In 1997, a lot of strange things happened. After stocking their team with several free-agents, the perennial favorite Yomiuri Giants sank to fourth place, compiling their second-worst record in team history.

The Dragons, moving into their new attendance-boosting dome, dropped to fifth place, and the always competitive Carp posted only their second losing season in two decades. 1996 Pacific League dark horse, the Nippon Ham Fighters played like dead meat. Ichiro Suzuki may have had another great year, but the rest of the BlueWave staff slumped through the entire season.

Meanwhile, the Yokohama BayStars came out of nowhere to contend a pennant for the first time in decades. After a rough start, the Kintetsu Buffaloes turned things around, finishing surprisingly well at third. Thought by many to be heading toward a long, slow decline, the Seibu Lions earned yet another pennant with their sharp pitching and overwhelming offense.

But even the Pacific League champions were no match for the Yakult Swallows. Predicted by nearly everyone to finish fourth or lower, Yakult led the Central League from wire-to-wire with the best pitching in Japan and great offense from MVP catcher Atsuya Furuta and CL home run king Dwayne Hosey.

If the batch of 1997 predictions were far off-the-mark, 1998 offers one of the cloudiest crystal balls in years. Both pennants are up for grabs and several teams appear determined to make it their year.

Central League:

Yakult Swallows: Losing Masato Yoshii (13-6, 2.99 ERA) leaves a big gap that former Lions ace Hisanobu Watanabe will not likely fill. Starting pitching may be Yakult's biggest headache. Defense is generally strong, and offense can be overwhelming. If MVP catcher Atsuya Furuta can stay healthy the Swallows will stay strong in 1998.

Yokohama BayStars: Successful manager Akihito Oya is out, new manager Hiroshi Gondo is in. It's hard to imagine Gondo being any more successful. Several Yokohama batters compiled career-best numbers in 1997, and it's going to be tough for them to repeat. Yokohama still has an erratic pitching staff, though relief ace Kazuhiro Sasaki does his job better than anyone in Japan. If the Giants, Carp or Dragons come back strong in 1998, look for Yokohama to take the fall.

Hiroshima Carp: 1997 wasn't a good year, and it looks like it's going to get worse. After losing RBI king Luis Lopez, the Carp have a gap in their strongest area, offense. Aging hurler Yutaka Ono earned the 1997 ERA title, but the Carp can't depend on him much longer. 1995 Rookie of the Year Yasuyuki Yamauchi has progressively worsened in his last two years, which leaves Hiroki Kuroda and 1997 Rookie of the Year Toshikazu Sawasaki holding the bag. 1998 looks like it could be a disaster for the Carp.

Yomiuri Giants: How could things have gone so badly for the Giants? Dumb managing and a meddling owner kept Yomiuri off balance all-year, but the absence of starters Eric Hillman and Masaki Saito probably played the largest part. As for all the criticism about Kazuhiro Kiyohara, the former Seibu slugger performed about the same as he always had for the Lions. What did the Giants expect? Rookie Yoshinobu Takahashi may add some home runs to the team, but the long ball didn't help them that much in 1997. What the Giants need is speed on the base paths, a good defense, and a solid bullpen. So far it looks like Yomiuri will be deficient in all three areas. If Hillman and Saito return to form, the Giants will improve, but grabbing a pennant will be no cakewalk unless Yomiuri concentrates more on building a well-rounded team.

Hanshin Tigers: After climbing out of the CL cellar in 1997, the Tigers appear determined to blast themselves into contention in 1998. Picking up former batting-king Alonzo Powell, aging slugger Yasuaki Taiho and strong back-up catcher Akihiro Yano, the Tigers are putting a lot of faith in these players to turn their careers around. Hanshin also picked up several foreign players, presumably to stock their farm team in the event an opening arises on the varsity squad. The team handed pitcher Tetsuharu Kawajiri a five-month suspension for his part in a tax evasion scandal. With only one reliable starting pitcher, Keiichi Yabu, Hanshin's mound staff is going to be in a lot of trouble. By October, it's unlikely the Tigers will place any higher than fourth.

