For 53 years, the Chunichi Dragons were the patience of Japanese baseball — until one October night in 2007, when a combined perfect game ended the longest championship drought in NPB history.
The club
The Chunichi Dragons play at Vantelin Dome Nagoya (formerly Nagoya Dome) in Nagoya, Aichi — the only Central League team based in central Japan. Founded in 1936, they have won the Japan Series twice: 1954 and 2007.
The 53-year drought
After the 1954 title, the Dragons waited 53 years for a second championship — the longest drought in NPB history at the time. It ended in the 2007 Japan Series, when they beat the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters 4–1.
A perfect ending
In the clincher, starter Daisuke Yamai threw eight perfect innings before closer Hitoki Iwase finished the ninth — a combined perfect game in a 1–0 win, one of the most famous finishes in Japan Series history. Manager Hiromitsu Ochiai finally had his Japan Series title, and Norihiro Nakamura was named MVP.
The 2007 surprise
The 2007 Dragons were the first Central League team to win the Japan Series without winning the league pennant — they finished second in the regular season and came through the Climax Series, proving the playoffs could rewrite the story.
Eight perfect innings, one perfect closer, fifty-three years of waiting.
How to experience it
Tickets for dome and stadium games are covered in our ticket guide, and watching from abroad in our overseas viewing guide. New to NPB? Start with what NPB is.