The Yomiuri Giants will edge the Yakult Swallows in the Central League, and the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks will slip by the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes in the Pacific League, creating a Giants-Hawks matchup in the 2002 Japan Series come October. So says the consensus of predictions of nine readers and yours truly in the annual Baseball Bullet-In prognostication derby.
Through cyberspace, three fans sent in their picks via the e-mail route from North America.
Marc Robinson of Fairborn, Ohio, says: "I only get to follow the (Japanese) league sporadically through the Internet. These are not really a good representation of my knowledge of Japanese baseball. I'm just looking for my Giants to take home another pennant." His predictions: