Despaigne in the 4th.

Shuta Tonosaki gave the Lions a lead with a timely hit in the 5th inning, but Honda failed to get a shutdown frame in the bottom half. With two outs, Kenta Imamiya hit a gapper to tie the game and Despaigne hit a two-run HR for a 4-2 Hawks lead. Yamakawa chipped away in the top of the 6th with another solo HR and the Lions bats failed on several chances.

Ryosuke Moriwaki was given three innings of work and he kept this a one-run game despite a jam in the 6th. Defense from Genda kept a few ground balls from being hits.

It wasn't until the 9th inning where an unlikely two-run HR from Tonosaki off Yuito Mori gave the Lions the lead for good. Tatsushi Masuda closed it to extend the win streak at three. It was the first career win for Moriwaki.

Lions 5, Hawks 4

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The final game had Rei Takahashi facing Daiki Enokida. Both teams had issues scoring off the starters with Yurisbel Gracial and Okawari-kun hitting solo home runs through five innings for a 1-1 score. It was extremely face-paced, but Takuya Kai broke it with a two-out HR in the 7th inning.

The Hawks scored three more runs which included a timely hit from Gracial to end any chance. Seibu's chances were minimal with two outs and R. Takahashi controlled this one as the Lions streak ended at three.

Hawks 5, Lions 1

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The week shifted to Osaka with Kohei Suzuki taking on Shinsaburo Tawata. An early 3-0 lead came for the Lions with timely hits from Tonosaki and Fumikazu Kimura, but it evaporated quickly. In the fourth, Tawata gave up three consecutive hits and the game was tied from a 3-run HR from Masataka Yoshida.

Hotaka Yamakawa hit a two-run HR in the 5th, but Chris Marrero responded with his own in the 7th to tie it again. Both teams had chances late in the game, but the Lions took advantage of Genda's leadoff double as he scored from a sacrifice fly by Tomoya Mori. Okawari-kun hit a HR to put the game on ice as the Lions took the opener of the series.

Lions 7, Buffaloes 5 (10 innings)

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Game two had Tatsuya Imai facing Kohei Suzuki. Mori had a timely hit in the first for a 1-0 lead. With two in scoring position in the fourth, Kakeru Yamanobe rushed a throw to first and threw it away, leading to both of them touching home plate for a 2-1 lead.

The Lions had two chances in the 6th and 7th with a runner in scoring position, but left them on base each time and they lost this one in a close affair. Imai would go seven innings in a losing effort.

Buffaloes 2, Lions 1

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The final game had Tyler Eppler against Wataru Matsumoto, where the latter was making his ichi-gun debut. Early timely hits from Kuriyama and Kimura gave the Lions a 3-0 lead to begin, but Matsumoto ran into a jam in the 5th. He was able to limit the damage with only two runs, while a groundout ended the damage.

Matsumoto successfully went five innings with four hits allowed, two walks and one strikeout. Katsunori Hirai took over and had two scoreless innings in relief. The Lions pulled away from this game in the top of the 7th when Tomoya Mori hit a grand slam. Tonosaki also added a two-run HR to put icing on the cake as the Lions took the series.

Lions 9, Buffaloes 3

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The comeback win in Fukuoka was the difference maker in a winning week vs. a .500 week. If anything, that porch in the Yafuoku! Dome was huge, because all home runs in that game would not have counted if it had dimensions prior to 2015.

If anything, the Lions are still in the hunt and not falling behind, but neither are any other Pacific League teams. Of course this is another irregular week with two home games in Okinawa and three-game home series against the Fighters coming up. All these games have meaning, but the pitching will need to be better.

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Yamakawa wins PL Monthly MVP Award for March/April of 2019

Hotaka Yamakawa was named the Pacific League MVP for the months of March/April for the 2019 season on Wednesday afternoon. It was the fifth time Yamakawa has won such an award.

"I was looking at it and thought it was going to be [Tomoya Mori] would would win," Yamakawa said in an interview. "I was hitting home runs, but it was when the team was not winning. Last year I won this award for March/April, but this year, I had a lower batting average. Currently, I'm on pace for about 61 HRs this season with 16 home runs already."

Yamakawa had a .271 batting average, but his slugging average was .688, which was first in the Pacific League. He had the most HRs with 11, while also being at No. 1 in RBIs with 31. With an OBP of .397, his OPS for March/April was 1.085. 

The last time Yamakawa won this award was for September/October of 2018 and he has won two monthly awards each beginning with 2017. Mori had the highest batting average of March/April among Pacific League hitters.

