The Seibu Lions claimed their first Pacific League title in four years despite falling in a 2-0 shutout to the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters on Friday.
Seibu clinched the league crown in anticlimactic fashion after the second-place Orix Buffaloes were crushed 13-1 at the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, minutes before the PL pennant winner crumbled to its fourth straight loss.
The Lions won their 16th league title since they took over from their predecessors, the Crown Lighter Lions, after the 1978 season.