The 2021 Pacific League Climax Series (PLCS) was a set of two consecutive playoff series in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). The First Stage began on November 6 and the Final Stage concluded on November 12. The First Stage was a best-of-three series between the second-place Chiba Lotte Marines and the third-place Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles. The Final Series was a best-of-six with the Orix Buffaloes, the Pacific League champion, being awarded a one-win advantage against the Marines, the winner of the First Stage. The Buffaloes advanced to the 2021 Japan Series to compete against the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, the 2021 Central League Climax Series winner.
Background
In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the start of the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) season causing the Pacific League (PL) to cut their Climax Series' First Stage entirely and shorten their Final Stage. The traditional Climax Series format returned in 2021, however, as with games during the regular season, no extra innings were played due to pandemic restrictions, resulting in games being called draws after nine innings instead of the usual twelve. As always, if a series ended in a tie, the higher-seed team advanced. Additionally, game attendance was also limited for safety reasons. Contests held at Zozo Marine Stadium were limited to approximately 15,000 spectators, while games at Kyocera Dome were limited to approximately 18,000. For the fourth year in a row, Persol Holdings sponsored the naming rights for the Pacific League Climax Series, and it was officially known as the "2021 Persol Climax Series PA".
The Chiba Lotte Marines made a push for the PL title late in the season, having a chance to win it with three games remaining on their schedule. A loss to the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, however, ensured that the Marines finished in second place for the second year in a row and would host the Eagles in the First Stage. During the regular season, intra-league teams play 25 games against each other. Despite winning the last game played to knock the Marines out of pennant contention, the Eagles lost the season series with a record and finished the season 3 games behind Lotte. Previously, the two teams met in the Climax Series only once during the 2013 Final Stage where Rakuten defeated Lotte and went on to win their only Japan Series title.
The Orix Buffaloes clinched the Pacific League pennant on October 27, their first league title since 1996 and 13th overall. The team finished the previous two seasons in last place and, prior to this year, the 2014 season was the last in which they finished with a winning record. Orix started the season slow, but went on to finish first in interleague play in June. They also won 11 straight winning decisions, their longest streak in 37 years, and spent the majority of the summer in first place. The championship advanced the Buffaloes directly to the Final Stage of the Climax Series to host the Marines, the eventual winner of the First Stage. The two teams split the season series , with Orix and finishing 2.5 games ahead of Lotte. The series was the first time the two teams played each other in the Climax Series.
First stage
Summary
Game 1
Rōki Sasaki was the starting pitcher for the Chiba Lotte Marines in Game 1 of the First Stage. At age 20, Sasaki became the second-youngest player to start a Climax Series game in his postseason debut. He held the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles to one unearned run during his six innings, allowing only four hits and walking two. The unearned run, however, resulted from a throwing error Sasaki made in the second inning, allowing Hiroaki Shimauchi to score from second base. Takahiro Norimoto's start for the Eagles only lasted four innings. Lotte loaded the bases in the third, after Takashi Ogino singled, Leonys Martín drew a walk, and Shogo Nakamura reached first on a ball hit to Norimoto. The Marines took the lead on a 2-run single by Brandon Laird, with Hisanori Yasuda's sacrifice fly making the score 3–1.
