2024 Nippon Professional Baseball season
75th annual season of Nippon Professional Baseball
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The 2024 Nippon Professional Baseball season was the 75th season of professional baseball in Japan since Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) was reorganized in 1950 and the 90th anniversary of the founding of professional baseball in Japan. There were 12 NPB teams, split evenly between the Central League and Pacific League.
| 2024 NPB season | |
|---|---|
| |
| League | Nippon Professional Baseball |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Duration | March 29 – October 9 |
| Games | 858 |
| Teams | 12 |
| Total attendance | 26,681,715[1] |
| Central League pennant | |
| League champions | Yomiuri Giants |
| Runners-up | Hanshin Tigers |
| Season MVP | Tomoyuki Sugano (Yomiuri) |
| Pacific League pennant | |
| League champions | Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks |
| Runners-up | Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters |
| Season MVP | Kensuke Kondoh (SoftBank) |
| Climax Series | |
| CL champions | Yokohama DeNA BayStars |
| CL runners-up | Yomiuri Giants |
| PL champions | Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks |
| PL runners-up | Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters |
| Japan Series | |
| Venue | |
| Champions | Yokohama DeNA BayStars |
| Runners-up | Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks |
| Finals MVP | Masayuki Kuwahara (DeNA) |
The Hanshin Tigers entered the season as the defending champions. They were eliminated in the first stage of the Central League Climax Series against the Yokohama DeNA BayStars.
Regular season standings
| # | Team | G | W | L | T | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yomiuri Giants | 143 | 77 | 59 | 7 | .566 | — | 39–30–3 | 38–29–4 |
| 2 | Hanshin Tigers | 143 | 74 | 63 | 6 | .540 | 3½ | 43–27–2 | 31–36–4 |
| 3 | Yokohama DeNA BayStars | 143 | 71 | 69 | 3 | .507 | 8 | 34–37–1 | 37–32–2 |
| 4 | Hiroshima Toyo Carp | 143 | 68 | 70 | 5 | .493 | 10 | 39–29–3 | 29–41–2 |
| 5 | Tokyo Yakult Swallows | 143 | 62 | 77 | 4 | .446 | 16½ | 34–33–4 | 28–44 |
| 6 | Chunichi Dragons | 143 | 60 | 75 | 8 | .444 | 16½ | 35–32–4 | 25–43–4 |
| # | Team | G | W | L | T | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks | 143 | 91 | 49 | 3 | .650 | — | 49–21–2 | 42–28–1 |
| 2 | Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters | 143 | 75 | 60 | 8 | .556 | 13½ | 41–25–6 | 34–35–2 |
| 3 | Chiba Lotte Marines | 143 | 71 | 66 | 6 | .518 | 18½ | 37–33–1 | 34–33–5 |
| 4 | Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles | 143 | 67 | 72 | 4 | .482 | 23½ | 30–39–2 | 37–33–2 |
| 5 | Orix Buffaloes | 143 | 63 | 77 | 3 | .450 | 28 | 34–36–1 | 29–41–2 |
| 6 | Saitama Seibu Lions | 143 | 49 | 91 | 3 | .350 | 42 | 31–40–1 | 18–51–2 |
Interleague
| # | Team | G | W | L | T | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles | 18 | 13 | 5 | 0 | .722 | — | 6–3 | 7–2 |
| 2 | Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks | 18 | 12 | 6 | 0 | .667 | 1 | 7–2 | 5–4 |
| 3 | Yokohama DeNA BayStars | 18 | 11 | 7 | 0 | .611 | 2 | 3–6 | 8–1 |
| 4 | Tokyo Yakult Swallows | 18 | 9 | 7 | 2 | .563 | 3 | 5–2−2 | 4–5 |
| 5 | Orix Buffaloes | 18 | 10 | 8 | 0 | .556 | 3 | 4–5 | 6–3 |
| 6 | Hiroshima Toyo Carp | 18 | 10 | 8 | 0 | .556 | 3 | 6–3 | 4–5 |
| 7 | Yomiuri Giants | 18 | 8 | 9 | 1 | .471 | 4½ | 4–5 | 4–4–1 |
| 8 | Chiba Lotte Marines | 18 | 7 | 9 | 2 | .438 | 5 | 4–5 | 3–4−2 |
| 9 | Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters | 18 | 7 | 10 | 1 | .412 | 5½ | 3–5–1 | 4–5 |
| 10 | Hanshin Tigers | 18 | 7 | 11 | 0 | .388 | 6 | 4–5 | 3–6 |
| 11 | Chunichi Dragons | 18 | 7 | 11 | 0 | .388 | 6 | 3–6 | 4–5 |
| 12 | Saitama Seibu Lions | 18 | 4 | 14 | 0 | .222 | 9 | 3–6 | 2–7 |
Overall, the Pacific League won 53 games and lost 52 against the Central League, with 3 ties.
