Spring/Summer Champions
Known in Japanese as 春夏連続優勝, haru-natsu renzoku yuusho or Spring-Summer Consecutive Champions, this signifies the winning of the senbatsu (Spring) and natsu (Summer) tournaments in a calendar year. To date there have been 6 instances of such a feat:
| Year | School | Spring | Opponent | Result | Summer | Opponent | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | Sakushin Gakuin (Tochigi) | 34th | Nichidai-san (Tōkyō) | 1 - 0 | 44th | Kurume Commercial (Fukuoka) | 1 - 0 | |
| 1966 | Chūkyō Commercial (Aichi) | 38th | Tosa (Kochi) | 1 - 0 | 48th | Matsuyama Commercial (Ehime) | 3 - 1 | Now known as Chūkyōdai Chūkyō |
| 1979 | Minoshima (Wakayama) | 51st | Namishō (Osaka) | 8 - 7 | 61st | Ikeda (Tokushima) | 4 - 3 | Namishō is now known as Daitaidai Namishō. |
| 1987 | PL Gakuen (Ōsaka) | 59th | Kantō Ichi (Tōkyō) | 7 - 1 | 69th | Jōsō Gakuin (Ibaraki) | 5 - 2 | |
| 1998 | Yokohama (Kanagawa) | 70th | Kandai Ichi (Ōsaka) | 3 - 0 | 80th | Kyōto Seishō (Kyōto) | 3 - 0 | Daisuke Matsuzaka finishes the feat with a no-hitter in the final against Kyōto Seishō. |
| 2010 | Kōnan (Okinawa) | 82nd | Nichidai-san (Tōkyō) | 10 - 5 (12) | 92nd | Tōkaidai Sagami (Kanagawa) | 13 - 1 | |
| 2012 | Osaka Tōin (Osaka) | 84th | Kōsei Gakuin (Aomori) | 7 - 3 | 94th | Kōsei Gakuin (Aomori) | 3 - 0 | This is the first time two teams have had a rematch in consecutive finals, and the 3rd time a team (Kōsei Gakuin) has reached 3 consecutive calendar finals (they are the only ones to lose all 3). |
Read more about this topic: High School Baseball In Japan, Notable Episodes
Famous quotes containing the words spring, summer and/or champions:
“Some spring the white man came, built him a house, and made a clearing here, letting in the sun, dried up a farm, piled up the old gray stones in fences, cut down the pines around his dwelling, planted orchard seeds brought from the old country, and persuaded the civil apple-tree to blossom next to the wild pine and the juniper, shedding its perfume in the wilderness. Their old stocks still remain.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“With fairest flowers
Whilst summer lasts and I live here, Fidele,
I’ll sweeten thy sad grave. Thou shalt not lack
The flower that’s like thy face, pale primrose, nor
The azured harebell, like thy veins; no, nor
The leaf of eglantine, whom not to slander,
Outsweetened not thy breath.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
“Did all the lets and bars appear
To every just or larger end,
Whence should come the trust and cheer?
Youth must its ignorant impulse lend—
Age finds place in the rear.
All wars are boyish, and are fought by boys,
The champions and enthusiasts of the state:”
—Herman Melville (1819–1891)