Chunichi Dragons: In 1997, Chunichi played worse at their home ballpark than anywhere else in Japan. The team needs to find a way to win at Nagoya Dome. Entering 1998, the Dragons appear headed in the right direction. After unloading small-ballpark slugger Yasuaki Taiho, the team picked up strong-arm outfielder Koichi Sekikawa and shortstop Teruyoshi Kuji from the Tigers. Playing in the huge dome, the Dragons need more speed, and Sekikawa and Kuji should help. Likewise, the acquisition of Jeong Bum Lee, the "Korean Ichiro" who finished 1997 with a .324 average and 64 steals for the Haitai Tigers, should also enable Chunichi to take advantage of the Nagoya Dome's dimensions. If hurlers Shinji Imanaka and Ken Kadokura can pitch well in 1998, the Dragons will be headed for a winning season.

Pacific League:

Seibu Lions: The Lions have speed, pitching and good batting which all came together in 1997. After losing to the Yakult Swallows in the Japan Series, Seibu bolstered its pitching staff with Nippon Ham starter Yukihiro Nishizaki and Yakult hurler Terry Bross. The Lions are most vulnerable with aging catcher Tsutomu Ito, an outfield that is often erratic, and relief staff which fell apart during the Japan Series. Virtually everything went Seibu's way in 1997, but their quick fall to the Swallows revealed just how lucky the Lions had been all year. Look for opponents to exploit their weaknesses in 1998.

Orix BlueWave: While superstar Ichiro Suzuki had another terrific season in 1997, most other Orix batters slumped all year. But they won't be down for long. The loss of Troy Neel means that Chris Donnels will likely hurt the team's offense unless newcomers Harvey Pulliam and Jim Bonnici rise to the occasion. Orix has a relatively strong and deep pitching staff, and if their batters can provide enough offense, the BlueWave will be the favorites to take the 1998 PL flag.

Kintetsu Buffaloes: The Buffaloes had a terrific second-half in 1997, surging to third place once their pitchers asserted themselves. Stealing almost twice as many bases in the Osaka Dome as they had the year before at Fujiidera Stadium, Kintetsu shifted toward a speed strategy in 1997 which paid off. Instead of swinging for the fences, the Buffaloes concentrated on getting on base and advancing runners. Led by imports Phil Clark and Tuffy Rhodes, Kintetsu has a well-rounded offense that should stay strong in 1998. The Buffaloes success in 1998 will hinge on whether starters Hideo Koike (15-6, 2.96 ERA) and Akira Okamoto (10-6, 2.82 ERA) stay consistent and if erratic hurler Hiroshi Takamura (8-9, 4.76 ERA) can turn his career around.

Nippon Ham Fighters: After reaching second place in 1996, the Fighters dropped to a fourth-place tie a year later as their pitching fell to pieces. In virtually every category, Nippon Ham's pitching ranked near last in the league, and that drop had a lot to do with the absence of Yukihiro Nishizaki. Though pitcher Kip Gross will likely improve in 1998, the Fighters have already dealt Nishizaki to Seibu. Nippon Ham has a strong offense and defense but unless they get higher quality pitching from their mound crew, the Fighters will likely be out of the pennant race before the all-star break.

Fukuoka Daiei Hawks: Unless the Hawks get some good pitching, they have virtually no chance of taking the PL flag. Almost every year, the Hawks try to bolster their offense, and the late 1997 acquisition of CL RBI king Luis Lopez continued the trend. Already, Daiei has the most powerful line-up in the league, but all-star second baseman Hiroki Kokubo (36 homers, .302) will likely miss a large chunk of the 1998 season. All-star Kimiyasu Kudo remains the team's only reliable pitcher, but at 35 he can't carry the Hawks by himself. Free agent acquisition Shintaro Yamasaki probably may help the pitching staff, but if Daiei pins their hopes on him the Hawks are going to be in sorry shape.

Chiba Lotte Marines: Despite the absence of ace pitchers Hideki Irabu and Eric Hillman, the Marines pitching staff performed remarkably well in 1997. Instead, it was Lotte's deflated offense that left the team in the PL cellar. Since they haven't made any big changes for 1998, the Marines are putting a lot of faith in their current line-up to improve. If Lotte reaches fifth place, it will be a monumental achievement.