Games 1-3 @ Giants: Bats Slumber 25/27 Innings

The title defense began on March 29 at Tokyo Dome. You would think the defending champs, and the only CL team to finish in the top 3 for 5 straight years, would get to start their season at home! However, the Tigers traded that privilege for the right to host the Yomiuri Giants at Koshien Stadium on August 1, which is the 100th anniversary of the ballpark. Anyhow, this series played out in an underwhelming way for the Tigers, who could not manufacture runs until the final two innings of the series, setting a record for futility by a Central League to start a season. The previous slowest start was 20 shutout innings. When all was said and done, though, the Tigers snuck away with a win. Let’s move on to the next series!