2021 Japanese NPB Playoff Baseball Preview

NPB Playoff Picks and Predictions

WagerTalk Asian baseball handicapper Tokyo Brandon shares his thoughts on the upcoming Japanese NPB playoff series. The 2021 NPB playoffs kick off on Saturday, November 6 as the Chiba Lotte Marines take on the Rakuten Eagles and the Hanshin Tigers face the Yomiuri Giants. The Yakult Swallows Orix Buffaloes have each earned a first-round bye.

NPB Playoff Betting Preview

The NPB Japanese baseball playoffs are set. There are two leagues (Central, Pacific) and for the first time in the history of Japanese baseball, both leagues were won by two last place teams last year. The Central League champion Yakult Swallows and Pacific League champion Orix Buffaloes won their respective leagues and earned a two week rest while the 2nd and 3rd place teams battle it out in a best of three “Climax Series” starting November 6th.

The Swallows and Buffaloes both have things in common above the last to first narrative. Each team enjoyed huge improvements to their pitching to achieve the title of champion. Last year Yakult and Orix ranked 11th and 12th in bullpen ranks out of 12 teams while this year Yakult is 6 and Orix is 10. Both teams have excellent and deep rotations as well, which they did not have last year. Here is my view of each league and eventually how the Japan Series (Japanese World Series) will shake out:

Central League Preview

As Yalult waits, traditional rivals Hanshin Tigers and Yomiuri Giants play a series. Yomiuri are the Yankees of Japan. The most traditional and popular team that all the media roots for and has all of the traditional and historical accolades, including Sadaharu Oh and Shigeo Nagashima. They represented the Central League last year but hit a tailspin this year and actually finished below 500 for only the second time in 17 years. They are aging vets and the pitching, particularly the bullpen, is suspect. The Tigers could be compared to the Red Sox. A team with passionate fans who hate Yomiuri and had little success since the 1980’s when Randy Bass and Kakefu played for them. Only until recently have they seen success and this year they are bolstered by two great hitting rookies in Nakano and Sato, and very productive rookies helping the rotation and bullpen. I expect the Tigers to win this series and face Yakult. Yakult has the hitting and a better bullpen than Hanshin. I think the depth in the rotation is enough to put Yakult into the Japan Series.

Pacific League Preview

Orix is the champ and will wait while the Rakuten Eagles and Lotte Marines beat each other up. These teams are so evenly matched it is hard to pick a winner. The bullpens are both excellent while Lotte has a slight hitting advantage, I like Rakuten’s starting pitchers better. It is hard to call this but I have to say Rakuten seems like a team of destiny to me so I will go with them in a hard fought series. Orix gets their strength from the starting rotation. They have the best pitcher in Japan (Yamamoto) but I think depth is a problem. I see Rakuten’s great pitching getting them through to the series since they have the rotation and bullpen advantages, and just good enough hitting to get it done.

Japan Series Preview

Yakult vs Rakuten is how I see it shaping up. While Rakuten has great pitching, Yakult has a deep rotation and two of the best power hitters in the league in Kurakami and Yamada. They have no flaws in the lineup, they have depth in the rotation and the bullpen is just good enough to hold down a mediocre Rakuten lineup. I think the Swallows take the championship this year for the first time since 2001.

Japanese Baseball Betting Tips

Based in Japan, Tokyo Brandon previously scouted Japanese baseball for the Pacific Rim Scouting Department of a Major League Baseball team for ten years. He now uses his mathematical probabilities and betting models to handicap Japanese baseball. Drew Martin sits down with Tokyo Brandon to discuss the biggest differences between the Japanese Nippon Professional League and the MLB, KBO, etc..

WagerTalk Live Odds Screen

WagerTalk’s live odds screen features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books. Track the NPB Playoff moneylines, first five inning lines, run lies and totals from your desktop or phone.

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