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Other March/April MVP winners:

Kohei Arihara (Fighters): (4-0), 35 IP, 35 K, 0.51 ERA, 2 ER

Shun Yamaguchi (Giants): (4-0), 34 IP, 30 K, 1.59 ERA, 6 ER

Hayato Sakamoto (Giants): .350/.440/.590, 7 HR, 35 H, 15 RBI

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2019 Seibu Lions Weekly Digest: Yamakawa's milestone ends skid

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The Saitama Seibu Lions went 1-4 this week against the Chiba Lotte Marines and Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters as they sit three games under .500.  They currently sit two games out of A-class and are only 1.5 games ahead of the Orix Buffaloes for last place.

Here is how it went down:
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The first game took place in Gunma featuring Kona Takahashi pitching in his home prefecture against Hideaki Wakui. Brandon Laird hit a solo HR for first blood, but a bases-loaded walk from Takumi Kuriyama tied it up.

From the third inning, it was a one-sided affair with Takahashi being lit up. Timely hits from Seiya "Aja" Inoue and Yudai Fujioka made it 3-1. As the 4th inning continued, Daichi Suzuki padded it with a two-run gapper to seal the deal.

Laird hit a grand slam off Yasuo Sano in the 8th inning to pad the stats along with Katsuya Kakunaka hitting a two-run HR off Takahashi in this laugher.

Marines 12, Lions 1

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Game two from Omiya had Daiki Enokida against Daiki Iwashita. Both pitchers failed to go beyond five innings and gave up three runs. While the Lions had a 3-2 lead thanks to a timely hit from Hotaka Yamakawa, a solo HR by Aja tied it up in the top of the 6th inning.

Deunte Heath conceded a run in the 8th, but an improbable rally by the Lions in the 9th tied it again. Ryo Miki had an error by not being able to field a ground ball and Masatoshi Okada came in to tie it with a timely. It was in the 11th inning where Kyle Martin struggled and gave up the game-losing hit to Takuya Takahama as the Lions losing streak continued.

Marines 5, Lions 4 (11 innings) 

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The week shifted to Sapporo where Shinsaburo Tawata took on Naoyuki Uwasaawa. Yamakawa's timely hit gave the Lions first blood, but Tawata was rocked early on in this game. Sho Nakata hit a solo HR and Taishi Ota cleared the bases with a gapper to make it 4-1.

Takeya "Okawari-kun" Nakamura hit a grand slam to give the Lions a lead, but Tawata gave it right back with a two-run HR from Ryo Watanabe. The Fighters bullpen shut down the Lions for the rest of the night as they only managed six hits on five runs.

Fighters 7, Lions 5

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Game 2 had Toshihiro Sugiura against Tatsuya Imai. This was a combination of Imai being lit up with the bats showing no life as Sugiura had five shutout innings. Imai was left in for five innings while recording seven earned runs, including a two-run HR by Taishi Ota. 

Offensively, the Lions only combined for four hits off Sugiura and the Fighters bullpen.

Fighters 8, Lions 0

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The final game of the weekend and series had Ken Togame returning to the rotation against Johnny Barbato. Yamakawa had two home runs, including one that nearly cleared the bleachers for his 100th and 101st career HRs in NPB which was enough for the win. Togame went 6.1 innings and allowed three runs for his first win of the year and second quality start in as many starts.

The losing streak ended at five as a result of this win.

Lions 6, Fighters 3

Game note:

-Tadasuke Minamikawa was called up while Daichi Mizuguchi was sent down.

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This was not an ideal week with pitching being poor and the hitting finding a drought. Shuta Tonosaki being cold doesn't help and the Lions are taking a bunt approach with Fumikazu Kimura even batting second at times.

If anything, at least the Lions losing streak is over and just hope for a regroup ahead.

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2019 Seibu Lions Weekly Digest: Enokida wins first game, Imai earns shutout

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Golden Week was in full bloom as the Saitama Seibu Lions went 3-3 against the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters and Rakuten Eagles. They sit at .500, but remain on the bubble for A-class as the Fighters, Eagles and Lions are all within a game of each other.

Here is how it all went down:

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The first game against the Fighters had Mizuki Hori against Kona Takahashi. This one was over early as Takahashi was lit up by timely hits from Sho Nakata and Haruki Nishikawa early on.

The Fighters used the opener tactic for Hori with Bryan Rodriguez taking the middle frames and it threw the Lions off balance. Hotaka Yamakawa and Shogo Akiyama had solo HRs, but it was too late.

Fighters 7, Lions 2

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Game 2 had Daiki Enokida making his first start of 2019 against Chihiro Kaneko. Both teams traded a run early on, but the fifth inning decided this one.

Tomoya Mori and Akiyama had HRs with the former hitting a two-run home run. Enokida went eight strong innings en route to his first win of the year, besides the Lions first win of the Reiwa era.

Lions 5, Fighters 3

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The final game of the series had Makoto Aiuchi taking on Takayuki Kato. Aiuchi was lit up from the very beginning with three runs allowed in the 2nd and another five in the 4th inning. With the Fighters batting around in the 4th, this one was a laugher as Aiuchi was deactivated after the game.

