The Marines own two of the strangest chapters in Japan Series history: the most one-sided sweep ever (33–4) and the first title by a third-place team.
The club
The Chiba Lotte Marines play at ZOZO Marine Stadium in Mihama Ward, Chiba City — their home since 1992, with room for about 30,000 fans. A founding member of the Pacific League in 1950 (as the Mainichi Orions), the team wears black, grey and white, and its mascots are Mar-kun, Rine-chan and Zu-chan.
Four titles
The Marines have won the Japan Series four times: 1950 (the inaugural series, as the Mainichi Orions), 1974 (as the Lotte Orions), 2005 and 2010.
The 33–4 sweep
In the 2005 Japan Series, the Marines swept the Hanshin Tigers in four games, outscoring them 33–4 — the most one-sided series in history. Manager Bobby Valentine became the first foreign manager to win the Japan Series, and Toshiaki Imae was named MVP.
2010: the third-place miracle
In 2010 the Marines finished third in the Pacific League — then became the first third-place team ever to win the Japan Series, beating the Chunichi Dragons 4–2–1 in a seven-game epic that included a 15-inning tie.
33 runs, 4 runs, one sweep — the most lopsided final in Japan Series history.
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.