Overview
The Climax Series (CS), introduced in 2007, is a postseason system where the top three teams in each league compete for the Japan Series berth. It consists of the First Stage (2nd vs 3rd place, best-of-3) and Final Stage (1st place vs First Stage winner, best-of-6), with the first-place team receiving a one-win advantage. Its predecessor was the Pacific League playoff system launched in 2004, which sparked controversy in its inaugural year when first-place Daiei fell to third-place Seibu. Upsets have continued under the CS format-most notably in 2010, when the third-place Lotte Marines swept through the CS and won the Japan Series in what was dubbed 'the greatest upset in history.' While the CS has reduced meaningless late-season games and heightened pennant race excitement, persistent criticism remains over the perceived injustice of a team winning 143 regular-season games only to be eliminated in a short series. In 2020, the CS was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with league champions advancing directly to the Japan Series.