Saitama Seibu Lions

The **Saitama SEIBU Lions** (Japanese: 埼玉西武ライオンズ, *Saitama Seibu Raionzu*) are a Japanese professional baseball team in the Pacific League of Nippon Professional Baseball. Since 1978, the club has been owned by Prince Hotels, a subsidiary of the Seibu Railway transport group, and plays its home games at the Seibu Dome in Tokorozawa, Saitama. The team’s mascot is inspired by Leo, the hero of Osamu Tezuka’s manga Kimba the White Lion.

## History

The club was founded in 1950 during the reorganization of Japanese professional baseball into two separate leagues. A founding member of the Pacific League, it was originally known as the _Nishitetsu Clippers_ and based in Fukuoka, owned by the Nishi-Nippon Railroad (nicknamed Nishitetsu). The team finished sixth in its inaugural season, then merged with the Nishi-Nippon Pirates to become the _Nishitetsu Lions_ in 1951. Over the next decade, the Lions won four Pacific League titles and three consecutive Japan Series championships against the Yomiuri Giants.

The 1960s saw only one league title, and after finishing sixth three years in a row from 1970 to 1972, the club was sold to Fukuoka Baseball Corporation in November 1972. The naming rights were then sold to Taiheiyo Club, the owner of a Fukuoka golf course, becoming the _Taiheiyo Club Lions_, but the team never finished higher than third place. After the 1976 season the naming rights passed to Crown Gas Lighter, and following two disappointing seasons, the franchise was sold to a Seibu Group subsidiary at the end of 1978.

Relocating to Tokorozawa, the team adopted its current name upon the 1979 season. Since then, the Lions have captured 16 Pacific League pennants and ten Japan Series titles.

## Related pages

- Pacific League

## Infobox (baseball team)

- **name**: Saitama Seibu Lions
- **cap logo**: Seibu lions insignia.svg
- **league**: **Nippon Professional Baseball**
:
- **location**: Tokorozawa, Saitama, Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, Saitama, Japan
- **stadium**: Belluna Dome
- **nickname**: _Shishi_ (獅子, lion)
- **league champ type**: PL pennants
- **league champs**: **23** (1954 Nippon Professional Baseball season, 1954, 1956 Nippon Professional Baseball season, 1956, 1957 Nippon Professional Baseball season, 1957, 1958 Nippon Professional Baseball season, 1958, 1963 Nippon Professional Baseball season, 1963, 1982 Nippon Professional Baseball season, 1982, 1983 Nippon Professional Baseball season, 1983, 1985 Nippon Professional Baseball season, 1985, 1986 Nippon Professional Baseball season, 1986, 1987 Nippon Professional Baseball season, 1987, 1988 Nippon Professional Baseball season, 1988, 1990 Nippon Professional Baseball season, 1990, 1991 Nippon Professional Baseball season, 1991, 1992 Nippon Professional Baseball season, 1992, 1993 Nippon Professional Baseball season, 1993, 1994 Nippon Professional Baseball season, 1994, 1997 Nippon Professional Baseball season, 1997, 1998 Nippon Professional Baseball season, 1998, 2002 Nippon Professional Baseball season, 2002, 2004 Nippon Professional Baseball season, 2004, 2008 Nippon Professional Baseball season, 2008, 2018 Nippon Professional Baseball season, 2018, 2019 Nippon Professional Baseball season, 2019)
- **series**: Japan Series
- **series champs**: **13** (1956 Japan Series, 1956, 1957 Japan Series, 1957, 1958 Japan Series, 1958, 1982 Japan Series, 1982, 1983 Japan Series, 1983, 1986 Japan Series, 1986, 1987 Japan Series, 1987, 1988 Japan Series, 1988, 1990 Japan Series, 1990, 1991 Japan Series, 1991, 1992 Japan Series, 1992, 2004 Japan Series, 2004, 2008 Japan Series, 2008)
- **colors**: Legend Blue, Lions Blue, Black, Red, White

- **mascot**: Leo and Lina
- **manager**: Fumiya Nishiguchi
- **berths**: **13** (1982 Pacific League Playoffs, 1982, 2004 Pacific League Playoffs, 2004, 2005 Pacific League Playoffs, 2005, 2006 Pacific League Playoffs, 2006, 2008 Pacific League Climax Series, 2008, 2010 Pacific League Climax Series, 2010, 2011 Pacific League Climax Series, 2011, 2012 Pacific League Climax Series, 2012, 2013 Pacific League Climax Series, 2013, 2017 Pacific League Climax Series, 2017, 2018 Pacific League Climax Series, 2018, 2019 Pacific League Climax Series, 2019, 2022 Pacific League Climax Series, 2022)
- **owner**: Takashi Goto
- **management**: Seibu Railway
- **native name**: 埼玉西武ライオンズ
- **native name lang**: ja