Japanese Yankees Win Their World Series Too: Yomiuri Giants Capture 21st Title

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The New York Yankees just finished celebrating their 27th World Series championship. Nov. 7, 2009, was just another day of cleaning up after a great ticker-tape parade down the Canyon of Heroes.

But for the New York Yankees' twin in Japan, the celebration is just getting started. The Yomiuri Giants have just captured their 21st championship in the Japanese baseball title series.

Yankee fans can now see why the Japanese team has been compared to them in the past few years.

Just like the New York Yankees, the Yomiuri Giants did not fare too well in recent playoff series. This is the Giants' first championship title in the past seven years. The New York Yankees' last World Series Championship was in 2000. The two teams and their fans both agree that it's about time!

The Yankees and the Giants both won their series in six games. The Giants' catcher, Shinnosuke Abe, was named the MVP of the series. Abe drove in the winning run in Game Two of the Japanese Championship Series. Abe doubled over the head of the Nippon Ham Fighters' center fielder's head to give Yomiuri the lead in the second inning. 

Former Giants player Hideki Matsui played a big role in the New York Yankees' championship run. Matsui was such a big game changer that he earned MVP honors in the World Series. 

Matsui has said in the past that he would love to retire playing for the Yomiuri Giants in the future. Yesterday, Matsui stated that he has ruled out a return to Japan this year. He hopes to re-sign with the New York Yankees, but if that is not possible, he would like to play with his countryman Ichiro Suzuki. 

Matsui made a return to Japan with the Yankees in 2004 to start the season. As a fan it would be great to see the Yomiuri Giants make the trip to the United States and face the Yankees at "The House That George Built."

The Yankees held two exhibition games against the Chicago Cubs to give their new home a test run. Why not get an early start to the season and warm up by facing their other half from Japan?

The New York Yankees vs. the Yomiuri Yankees, or Giants, at Yankee Stadium. Sounds like an instant classic in both the Western Hemisphere and Eastern Hemisphere.

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