Central League
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{{two other uses|the Japanese baseball league|the English association football league|Central League (football)|the defunct Scottish leagues|Central Football League}}
[[Image:Central League Logo.gif|200px|thumb|Logo of the Central League]]
The {{Nihongo|'''Central League'''|セントラル・リーグ|Sentoraru Rīgu}} or {{Nihongo|'''Se League'''|セリーグ|Se Rīgu}} is one of [[Japan]]'s two major professional [[baseball]] leagues, the winner of which plays the [[Japan Series]] against the winner of the other league, the [[Pacific League]]. The Central League was founded in [[1949 in sports|1949]] with eight teams. [[Designated hitter]]s are not used during Central League home games.
In 2007 a new Climax Series was introduced. This is a play off series inspired by the stepladder playoff used in [[Pacific League]] for the top three teams of the league to determine who progresses to the Japan Series. Under the previous system, there was no post-season playoff and the winner of the pennant automatically qualified for the Japan Series.
==Current teams==
*[[Chunichi Dragons]] ([[Nagoya]])
*[[Hanshin Tigers]] ([[Nishinomiya]])
*[[Hiroshima Toyo Carp]] ([[Hiroshima]])
*[[Tokyo Yakult Swallows]] ([[Tokyo]])
*[[Yokohama BayStars]] ([[Yokohama]])
*[[Yomiuri Giants]] ([[Tokyo]])
==Central League pennant winners==
*2007 Yomiuri Giants (but lost play-offs)
*2006 Chunichi Dragons
*2005 Hanshin Tigers
*2004 Chunichi Dragons
*2003 Hanshin Tigers
*2002 Yomiuri Giants
*2001 Yakult Swallows
*2000 Yomiuri Giants
*1999 Chunichi Dragons
*1998 Yokohama BayStars
*1997 Yakult Swallows
*1996 Yomiuri Giants
*1995 Yakult Swallows
*1994 Yomiuri Giants
*1993 Yakult Swallows
*1992 Yakult Swallows
*1991 Hiroshima Toyo Carp
*1990 Yomiuri Giants
*1989 Yomiuri Giants
*1988 Chunichi Dragons
*1987 Yomiuri Giants
*1986 Hiroshima Toyo Carp
*1985 Hanshin Tigers
*1984 Hiroshima Toyo Carp
*1983 Yomiuri Giants
*1982 Chunichi Dragons
*1981 Yomiuri Giants
*1980 Hiroshima Toyo Carp
*1979 Hiroshima Toyo Carp
*1978 Yakult Swallows
*1977 Yomiuri Giants
*1976 Yomiuri Giants
*1975 Hiroshima Toyo Carp
*1974 Chunichi Dragons
*1973 Yomiuri Giants
*1972 Yomiuri Giants
*1971 Yomiuri Giants
*1970 Yomiuri Giants
*1969 Yomiuri Giants
*1968 Yomiuri Giants
*1967 Yomiuri Giants
*1966 Yomiuri Giants
*1965 Yomiuri Giants
*1964 Hanshin Tigers
*1963 Yomiuri Giants
*1962 Hanshin Tigers
*1961 Yomiuri Giants
*1960 [[Taiyō Whales]]
*1959 Yomiuri Giants
*1958 Yomiuri Giants
*1957 Yomiuri Giants
*1956 Yomiuri Giants
*1955 Yomiuri Giants
*1954 Chunichi Dragons
*1953 Yomiuri Giants
*1952 Yomiuri Giants
*1951 Yomiuri Giants
*1950 [[Shochiku Robins]]
==Central League Climax Series winners==
*2007 Chunichi Dragons
==Central League statistics==
{| class="wikitable"
!Team
!Winners
!Runners-up
|-
|[[Yomiuri Giants]]||30||10
|-
|[[Chunichi Dragons]]||7||21
|-
|[[Hiroshima Toyo Carp]]||6||6
|-
|[[Yakult Swallows]]||6||3
|-
|[[Hanshin Tigers]]||5||14
|-
|[[Yokohama BayStars]]||2||4
|-
|[[Shochiku Robins]]||1||0
|-
|}
==See also==
* [[Nippon Professional Baseball]]
==External links==
* {{ja icon}} [http://www.npb.or.jp/cl/ Official website]
* [http://baseballguru.com/jalbright/stats.html Japanese Baseball Data Archive at ''The Baseball Guru'']
* [http://japanesebaseball.com/players/index.jsp List of players at ''Japanese Baseball'']
{{Japanese Professional Baseball}}
{{Professional Baseball}}
[[Category:Asian baseball leagues|Japan]]
[[Category:Baseball in Japan]]
[[Category:Nippon Professional Baseball]]
[[ko:센트럴 리그]]
[[ja:セントラル・リーグ]]
[[zh:中央聯盟]]