Fighters 10, Lions 3

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The homestand continued with the Eagles coming in with Minabu Mima facing Shinsaburo Tawata. This game had a nightmare start from Tawata giving up four runs from timely hits to Eigoro Mogi, Louis Okoye and Toshiaki Imae.

Offense wasn't an issue as Shogo Akiyama and Tomoya Mori had timely hits. Mori would later hit a HR to tie the game at 4-4 in the 6th inning.

The bullpen decided this game as Katsunori Hirai gave up the go-ahead run to the Eagles from a timely hit by Imae. Kyle Martin threw a wild pitch in the 9th to pad this lead.

Despite the trail, Ernesto Mejia came in as a pinch hitter for Fumikazu Kimura and hit a two-run HR with one out in the 9th inning off Yuki Matsui to tie it. Tatsushi Masuda escaped an ugly jam in the 10th inning and the Lions offense rewarded him in the 11th.

With Takeya "Okawari-kun" Nakamura bunted to second base after a hit, Yuji Kaneko dropped the timely hit to give the Lions a sayonara win. It was the first win of the season over the Eagles.

Lions 7, Eagles 6 (11 innings) 

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The second came had Tatsuya Imai facing Ryota Ishibashi. Akiyama hit a solo HR in the first inning and that's all the offense the Lions needed. Tomoya Mori added a timely hit and Hotaka Yamakawa hit a two-run HR in the 6th to make it 4-0.

This game was all about Imai, as he earned his first career shutout with only three hits allowed, four walks and five strikeouts.

Lions 4, Eagles 0

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The final game of the Golden Week Holiday had Yuya Fukui facing Keisuke Honda. An early score by the Lions came from Mejia hitting a deep sacrifice fly to make it 1-0 in the second inning. However, Honda gave up a solo HR to Ryosuke Tatsumi to tie things up.

Both teams had chances, but teh Eagles cashed in on theirs with a wild pitch in the 4th and a timely infield single in the 6th. Honda was pulled in the 6th inning while Yasuo Sano couldn't clean up the mess.

Ken Togame took the 7th inning and disaster struck even further. Without recording an out, he gave up five runs, which included a three-run HR to Jabari Blash, which sealed the deal for this game.

Takumi Kuriyama had a timely hit in the 8th, but it was already too late.

Eagles 8, Lions 4

Game note:

-Ryosuke Moriwaki made his ichi-gun debut in the 7th inning.

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Not the best week, but it could have been worse. Mejia's home run saved a complete disaster with the 9th inning comeback. Enokida and Imai were both encouraging this week. Can only hope for more when Tetsuya Utsumi returns. but the outlook isn't good for Zach Neal who was deactivated a few weeks ago.

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Report: Seibu Lions agree on partnership with New York Mets

The Saitama Seibu Lions agreed to a partnership with the New York Mets through 2021 on Saturday. With both teams working together in an alliance, they plan on sharing information and strategies together.

"I am very happy to be able to enter into a partnership agreement with the Seibu Lions," said New York Mets Assistant GM Allard Baird. "With this agreement, we will broaden our horizons and also be able to learn various things from each other inside and outside the game. We cant integrate each other's knowledge and culture. We believe that both the Mets and Lions will help in aiming for a champion team."

The Lions partnership with the Mets will include the following details:

-Sharing knowledge of scouting and data analysis methods. These will be used for drafting and acquiring players when evaluating them.

-Staffing will work at each other's Spring Training camps and see how players develop and are coached. From technology use, training methods and even medical aspects, both teams will see how each other operates and learn from it.

-Business and Marketing: Both sides will share information on the business aspect of baseball. They'll learn about how promotions work in both countries and hope to increase the popularity of the sport.

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The New York Mets are a team familiar to a few former Lions players as Daisuke Matsuzaka (2013-2014) and Kazuo Matsui (2004-2006) spent time with the team. Matsui currently serves as the Lions farm manager.

"I am very happy.[on partnering with the New York Mets]," Lions team president Hajime Igo said. "I can share my joy every fall fans every year. I am convinced that it will be a [boom]. It is also a very good to help strengthen the business side [of baseball]. Furthermore, by sharing information on sports promotion through baseball, we hope that it will lead to the solution of the big problem that the baseball player population is decreasing."

In recent years, it has been common to see an influence of NPB in the Major Leagues and vice versa. Whether it's players trading spaces, to rules and strategies, both sides have been important to the game.

Other MLB and NPB teams are also in a partnership similar to how the Lions are with the Mets. The Arizona Diamondbacks and Yokohama Baystars share information as well as the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters and Texas Rangers.

"[This partnership] will lead to the growth of future coaches and staff," Seibu Lions General Manager Hisanobu "Nabe-Q" Watanabe said. "We will create a strong team that can compete for the championship every year."

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