1951 Nippon Professional Baseball season
Sports season
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The 1951 Nippon Professional Baseball season was the second season of operation of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). 1951 saw the best season in terms of winning percentage in NPB history, with the Nankai Hawks going 72-24-8, good enough for a .750 winning percentage, on their way to their first Japan Series appearance in franchise history. The Yomiuri Giants would defeat the Nankai Hawks in the Japan Series 4 games to 1, marking the first of 22 Japan Series championships for the Giants.
| 1951 NPB season | |
|---|---|
| League | Nippon Professional Baseball |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Central League pennant | |
| League champions | Yomiuri Giants |
| Runners-up | Nagoya Dragons |
| Season MVP | Tetsuharu Kawakami (YOM) |
| Pacific League pennant | |
| League champions | Nankai Hawks |
| Runners-up | Nishitetsu Lions |
| Season MVP | Kazuto Yamamoto (NAN) |
| Japan Series | |
| Champions | Yomiuri Giants |
| Runners-up | Nankai Hawks |
| Finals MVP | Fukashi Minamimura (YOM) |
Regular season
Standings
| Team | G | W | L | T | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yomiuri Giants | 114 | 79 | 29 | 6 | .731 | — |
| Nagoya Dragons | 113 | 62 | 48 | 3 | .564 | 18.0 |
| Osaka Tigers | 116 | 61 | 52 | 3 | .540 | 20.5 |
| Shochiku Robins | 115 | 53 | 57 | 5 | .482 | 27.0 |
| Kokutetsu Swallows | 107 | 46 | 59 | 2 | .438 | 31.5 |
| Taiyo Whales | 108 | 40 | 64 | 4 | .385 | 37.0 |
| Hiroshima Carp | 99 | 32 | 64 | 3 | .333 | 41.0 |
| Team | G | W | L | T | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nankai Hawks | 104 | 72 | 24 | 8 | .750 | — |
| Nishitetsu Lions | 105 | 53 | 42 | 10 | .558 | 18.5 |
| Mainichi Orions | 110 | 54 | 51 | 5 | .514 | 22.5 |
| Daiei Stars | 101 | 41 | 52 | 8 | .441 | 29.5 |
| Hankyu Braves | 96 | 37 | 51 | 8 | .420 | 31.0 |
| Tokyu Flyers | 102 | 38 | 56 | 8 | .404 | 33.0 |
| Kintetsu Pearls | 98 | 37 | 56 | 5 | .398 | 33.5 |
Postseason
Japan Series
CL Yomiuri Giants (4) vs. PL Nankai Hawks (1)
| Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | October 10 | Yomiuri Giants – 5, Nankai Hawks – 0 | Osaka Stadium | 2:22 | 29,074[1] |
| 2 | October 11 | Yomiuri Giants – 7, Nankai Hawks – 0 | Osaka Stadium | 1:57 | 27,639[1] |
| 3 | October 13 | Nankai Hawks – 1, Yomiuri Giants – 3 | Korakuen Stadium | 2:14 | 35,066[1] |
| 4 | October 16 | Nankai Hawks – 4, Yomiuri Giants – 3 | Korakuen Stadium | 2:13 | 31,936[1] |
| 5 | October 17 | Nankai Hawks – 2, Yomiuri Giants – 8 | Korakuen Stadium | 1:52 | 15,519[1] |
League leaders
Central League
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Pacific League
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Awards
- Most Valuable Player
- Tetsuharu Kawakami, Yomiuri Giants (CL)
- Kazuto Yamamoto, Nankai Hawks (PL)
- Rookie of the Year
- Kiyoshi Matsuda, Yomiuri Giants (CL)
- Kazuo Kageyama, Nankai Hawks (PL)
- Eiji Sawamura Award
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