KYODO NEWS - Sep 21, 2019 - 22:06 | Sports, All

Japan's oldest professional baseball team, the Yomiuri Giants clinched their 46th league championship on Saturday with a 3-2, 10-inning victory over the DeNA BayStars at Yokohama Stadium.

The Central League pennant was the Giants' 37th, and their first since 2014. The club also won nine in Japan's single league era prior to 1950.

By wrapping up the league title under returning manager Tatsunori Hara, the club, founded in 1934, avoided setting a franchise record for seasons without a pennant. The title is Hara's eighth. He returns after quitting following the Giants' 2015 playoff exit and will now go in search of a Japan Series berth.

"My return last autumn took place at a very fast pace," Hara said. "I said I still had a passion for this job, but to be honest I felt some anxiety. I can tell you now that I am still really passionate."

"DeNA fought us hard right to the end, and they are such worthy opponents. Overcoming them is an accomplishment."

On June 18, the Giants took over first place for good, although they threatened to give away that lead with the DeNA BayStars nipping at their heels a half-game back in early August.

"They did a tremendous job. They were very consistent the whole year. They had everything they needed to win the championship and they proved it," said BayStars manager Alex Ramirez, who played for the Giants under Hara.

The Giants clinched the pennant with five games remaining on their schedule. Their next task will be to host the final stage of the CL Climax Series at Tokyo Dome. Starting from Oct. 9, the Giants will take on the winner of the CL's best-of-three first stage, and they will start with a one-win advantage.

The Giants' last trip to the final stage, after their 2014 pennant, saw them knocked out in a four-game sweep by the Hanshin Tigers. It was the second time under Hara the Giants had won the CL pennant but failed to advance to the Japan Series.

The club has won the Japan Series 22 times, with its last title coming in 2012. Yomiuri's six seasons without a Japan Series championship is the team's longest drought since the Japan Series began in 1950.