List of Saitama Seibu Lions seasons

The Saitama Seibu Lions are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based north of Tokyo in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture. They were established in 1950. Before 1979, they were based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture, in Kyushu. The team is owned by a subsidiary of Seibu Railway, which in turn is owned by the Seibu Holdings.[1]

In 76 seasons, they have won the Japan Series thirteen times (1956, 1957, 1958, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 2004, 2008) and have finished first place in the Pacific League 23 times, most recently in 2019. In the playoff era of the Pacific League (1973–1982, 2004-present), the Lions have reached the postseason thirteen times, most recently doing so in 2022.

Table key

Key to symbols and terms in season table
W Number of regular season wins
L Number of regular season losses
T Number of regular season ties
GB Games behind from league's first-place team[a]
ROY Pacific League Rookie of the Year Award
MVP Pacific League Most Valuable Player Award
ESA Eiji Sawamura Award[b]
MSA Matsutaro Shoriki Award
Series MVP Japan Series Most Valuable Player Award
FSA Fighting Spirit Award


Season-by-season records

Japan Series Champions
(1950–present) †
Pacific League Pennant
(1950–present)
Pacific League Regular Season Champions
(1950–present) ^
Climax Series Berth
(2004–present) ¤
Season League Finish Wins Losses Ties Win% GB Playoffs Awards
Nishitetsu Clippers / Lions
1950 Pacific 5th 51 67 2 .432 31.5
1951 Pacific 2nd 53 42 10 .558 18.5
1952 Pacific 3rd 67 52 1 .563 8.5
1953 Pacific 4th 57 61 2 .483 13.5
1954 Pacific 1st 90 47 3 .657 Lost Japan Series (Dragons) 4–3 Hiroshi Oshita (MVP)
1955 Pacific 2nd 90 50 4 .643 9
1956 Pacific 1st 96 51 7 .646 Won Japan Series (Giants) 4–2 Futoshi Nakanishi (MVP)
Yasumitsu Toyoda (Series MVP)
Kazuhisa Inao (FSA)
1957 Pacific 1st 83 44 5 .648 Won Japan Series (Giants) 4–0–1 Kazuhisa Inao (MVP)
Hiroshi Ohshita (Series MVP)
1958 Pacific 1st 78 47 5 .619 Won Japan Series (Giants) 4–3 Kazuhisa Inao (MVP)
Kazuhisa Inao (Series MVP)
1959 Pacific 4th 66 64 14 .508 22
1960 Pacific 3rd 70 60 6 .538 12
1961 Pacific 3rd 81 56 3 .589 5.5
1962 Pacific 3rd 62 68 6 .477 16
1963 Pacific 1st 86 60 4 .589 Lost Japan Series (Giants) 4–3
1964 Pacific 5th 63 81 6 .438 19.5
1965 Pacific 3rd 72 64 4 .529 15.5
1966 Pacific 2nd 75 55 8 .577 4
1967 Pacific 2nd 66 64 10 .508 9
1968 Pacific 5th 56 74 3 .431 24
1969 Pacific 5th 51 75 4 .405 25
1970 Pacific 6th 43 78 9 .355 34
1971 Pacific 6th 38 84 8 .311 43.5
1972 Pacific 6th 47 80 3 .370 32.5
Taiheiyo Club Lions
1973 Pacific 4th/5th 59 64 7 .480
1974 Pacific 3rd/4th 59 64 7 .480
1975 Pacific 2nd/4th 58 62 10 .483
1976 Pacific 6th/6th 44 76 10 .367
Crown Lighter Lions
1977 Pacific 6th/5th 49 73 8 .402
1978 Pacific 4th/5th 51 67 12 .432
Seibu Lions
1979 Pacific 6th/5th 45 73 12 .381
1980 Pacific 6th/4th 62 64 4 .492
1981 Pacific 2nd/5th 61 61 8 .500
1982 Pacific 1st/3rd 68 58 4 .540 Won Pacific League playoffs (Fighters) 3–1
Won Japan Series (Dragons) 4–2
Osamu Higashio (Series MVP)
1983 Pacific 1st 86 40 4 .683 Won Japan Series (Giants) 4–3 Osamu Higashio (MVP)
Takuji Ota (Series MVP)
1984 Pacific 3rd 62 61 7 .504 14.5
1985 Pacific 1st 79 45 6 .637 Lost Japan Series (Tigers) 4–2
1986 Pacific 1st 68 49 13 .581 Won Japan Series (Carp) 4–3–1 Hiromichi Ishige (MVP)
Kimiyasu Kudoh (Series MVP)
1987 Pacific 1st 71 45 14 .612 Won Japan Series (Giants) 4–2 Osamu Higashio (MVP)
Kimiyasu Kudoh (Series MVP)
1989 Pacific 1st 73 51 6 .589 Won Japan Series (Dragons) 4–1 Hiromichi Ishige (Series MVP)
