They're rested, waiting but it's no guarantee

Now that some of the NPB playoff dust has settled and the Climax Series Stage 2 matchups have been determined, it's time to look ahead to what Japanese baseball fans can expect this week. The Central League champion Yomiuri Giants have been twiddling their thumbs for the past several days waiting to find out who they would face in Stage 2. Well, now we know and today they lace up their cleats and get back to business. The Chunichi Dragons' 7-4 win Monday night in Nagoya over the Yakult Swallows in Game 3 of Stage 1 earned Hiromitsu Ochiai's club a matchup with the powerful Giants, who have been the class of the league this season. It's a rematch of a series the Giants won last year on their way to the Japan Series, where they fell in seven to the Seibu Lions. To make things even rougher on Chunichi--as if that was necessary... [read full story]                    

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