Asia Series

The Asia Series is an international baseball competition for club teams in Asia and Australia.

He was discharged after sponsorship agreements officially as Konami Cup Asia Series between 2005 and 2008 annually in November between the national champions from the People's Republic of China, Chinese Taipei ( dummy name in the sport for the Republic of China ), Japan and the Republic of Korea. After a poor attendances and economic losses in 2009, the format was first abandoned in favor of a championship only between the masters of the Republic of Korea and Japan.

Since 2011, an Asia Series takes place again, instead of a team from the People's Republic of champions Australia in 2011 was invited - the Perth Heat as champions of the Australian Baseball League were already fixed in February as a participant. Venue was the Intercontinental Baseball Stadium Taichung City (Chinese台中市 洲际 棒球 场, Pinyin Taizhong - shì Zhouji bàngqiúcháng, Eng. Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium ). For the first time won with the Korean Samsung Lions no Japanese team the tournament. Venue in 2012 to be in the south of the Republic of Korea Busan.

Asia Series 2005-2008

The contest was between the winners of the Nihon Series of NPB (Japan), the Hanguk Series of KBO ( Korea Rep. ), which pitted the CPBL Series Taiwan ( Republic of China ) and the final match of the CBL ( PRC ). By 2007, China participated in the Stars, an all-star team of the CBL, at the Asia Series for the CBL.

First, in a round-robin round all teams played against each other once, the top two then pass in the final against each other. A game for third place did not take place.

Due to a sponsorship deal, the video game manufacturer Konami secured in the first years the naming rights, so the tournament was officially called Konami Cup Asia Series.

The first four editions were held in the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan. However, it was planned for the future, to move to a rotation of venue between the four participating countries.

Regulate

• All games will be played with a designated hitter ( DH).
• In the group stage games are considered case of a tie after 15 innings as a draw in the final game, there is no limit to the number of innings. Draws go as a partial victory in the calculation of winning percentage.
• In the group stage match at more than ten runs is canceled projection from the end of the 7th inning as Called Game.
• With the same winning percentage between two teams, the direct comparison decides. Event of a tie in a direct comparison or for three or four teams with the same winning balance decide in this order: the lower number of abandoned runs,
• The higher number of scored runs,
• The higher team batting average,
• A coin toss.

The aim of the competition

According to organizers, it was the aim of the competition to determine the best team in Asia and contribute to the internationalization of baseball. For the future, it was planned to determine in a duel with the winner of the World Series from the North American Major League Baseball a World Champion, worthy of the name.

Results

Japanese - Korean club championship

In place of the Asia Series ( NPB- KBO Championship Club Japanese Nikkan club championship ,日 韓 クラブ チャンピオン シップ, kor. Hanil club championship 한일 클럽 챔피언십, engl. ) Occurred in 2009, the Japanese - Korean and Korean - Japanese club championship from a single game between the masters from Japan and Korea.

2009 defeated in the ballpark of Nagasaki Prefecture ( Nagasaki-ken -ei yakyūjō ) in the city of Nagasaki, the Yomiuri Giants, the Kia Tigers 9-4. 2010 took the championship held at the Tokyo Dome, the Chiba Lotte Marines triumphed over the SK Wyverns with a 3-0 shutout.

Asia Series since 2011

Upon resumption of 2011, the Asia Series was first not held in Japan. In the preliminary round, although reached the Hawks of Fukuoka with three wins first place; but the Samsung Lions, who had lost the direct duel in the first round 0-9, could win in the finals with a strong fifth inning in which they scored five runs, a 5-3 victory and win the title for the first time to Korea. Jang Won- sam, the Lions starter in the final, where he allowed only one run in 6 1/ 3 innings, was named MVP.