Nippon Professional Baseball

People in Japan love baseball.

Twelve teams play in this big league. They are split into two groups. One group is the Central League. The other is the Pacific League.

Teams are often named after big companies. For example, the SoftBank Hawks are a top team.

Players work hard in small leagues too. This helps them get ready for the big games.

At the end of the year, the best teams play. They play in the Japan Series to win. It is a very big event for fans.

Nippon Professional Baseball, or NPB, is the top baseball league in Japan. It is a very big and rich league. In fact, it is the second-wealthiest baseball league in the world. Most teams are named after the large companies that own them. For example, the SoftBank Hawks and Yomiuri Giants are famous teams.

The league has twelve teams. They are split into two groups. These groups are the Central League and the Pacific League. Each league has six teams. There are also two smaller leagues. These are the Eastern League and the Western League. They help players practice and grow.

The baseball season starts in the spring. It ends in October. At the end of the year, the best teams play in the Japan Series. This is a big championship. The winner of the series is the champion of Japan. In 2025, the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks won the title. They beat the Hanshin Tigers.

NPB has a long history. It began in 1950. Before that, teams played in the Japanese Baseball League. The Yomiuri Giants are one of the most successful teams. They have won 22 championships.

Nippon Professional Baseball, often called NPB, is the highest level of baseball in Japan. People also call it "Japanese baseball" when they are outside of the country. It is a very important sport that brings many fans together. In fact, it is the wealthiest sports league in all of Asia. It is also the second-wealthiest baseball league in the entire world. Only Major League Baseball in North America makes more money. Even though they play fewer games, NPB has the second-highest attendance of any league.

The league works by splitting twelve teams into two separate groups. These are the Central League and the Pacific League. Each league has exactly six teams in it. There are also two minor leagues called the Eastern League and the Western League. These smaller leagues help players practice and grow in a "Farm System." Some teams even have more than one minor league team. For example, the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks have three minor league teams.

NPB has a long and interesting history that began many years ago. The roots of the league go back to a group formed in 1934. Two years later, the Japanese Baseball League, or JBL, was founded. The modern NPB was created when the JBL reorganized in 1950. This was when the teams first split into two leagues. A famous team called the Tokyo Kyojin was even founded in 1934. They traveled to the United States to play against American stars.

There are many specific rules and facts about how the games work. The season usually starts in late March or early April. It ends in October after the big championship games. Most teams play six games every week and take Mondays off. The Pacific League has used the designated hitter rule since 1975. This is a rule where a player hits instead of the pitcher. The Central League plans to start using this rule in 2027.

To find the champion, the league uses a special playoff system. First, the top three teams from each league play in the Climax Series. The winner of that tournament moves to the final stage. Then, the winners from both leagues meet in the Japan Series. This is a best-of-seven championship series. The Yomiuri Giants have won the most championships with 22 wins. In 2025, the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks won the title by beating the Hanshin Tigers.

Nippon Professional Baseball, commonly known as NPB, represents the highest level of professional baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often referred to simply as Professional Baseball. Outside of Japan, people frequently call it "Japanese baseball." The league is a massive cultural and economic force in the region. It stands as the wealthiest sports league in Asia. Globally, it is the eleventh-wealthiest professional sports league by revenue. Within the sport of baseball, it is the second-wealthiest league, trailing only Major League Baseball (MLB) in North America. Despite playing fewer games per season than MLB, NPB maintains the second-highest total season attendance of any league.

The league is organized into a specific structure consisting of twelve teams. These teams are divided equally into two separate entities: the Central League and the Pacific League. Unlike the major North American sports leagues, these two leagues operate as independent organizations. This independence means that each team holds its own television rights for home games. The only exceptions are the Japan Series and the All-Star Games, which the league manages through a collaborative system to prevent blackout issues. To support the main players, NPB also oversees two secondary-level minor leagues. These are known as the Eastern League and the Western League. They function as a "Farm System" to help develop new talent.

Teams in the NPB follow a unique naming convention compared to North American leagues. Most teams are named after their corporate owners rather than cities or regions. For example, teams include the Yomiuri Giants and the Softbank Hawks. While most teams have one minor league team, some larger organizations operate more. As of 2023, the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks have three minor league teams, and the Yomiuri Giants have two. The remaining ten teams each maintain only one minor league team. These players in the minor leagues play shorter schedules to prepare for the top level.

The regular season follows a strict schedule and specific rules. The season typically begins in late March or early April and concludes in October. Most teams play six games per week, with Mondays serving as a standard day off. Since 2007, both leagues have adopted a 143-game season. Each team plays 71 or 72 games, split between home and road venues. In late May or early June, teams participate in interleague play. During this time, they face opponents from the opposite league three times each. A separate champion is also crowned for the team with the best record during these 18 interleague games.

A notable difference between the two leagues involves the designated hitter (DH) rule. The designated hitter is a player who bats in place of the pitcher. The Pacific League has utilized this rule since 1975. However, the Central League has historically played without it, except during specific instances like interleague play. The Central League plans to officially introduce the DH rule starting in the 2027 season. This change will bring the playing style of both leagues closer together.

Determining the champion involves a multi-stage playoff process. After the regular season, the top three teams from each league enter the Climax Series. This tournament has two stages. In the first stage, the second-place team hosts the third-place team in a best-of-three series. The winner then advances to the final stage to face the league's pennant winner. The final stage is a best-of-six series held at the pennant winner's stadium. To reward the higher seed, they receive a "ghost win," which is a 1–0 advantage. The winners of each league's final stage then meet in the Japan Series. This is a best-of-seven championship series to decide the ultimate winner.

The history of the league traces back to 1934 with the formation of a club by Matsutarō Shōriki. This club, the Dai Nippon Tokyo Yakyu Kurabu, even traveled to the United States to play American All-Stars. The modern NPB structure emerged in 1950 when the Japanese Baseball League (JBL) reorganized. Since the first Japan Series in 1950, the Yomiuri Giants have been highly successful, earning 22 championships and 37 appearances. As of 2025, the Japan Series has been contested 76 times. The championship wins are currently tied between the two leagues, with 38 wins apiece. Most recently, the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks defeated the Hanshin Tigers 4–1 in the 2025 series to become the reigning champions.