Ichiro Suzuki said farewell to the Orix BlueWave's home fans with a brief appearance Friday in a 2-1 victory over the Seibu Lions in their last game of the season.
| Central League | |||||
| Won | Lost | Tied | Pct. | GB | |
| Yomiuri | 78 | 57 | 0 | .578 | - |
| Chunichi | 70 | 65 | 0 | .519 | 8.0 |
| Yokohama | 69 | 66 | 1 | .511 | 9.0 |
| Yakult | 66 | 69 | 1 | .489 | 12.0 |
| Hiroshima | 65 | 70 | 1 | .481 | 13.0 |
| Hanshin | 57 | 78 | 1 | .422 | 21.0 |
| Pacific League | |||||
| Won | Lost | Tied | Pct. | GB | |
| Daiei | 73 | 60 | 2 | .549 | - |
| Seibu | 69 | 61 | 5 | .531 | 2.5 |
| Nippon Ham | 69 | 65 | 1 | .515 | 4.5 |
| Orix | 64 | 65 | 4 | .496 | 7.0 |
| Lotte | 60 | 67 | 6 | .472 | 10.0 |
| Kintetsu | 58 | 75 | 2 | .436 | 15.0 |
Suzuki rushed to right field in the top of the ninth inning to a standing ovation from the 26,000 fans who came to Green Stadium Kobe the day after Ichiro announced his intention of playing in the major leagues next season.
Suzuki, who has been sidelined since the end of August with a bruised muscle on the right side of his chest, finished the season with a .387 average to become the PL batting champion for the seventh straight season.
Orix outfielder Yoshitomo Tani drove in the go-ahead run with an infield single that broke a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the seventh inning, with Seibu rookie Mitsutaka Goto (0-1) saddled with the loss in his first career start.