1989 Pacific 3rd 69 53 8 .566 0.5
1990 Pacific 1st 81 45 4 .643 Won Japan Series (Giants) 4–0 Orestes Destrade (Series MVP)
1991 Pacific 1st 81 43 6 .653 Won Japan Series (Carp) 4–3 Taigen Kaku (MVP)
Koji Akiyama (Series MVP)
1992 Pacific 1st 80 47 3 .630 Won Japan Series (Swallows) 4–3 Takehiro Ishii (MVP)
Takehiro Ishii (Series MVP)
1993 Pacific 1st 74 53 3 .583 Lost Japan Series (Swallows) 4–3 Kimiyasu Kudo (MVP)
1994 Pacific 1st 76 52 2 .594 Lost Japan Series (Giants) 4–2
1995 Pacific 3rd 67 57 6 .540 12.5
1996 Pacific 3rd 62 64 4 .492 13
1997 Pacific 1st 76 56 3 .576 Lost Japan Series (Giants) 4–1 Fumiya Nishiguchi (MVP)
1998 Pacific 1st 70 61 4 .534 Lost Japan Series (BayStars) 4–2 Kazuo Matsui (MVP)
1999 Pacific 2nd 75 59 1 .560 4
2000 Pacific 2nd 69 61 5 .531 2.5
2001 Pacific 3rd 73 67 0 .521 6
2002 Pacific 1st 90 49 1 .647 Lost Japan Series (Giants) 4–0[2] Alex Cabrera (MVP)
2003 Pacific 2nd 77 61 2 .558 5.5
2004 Pacific 1st 74 58 1 .561 Won Pacific League playoffs First Stage (Fighters) 2–1
Won Pacific League Playoffs Second Stage (Hawks) 3–2
Won Japan Series (Dragons) 4–3[3]
Takashi Ishii (Series MVP)
2005 Pacific 3rd 67 69 0 .493 23
2006 Pacific 2nd 80 54 2 .597 1
2007 Pacific 5th 66 76 2 .465 14.5
Saitama Seibu Lions
2008 Pacific 1st 76 64 4 .543 Won Climax Series Second Stage (Fighters) 4–2
Won Japan Series (Giants) 4–3[4]
Takayuki Kishi (Series MVP)
2009 Pacific 4th 70 70 4 .500 11
2010 Pacific 2nd 78 65 1 .545 0[A] Lost Climax Series First Stage (Marines) 2–0
2011 Pacific 3rd 68 67 9 .504 20.5 Won Climax Series First Stage (Marines) 2–0
Lost Climax Series Final Stage (Hawks) 4–0
2012 Pacific 2nd 72 63 9 .533 3 Lost Climax Series First Stage (Hawks) 2–1
2013 Pacific 2nd 74 66 4 .529 7.5 Lost Climax Series First Stage (Marines) 2–1
2014 Pacific 5th 63 77 4 .450 16
2015 Pacific 4th 69 69 5 .500 20.5
2016 Pacific 4th 64 76 3 .457 23
2017 Pacific 2nd 79 61 3 .564 13.5 Lost Climax Series First Stage (Golden Eagles) 2–1
2018 Pacific 1st 88 53 2 .624 Lost Climax Series Final Stage (Hawks) 4–2 Hotaka Yamakawa (MVP)
2019 Pacific 1st 80 62 1 .563 Lost Climax Series Final Stage (Hawks) 4–1 Tomoya Mori (MVP)
2020 Pacific 3rd 58 58 4 .500 15.5 [B]
2021 Pacific 6th 55 70 18 .440 15
2022 Pacific 3rd 72 68 3 .514 3.5 Lost Climax Series First Stage (Hawks) 2–0
2023 Pacific 5th 65 77 1 .458 22.5
2024 Pacific 6th 49 91 3 .350 42
2025 Pacific 5th 63 77 3 .450 24.5

Notes

  • a This is determined by calculating the difference in wins plus the difference in losses divided by two.
  • b The award was not open to the Pacific League until 1989. The award was not given out in the following years: 1971, 1980, 1984, 2000, 2019, and 2024.

[A] Excluding ties, the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks had a record of 76–63 (.5467) while the Lions had a record of 78–65 (.5454)
[B] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, NPB saw both of their leagues modify their playoff format. The Pacific League decided to modify the traditional Climax Series format and eliminate the First Stage series to instead play only one modified Final Stage series (between the top-2 teams) while the Central League sent the first-place team directly to the Japan Series, which in this case was Yomiuri.

References

  1. ^ https://npb.jp/bis/teams/yearly_l.html
  2. ^ https://www.espn.com/mlb/news/2002/1030/1453135.html
  3. ^ "Sports Briefing". New York Times. Associated Press. 26 October 2004. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
  4. ^ https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2008/11/11/baseball/japanese-baseball/strength-in-relief-gives-pitch-perfect-lions-win/