Japan All-Star Series

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(Redirected from Nichi-Bei Series)

The Japan All-Star Series is a semiannual match-up of players from Major League Baseball against players from Nippon Pro Baseball. It was first played in 1986 and grew out of the tours by Major League teams in the previous fifty years. It was not played from 2007-2013 then was reinstated in 2014. After a three-year break, it was held in 2018.

Series Results[edit]

Series Winner Results Loser Most Valuable Player
Team Runs Average Home Runs Team Runs Average Home Runs Player Team
1986 MLB 59 .284 19 6 - 1 - 0 All-Japan 21 .242 2 Tony Pena Sr. MLB
1988 MLB 38 .268 7 3 - 2 - 2 All-Japan 24 .212 3 Barry Larkin MLB
1990 All-Japan 34 .245 3 4 - 3 - 1 MLB 35 .250 8 Ken Griffey Jr. MLB
1992 MLB 49 .258 15 6 - 1 - 1 All-Japan 25 .203 4 Mark Grace MLB
1996 MLB 46 .301 11 4 - 2 - 2 All-Japan 38 .256 3 Steve Finley MLB
1998 MLB 44 .290 11 5 - 2 - 0 All-Japan 24 .219 1 Sammy Sosa MLB
2000 MLB 42 .284 9 5 - 2 - 1 All-Japan 37 .301 2 Barry Bonds MLB
2002 MLB 38 .306 9 4 - 3 - 0 All-Japan 38 .304 8 Torii Hunter MLB
2004 MLB 35 .262 9 5 - 3 - 0 NPB 21 .221 1 Vernon Wells MLB
2006 MLB 41 16 5-0-0 NPB 24 5 Ryan Howard MLB
2014 NPB 16 .253 3 3-2-0 MLB 13 .197 3 Yuki Yanagita NPB
2018 NPB 37 .288 4 5-1 MLB 28 .271 10

Leaders[edit]

Series Batting Average Home Runs Runs Batted In
NPB MLB NPB MLB NPB MLB
1986 Hiromitsu Ochiai .261 Jesse Barfield .450 Hiromi Matsunaga
Koji Yamamoto
1 Jesse Barfield
Von Hayes
4 Hiromitsu Ochiai
Daijiro Ohishi
3 Jesse Barfield 9
1988 Kazuhiko Ishimine .348 Barry Larkin .476 Akinobu Mayumi
Makoto Sasaki
Fujio Tamura
1 Ellis Burks 2 Makoto Sasaki 4 Paul Molitor
Vance Law
5
1990 Koji Akiyama .259 Ken Griffey Jr. .421 Katsumi Hirosawa
Hiroo Ishii
Hiromitsu Ochiai
1 Jesse Barfield 2 Four Players 3 Barry Bonds 6
1992 Kenjiro Nomura .348 Cecil Fielder .440 Takahiro Ikeyama
Takehiro Ishii
Hiromitsu Ochiai
1 Mark Grace 3 Hiromitsu Ochiai
Satoshi Takahashi
4 Ken Griffey Jr. 9
1996 Hideki Matsui .290 Barry Bonds .292 Hideki Matsui 2 Andres Galarraga
Mike Piazza
2 Hideki Matsui
Yutaka Wada
7 Steve Finley 9
1998 Ichiro Suzuki .346 Sammy Sosa .481 Hideki Matsui 1 Sammy Sosa 3 Ichiro Suzuki 6 Sammy Sosa 10
2000 Toshihisa Nishi .444 Barry Bonds .321 Hideki Matsui
Norihiro Nakamura
1 Barry Bonds 4 Tatsuhiko Kinjyoh
Tsuyoshi Shinjo
5 Barry Bonds 9
2002 Kazuo Matsui .423 Ichiro Suzuki .355 Alex Cabrera
Kazuo Matsui
Norihiro Nakamura
2 Barry Bonds 3 Kazuo Matsui 7 Barry Bonds 6
2004 Akinori Iwamura .440 Vernon Wells .407 Takahiro Saeki 1 David Ortiz
Vernon Wells
2 Akinori Iwamura 4 Vernon Wells 7
2006 Five players 1 Ryan Howard 4
2014 Yoshitomo Tsutsugo .429 Jose Altuve .429 Sho Nakata
Nobuhiro Matsuda
Hayato Sakamoto
1 Justin Morneau 2 Yuki Yanagita 4 Justin Morneau 6
2018 Seiji Uebayashi .476 Yadier Molina .500 Yuki Yanagita 2 Rhys Hoskins
J.T. Realmuto
Juan Soto
2 Shogo Akiyama 7 Carlos Santana
Juan Soto
5

Further Reading[edit]