. . . . "The Central League was founded in 1949 with eight teams. Designated hitters are not used during Central League home games. In 2007 a new Climax Series was introduced. This is a play off series inspired by the stepladder playoff used in Pacific League for the top three teams of the league to determine who progresses to the Japan Series. Under the previous system, there was no post-season playoff and the winner of the pennant automatically qualified for the Japan Series."@en . . . . . "Central League"@en . . . . "The Central League was founded in 1949 with eight teams. Designated hitters are not used during Central League home games. In 2007 a new Climax Series was introduced. This is a play off series inspired by the stepladder playoff used in Pacific League for the top three teams of the league to determine who progresses to the Japan Series. Under the previous system, there was no post-season playoff and the winner of the pennant automatically qualified for the Japan Series."@en . . . .