Nippon Professional Baseball
The NPB is the organization that oversees Japanese professional baseball.
The NPB manages the Japanese championships, all-star and draft meetings.
It is also the NPB that organizes Japan's representatives for international competitions.
There are two leagues under the NPB umbrella.
Each of the two leagues has six teams.
| Central League | Pacific League |
|---|---|
| Yomiuri Giants | Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters |
| Tokyo Yakult Swallows | Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles |
| Yokohama DeNA BayStars | Saitama Seibu Lions |
| Chunichi Dragons | Chiba Lotte Marines |
| Hanshin Tigers | Orix Buffaloes |
| Hiroshima Toyo Carp | Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks |
Season
Currently, there is a 143-game season system, 18 of which are interleague.
It opens in late March and continues through October.
Interleague play takes place in May and June.
The team with the highest winning percentage at the end of the season will win the league championship.
Playoffs and Japan Championship Series
At the end of the season, a playoff will be held for each league to determine which team will participate in the Japan Championship Series.
The playoffs will begin with a first stage of up to three games between the second- and third-place teams in the league.
The team with the most wins will advance to the final stage.
If the number of wins is the same, the second place team in the league will advance.
In the final stage, the team that finishes first in the league and the team that wins the first stage play a maximum of six games against each other.
The team finishing first in the league will receive one win as an advantage.
The team with the most wins will qualify for the Japan Championship Series.
In case of equal number of wins, the team with the first place in the league will advance.
The Japanese championship will be played by representatives of each league who have won the playoffs.
The first team to win four games wins the Japanese championship and is awarded the title of Japan's number one team.
The most appearances in the Japan Championship Series is 36, and the most championships is 22, both Yomiuri Giants records. (At the end of 2022)
Central League
The Central League is one of the leagues belonging to the NPB.
| Central League | Ballpark | base in |
|---|---|---|
| Yomiuri Giants | Tokyo Dome | Bunkyo, Tokyo |
| Tokyo Yakult Swallows | Meiji Jingu Baseball Stadium | Shinjuku, Tokyo |
| Yokohama DeNA BayStars | Yokohama Stadium | Yokohama, Kanagawa |
| Chunichi Dragons | Vantelin Dome Nagoya | Nagoya, Aichi |
| Hanshin Tigers | Hanshin Koshien Stadium | Nishinomiya, Hyogo |
| Hiroshima Toyo Carp | MAZDA Zoom-Zoom Stadium | Hroshima, Hiroshima |
The Central League will be ranked in the following order of items.
- 1. Regular Season Winning Percentage
- 2. number of victories
- 3. Winning percentage in direct competition
- 4. Winning percentage excluding interleague
- 5. Standings order in the previous year
The Central League does not have a designated hitter system.
Pacific League
The Pacific League is one of the leagues belonging to the NPB.
| Pacific League | Ballpark | base in |
|---|---|---|
| Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters | ES CON Field Hokkaido | Kitahiroshima, hokkaido |
| Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles | Rakuten Seimei Park Miyagi | sendai, Miyagi |
| Saitama Seibu Lions | Belluna Dome | Tokorozawa, Saitama |
| Chiba Lotte Marines | ZOZO Marine Stadium | Chiba, Chiba |
| Orix Buffaloes | Kyocera Dome Osaka | Osaka, Osaka |
| Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks | Mizuho PayPay Dome Fukuoka | Fukuoka, Fukuoka |
The Pacific League will be ranked in the following order of items.
- 1. Regular Season Winning Percentage
- 2. Winning percentage in direct competition
- 3. Winning percentage excluding interleague
- 4. Standings order in the previous year
The Pacific League uses a designated hitter system.