Climax Series
First stage
Central League
Yokohama DeNA BayStars won the series, 2–0.
| Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | October 12 | Yokohama DeNA BayStars – 3, Hanshin Tigers – 1 | Koshien Stadium | 3:19 | 42,642[5] |
| 2 | October 13 | Yokohama DeNA BayStars – 10, Hanshin Tigers – 3 | Koshien Stadium | 3:45 | 42,646[6] |
Pacific League
Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters won the series, 2–1.
| Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | October 12 | Chiba Lotte Marines – 2, Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters – 0 | Es Con Field Hokkaido | 2:55 | 37,553[7] |
| 2 | October 13 | Chiba Lotte Marines – 2, Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters – 3 (10) | Es Con Field Hokkaido | 3:33 | 37,638[8] |
| 3 | October 14 | Chiba Lotte Marines – 2, Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters – 5 | Es Con Field Hokkaido | 3:04 | 37,478 |
Final stage
Central League
Yokohama DeNA BayStars won the series, 4-2.
| Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | October 16 | Yokohama DeNA BayStars – 2, Yomiuri Giants – 0 | Tokyo Dome | 3:05 | 42,076[9] |
| 2 | October 17 | Yokohama DeNA BayStars – 2, Yomiuri Giants – 1 | Tokyo Dome | 2:31 | 42,006[10] |
| 3 | October 18 | Yokohama DeNA BayStars – 2, Yomiuri Giants – 1 | Tokyo Dome | 3:06 | 42,180[11] |
| 4 | October 19 | Yokohama DeNA BayStars – 1, Yomiuri Giants – 4 | Tokyo Dome | 2:54 | 42,222[12] |
| 5 | October 20 | Yokohama DeNA BayStars – 0, Yomiuri Giants – 1 | Tokyo Dome | 2:40 | 42,152[13] |
| 6 | October 21 | Yokohama DeNA BayStars – 3, Yomiuri Giants – 2 | Tokyo Dome | 3:43 | 41,856[14] |
Pacific League
SoftBank won the series, 4–0.
| Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | October 16 | Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters – 2, Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks – 5 | Mizuho PayPay Dome | 2:40 | 40,142[15] |
| 2 | October 17 | Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters – 2, Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks – 7 | Mizuho PayPay Dome | 3:18 | 40,142[16] |
| 3 | October 18 | Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters – 2, Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks – 3 | Mizuho PayPay Dome | 2:50 | 40,142[17] |
2024 Japan Series
DeNA won the series, 4-2.
| Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | October 26 | Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks – 5, Yokohama DeNA BayStars – 3 | Yokohama Stadium | 3:46 | 33,147[18] |
| 2 | October 27 | Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks – 6, Yokohama DeNA BayStars – 3 | Yokohama Stadium | 3:20 | 32,953[19] |
| 3 | October 29 | Yokohama DeNA BayStars – 4, Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks – 1 | Mizuho PayPay Dome | 3:37 | 36,736[20] |
| 4 | October 30 | Yokohama DeNA BayStars – 5, Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks – 0 | Mizuho PayPay Dome | 3:19 | 36,623[21] |
| 5 | October 31 | Yokohama DeNA BayStars – 7, Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks – 0 | Mizuho PayPay Dome | 3:38 | 36,636[22] |
| 6 | November 3[a] | Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks – 2, Yokohama DeNA BayStars – 11 | Yokohama Stadium | 3:11 | 33,136[24] |
Awards
The following players were bestowed awards ranging from the Best Nine to MVP.[25]
Central League
| Award | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Most Valuable Player | Tomoyuki Sugano | Yomiuri Giants |
| Rookie of the Year | Hiromasa Funabasama | |
| Best Nine | ||
| Pitcher | Tomoyuki Sugano | Yomiuri Giants |
| Catcher | Yūdai Yamamoto | Yokohama DeNA BayStars |
| First Base | Kazuma Okamoto | Yomiuri Giants |
| Second Base | Naoki Yoshikawa | |
| Third Base | Munetaka Murakami | Tokyo Yakult Swallows |
| Shortstop | Hideki Nagaoka | |
| Outfield | Domingo Santana | |
| Seiya Hosokawa | Chunichi Dragons | |
| Kōji Chikamoto | Hanshin Tigers | |
Pacific League
| Award | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Most Valuable Player | Kensuke Kondoh | SoftBank Hawks |
| Rookie of the Year | Natsuki Takeuchi | Seibu Lions |
| Best Nine | ||
| Pitcher | Kohei Arihara | SoftBank Hawks |
| Catcher | Toshiya Satoh | Chiba Lotte Marines |
| First Base | Hotaka Yamakawa | SoftBank Hawks |
| Second Base | Hiroto Kobukata | Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles |
| Third Base | Ryoya Kurihara | SoftBank Hawks |
| Shortstop | Kenta Imamiya | |
| Outfield | Ryosuke Tatsumi | Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles |
| Kensuke Kondoh | SoftBank Hawks | |
| Ukyo Shuto | ||
| Designated Hitter | Franmil Reyes | Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters |
Attendances
The average attendance was 31,097.
| # | Team | Average |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hanshin Tigers | 41,801 |
| 2 | Yomiuri Giants | 39,247 |
| 3 | Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks | 37,862 |
| 4 | Chunichi Dragons | 32,951 |
| 5 | Yokohama DeNA BayStars | 32,754 |
| 6 | ORIX Buffaloes | 30,270 |
| 7 | Hiroshima Toyo Carp | 29,376 |
| 8 | Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters | 28,830 |
| 9 | Tokyo Yakult Swallows | 28,153 |
| 10 | Chiba Lotte Marines | 26,975 |
| 11 | Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles | 23,132 |
| 12 | Saitama Seibu Lions | 21,601 |
Source:[26]
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