In a televised post-season baseball special, ace reliever Kazuhiro Sasaki joked that the team had considered the season "over" since May. Despite a brief surge in which Yokohama took eleven of thirteen games in early May, by the end of June the team had compiled a fifth place 27-35 record.

Entering the all-star break, the BayStars had climbed to third place with a 38-39 record. After surging in August while the front-running Swallows stumbled, Yokohama found themselves 2.5 games behind league-leading Yakult by the end of the month.

On September 2, an over-confident BayStars team met the Swallows in Yokohama for a crucial two game series between the league's top two teams. In the first game, Yakult's Kazuhisa Ishii no-hit the BayStars; in the second match, the Swallows came from behind to earn their fourth win in a row. Until the end of the season, Yakult continued to increase their Central League lead.

For a team that has gone nearly four decades without a pennant, there's one question every Yokohama BayStars fan now has on mind: was their 1997 season a fluke or the start of a new trend? Shortly after the end of the season, both Kazuhiro Sasaki and catcher Motonobu Tanishige mentioned that they wanted to stay with Yokohama for at least one more year to help bring a pennant to the city. Whatever anyone else thinks, the players appear to feel they have a shot at taking the CL flag in 1998.

Pitching: In the first half of the season, the BayStars suffered very erratic pitching. By early June, Yokohama posted a team 4.56 ERA (the highest in either league). As the all-star break arrived, that number had fallen slightly to 4.28. Considering that Yokohama is a hitters' park, these numbers slightly exaggerate the team's pitching woes.

In August, as their pitching staff radically improved, the BayStars made a run for the pennant. When Yokohama reached 2.5 games behind first-place Yakult, the BayStars' ERA had fallen to 3.88. In contrast, their batting average had fallen from a team .288 in late July to .281 on August 24. It was pitching, as well as a dramatic Swallows' slump, that made the Yokohama's run for the pennant possible.

Entering the 1998 season, the BayStars will have a relatively solid starting rotation. Twenty-five year old rookie Takeo Kawamura (3.32 ERA, 10-7 record, 147 strikeouts) led the staff in pitching in 1997 while Daisuke Miura (3.35, 10-3, 129) and Hiroki Nomura (3.89, 10-8, 94) also posted solid numbers. Twenty-three year old Hisashi Tokano remains erratic (4.11, 10-7, 111) but when he's good, he can be very tough to hit against. Foreign hurler Pat Mahomes struggled a bit, but helped the BayStars win some key games last August.

All of these pitchers are relatively young. Turning 29 in June 1997, Nomura is the oldest. If Takeshi Saito returns in 1998 to his old form, the twenty-eight year old ace could really help the BayStars. Though it may take a couple of seasons to get everyone pitching smoothly, Yokohama has the core of what could be a very effective pitching staff. With Kazuhiro Sasaki, Japan's top relief pitcher, working the final innings, the BayStars have the potential to devastate opposing batters.

Offense: By the end of the season, five of the top seven Central League batters played for Yokohama, with Takanori Suzuki placing first (.335) and Bobby Rose second (.328). While their home stadium is widely considered a hitters' park, the BayStars led the CL in hitting for most of the season and finished second in batting with a team .275 average (Yakult batted .276).

Despite the relatively high average, two players weighed down the team's average. Third baseman Tatsuya Shindo batted .236 while catcher Motonobu Tanishige hit .231. Both displayed moderate power, hitting ten and thirteen home runs respectfully, but compiled relatively low on-base percentages.

Perhaps because of the high walls at Yokohama Stadium, the team clubbed only 105 home runs, fifth in the league and tenth over all. That may partly explain why BayStars had virtually the same batting average as the Swallows but scored exactly one-hundred fewer runs.

Top Player: Kazuhiro Sasaki. Leading the Yokohama mound staff, Kazuhiro Sasaki has emerged Japan's top closing pitcher. Compiling 41 save points and a 0.90 ERA in 1997, Sasaki posted a 3-0 record with 38 saves in 49 games. Since 1990, the right-handed relief pitcher has collected 165 career saves, second behind Yutaka Enatsu (193) on the all-time list. Though expressing a wish to play in the Major Leagues before the 1997 season, Sasaki made the sentimental choice to remain with the BayStars through 1998 in hope that he can help bring a pennant to Yokohama. Without him, the team would have little chance of reaching the Japan Series.

Surprise Player: Takanori Suzuki. Though he has batted well the last three seasons, dour-faced Suzuki took the 1997 Central League batting crown with a .335 average.

Biggest Disappointment: Motonobu Tanishige. After hitting .300 in 1996, his first regular season, Tanishige's average fell to .232 a year later. Though he hit thirteen home runs last season, virtually all his other numbers were down. The Yokohama backstop has compiled a career .234 batting average.

Most over-rated: Takahiro Saeki. An average player who in his best year (1996) batted .290 with 59 RBIs, Saeki didn't do much for the team in 1997. His popularity probably has more to do with his good looks and affected smirk than anything he's done on the field.

New Faces: Hiroshi Gondo (manager). Not much is known about Gondo, who has never managed a pro team before but has served as Yokohama top battery coach. Probably because of Toshio Haru's legal entanglements (he was involved with a tax evasion scandal that led to an almost two-month suspension) and because of Takahiro Saeiki's lack of progress, Yokohama has picked up two new outfielders. Jose Malave, a former part-time player with the Boston Red Sox, and former Buffaloes Hitoshi Nakane should help fill the holes in the BayStars' outfield.

Strongest area: Offense. The BayStars compiled a team .273 batting average (second in the league) in 1997 and five of the CL's top batters played for Yokohama. Relief pitching: Kazuhiro Sasaki is one of the best closers in Japan.

Weakest area: Partly because of the dimensions at Yokohama Stadium, the BayStars don't hit many home runs (105 in 1997, fifth in the league). Catcher Motonobu Tanishige bats very erratically, hitting .300 in 1996 and .232 in '97 while compiling a .234 career average. For years the BayStars have had inconsistent pitching. In 1997, the staff compiled a decent 3.70 ERA but can they do it again?

Biggest question mark: Manager Akihiko Oya seemed to push the BayStars in the right direction in his two-year term. Much like Bobby Valentine who was fired by the Marines for not being successful enough, Oya was not offered an extension on his contract. Will the 1998 BayStars emulate the post-Valentine Marines and drop from a surprising second place to fifth? Early in his tenure as the new Yokohama skipper, Hiroshi Gondo has demanded players call him by his given names, and that they team cut back on the number of meetings it holds.

Secret weapon: Bobby Rose. While not a flashy player, Rose has been the team's most consistent batter the last four years, hitting .328 in 1997 while compiling a .314 career average.

Fading star: The BayStars are a young team, and virtually the only old-timer they have, thirty-five year old Norihiro Komada doesn't appear willing to fade away any time soon. Playing every game since he joined Yokohama in 1994, Komada batted .308 last year. If the BayStars revert to their old losing ways in 1998, Kazuhiro Sasaki may fade his way to the Major Leagues in 1999.