The Yokohama DeNA BayStars tossed manager Daisuke Miura into the air five times as fans who filled the stands at Yokohama Stadium partied like it was 1998. The scene was probably just as celebratory outside the stadium, where those who could not grab one of the coveted tickets had gathered.
The BayStars and their fans enjoyed a night two decades in the making on Sunday. They also exorcised the ghosts of 2017. Because the BayStars, for the first time in 26 years, are Japan Series champions.
Seven seasons ago, the BayStars had the rug pulled out from under them during the ninth inning in Game 6 of the Japan Series and had to watch the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks celebrate a title. DeNA finally returned the favor on Sunday night, though there was not nearly as much mystery in its emphatic 11-2 victory over the Hawks in the sixth game this year.
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