2025 Nippon Professional Baseball season
76th annual season of Nippon Professional Baseball
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The 2025 Nippon Professional Baseball season was the 76th season of professional baseball in Japan since Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) was reorganized in 1950. There were 12 NPB teams, split evenly between the Central League and Pacific League. The Yokohama DeNA BayStars entered the season as the defending champions.
| 2025 NPB season | |
|---|---|
| League | Nippon Professional Baseball |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Duration | March 28 – October 5 |
| Games | 143 |
| Teams | 12 |
| Total attendance | 27,040,286[1] |
| Central League pennant | |
| League champions | Hanshin Tigers |
| Runners-up | Yokohama DeNA BayStars |
| Season MVP | Teruaki Sato (Hanshin) |
| Pacific League pennant | |
| League champions | Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks |
| Runners-up | Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters |
| Season MVP | Liván Moinelo (SoftBank) |
| Climax Series | |
| CL champions | Hanshin Tigers |
| CL runners-up | Yokohama DeNA BayStars |
| PL champions | Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks |
| PL runners-up | Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters |
| Japan Series | |
| Venue | |
| Champions | Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks |
| Runners-up | Hanshin Tigers |
| Finals MVP | Hotaka Yamakawa (SoftBank) |
The 12 clubs of NPB drew a total of over 27 million attendees or an average of 31,515 per game, setting a second consecutive year of new records for Japanese baseball attendance.[1]
Regular season standings
| Pos | Team | G | W | L | T | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hanshin Tigers† | 143 | 85 | 54 | 4 | .612 | — | 41–29–1 | 44–25–3 |
| 2 | Yokohama DeNA BayStars* | 143 | 71 | 66 | 6 | .518 | 13 | 36–32–3 | 35–34–3 |
| 3 | Yomiuri Giants* | 143 | 70 | 69 | 4 | .504 | 15 | 44–26–1 | 26–43–3 |
| 4 | Chunichi Dragons | 143 | 63 | 78 | 2 | .447 | 23 | 35–36–1 | 28–42–1 |
| 5 | Hiroshima Toyo Carp | 143 | 59 | 79 | 5 | .428 | 25½ | 37–32–3 | 22–47–2 |
| 6 | Tokyo Yakult Swallows | 143 | 57 | 79 | 7 | .419 | 26½ | 32–35–5 | 25–44–2 |
| Pos | Team | G | W | L | T | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks† | 143 | 87 | 52 | 4 | .626 | — | 44–24–3 | 43–28–1 |
| 2 | Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters* | 143 | 83 | 57 | 3 | .593 | 4½ | 43–28 | 40–29–3 |
| 3 | Orix Buffaloes* | 143 | 74 | 66 | 3 | .529 | 13½ | 38–32–2 | 36–34–1 |
| 4 | Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles | 143 | 67 | 74 | 2 | .475 | 21 | 35–36–1 | 32–38–1 |
| 5 | Saitama Seibu Lions | 143 | 63 | 77 | 3 | .450 | 24½ | 35–34–2 | 28–43–1 |
| 6 | Chiba Lotte Marines | 143 | 56 | 84 | 3 | .400 | 31½ | 33–38–1 | 23–46–2 |
- † League champion and advanced directly to the final stage of the Climax Series
* Advanced to the first stage of the Climax Series
Interleague
| Pos | Team | G | W | L | T | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks† | 18 | 12 | 5 | 1 | .706 | — | 7–1–1 | 5–4 |
| 2 | Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters | 18 | 11 | 7 | 0 | .611 | 1½ | 6–3 | 5–4 |
| 3 | Orix Buffaloes | 18 | 11 | 7 | 0 | .611 | 1½ | 7–2 | 4–5 |
| 4 | Saitama Seibu Lions | 18 | 10 | 8 | 0 | .556 | 2½ | 7–2 | 3–6 |
| 5 | Chiba Lotte Marines | 18 | 10 | 8 | 0 | .556 | 2½ | 7–2 | 3–6 |
| 6 | Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles | 18 | 9 | 8 | 1 | .529 | 3 | 5–4 | 4–4–1 |
| 7 | Hiroshima Toyo Carp | 18 | 9 | 9 | 0 | .500 | 3½ | 6–3 | 3–6 |
| 8 | Hanshin Tigers | 18 | 8 | 10 | 0 | .444 | 4½ | 6–3 | 2–7 |
| 9 | Chunichi Dragons | 18 | 8 | 10 | 0 | .444 | 4½ | 5–4 | 3–6 |
| 10 | Yokohama DeNA BayStars | 18 | 7 | 11 | 0 | .389 | 5½ | 4–5 | 3–6 |
| 11 | Yomiuri Giants | 18 | 6 | 11 | 1 | .353 | 6 | 5–4 | 1–7–1 |
| 12 | Tokyo Yakult Swallows | 18 | 5 | 12 | 1 | .294 | 7 | 3–5−1 | 2–7 |
- † Interleague champion
Climax Series
First stage
Central League
DeNA won the series, 2-0.
| Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | October 11 | Yomiuri Giants – 2, Yokohama DeNA BayStars – 6 | Yokohama Stadium | 2:54 | 33,783[5] |
| 2 | October 12 | Yomiuri Giants – 6, Yokohama DeNA BayStars – 7 | Yokohama Stadium | 4:31 | 33,767[6] |
Pacific League
Nippon-Ham won the series, 2-0.
| Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | October 11 | Orix Buffaloes – 0, Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters – 2 | Es Con Field Hokkaido | 2:52 | 34,165[7] |
| 2 | October 12 | Orix Buffaloes – 4, Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters – 5 | Es Con Field Hokkaido | 3:20 | 35,024[8] |
Final stage
Central League
Tigers won the series, 4-0.
| Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | October 15 | Yokohama DeNA BayStars – 0, Hanshin Tigers – 2 | Koshien Stadium | 3:36 | 42,643[9] |
| 2 | October 16 | Yokohama DeNA BayStars – 3, Hanshin Tigers – 5 (10) | Koshien Stadium | 4:30 | 42,647[10] |
| 3 | October 17 | Yokohama DeNA BayStars – 0, Hanshin Tigers – 4 | Koshien Stadium | 3:00 | 42,649[11] |
Pacific League
Hawks won the series, 4-3.
| Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | October 15 | Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters – 1, Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks – 2 | Mizuho PayPay Dome Fukuoka | 3:25 | 40,066[12] |
| 2 | October 16 | Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters – 0, Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks – 3 | Mizuho PayPay Dome Fukuoka | 3:07 | 39,337[13] |
| 3 | October 17 | Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters – 6, Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks – 0 | Mizuho PayPay Dome Fukuoka | 3:14 | 40,142[14] |
| 4 | October 18 | Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters – 9, Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks – 3 | Mizuho PayPay Dome Fukuoka | 3:24 | 40,142[15] |
| 5 | October 19 | Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters – 7, Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks – 1 | Mizuho PayPay Dome Fukuoka | 3:03 | 39,410[16] |
| 6 | October 20 | Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters – 1, Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks – 2 | Mizuho PayPay Dome Fukuoka | 2:44 | 39,942[17] |
2025 Japan Series
Hawks won the series, 4-1.
| Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | October 25 | Hanshin Tigers – 2, Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks – 1 | Mizuho PayPay Dome Fukuoka | 3:17 | 36,882[18] |
| 2 | October 26 | Hanshin Tigers – 1, Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks – 10 | Mizuho PayPay Dome Fukuoka | 3:13 | 36,910[19] |
| 3 | October 28 | Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks – 2, Hanshin Tigers – 1 | Koshien Stadium | 3:27 | 41,594[20] |
| 4 | October 29 | Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks – 3, Hanshin Tigers – 2 | Koshien Stadium | 3:30 | 41,591[21] |
| 5 | October 30 | Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks – 3, Hanshin Tigers – 2 (11) | Koshien Stadium | 4:09 | 41,606[22] |
Note: All dates and times are in JST (Japan Standard Time).
League leaders
(Updated through September 20)
Central League
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| AVG | Kaito Kozono (HIR) | .310 |
| OPS | Teruaki Satō (HAN) | .930 |
| HR | 38 | |
| RBI | 96 | |
| R | Shota Morishita (HAN) | 80 |
| H | Kaito Kozono (HIR) | 158 |
| SB | Kōji Chikamoto (HAN) | 31 |
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| W | Katsuki Azuma (YKO) | 14 |
| L | Masato Morishita (HIR) | 14 |
| ERA | Daichi Ishii (HAN) | 0.18 |
| K | Shoki Murakami (HAN) | 132 |
| IP | Hiroki Tokoda (HIR) | 168.2 |
| SV | Raidel Martínez (YOM) | 43 |
| WHIP | Taichi Ishiyama (YKU) | 0.69 |
Pacific League
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| AVG | Ryōma Nishikawa (ORX) | .312 |
| OPS | Franmil Reyes (NPN) | .884 |
| HR | 32 | |
| RBI | 86 | |
| R | Kotaro Kiyomiya (NPN) Franmil Reyes (NPN) |
58 |
| H | Itsuki Murabayashi (TOH) | 138 |
| SB | Ukyo Shuto (FKA) | 34 |
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| W | Hiromi Itoh (NPN) | 14 |
| L | Ryota Takinaka (TOH) Chihiro Sumida (SEI) Austin Voth (LOT) |
9 |
| ERA | Naoto Nishiguchi (TOH) | 0.94 |
| K | Hiromi Itoh (NPN) | 175 |
| IP | 175.2 | |
| SV | Kaima Taira (SEI) Kazuki Sugiyama (FKA) |
28 |
| WHIP | Yuki Matsumoto (FKA) | 0.79 |
Awards and honors
The following players were bestowed awards ranging from the Best Nine to MVP on November 26[23][24][25]
- Eiji Sawamura Award
- Matsutaro Shoriki Award
- Nippon Professional Baseball Comeback Player of the Year Award
Central League
| Award | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Most Valuable Player | Teruaki Sato | Hanshin Tigers |
| Rookie of the Year | Kota Shoji | Tokyo Yakult Swallows |
| Best Nine | ||
| Pitcher | Shoki Murakami | Hanshin Tigers |
| Catcher | Seishiro Sakamoto | |
| First Base | Yusuke Ohyama | |
| Second Base | Takumu Nakano | |
| Third Base | Teruaki Sato | |
| Shortstop | Yuta Izuguchi | Yomiuri Giants |
| Outfield | Yūki Okabayashi | Chunichi Dragons |
| Koji Chikamoto | Hanshin Tigers | |
| Shota Morishita | ||
Pacific League
| Award | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Most Valuable Player | Liván Moinelo | Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks |
| Rookie of the Year | Mishō Nishikawa | Chiba Lotte Marines |
| Best Nine | ||
| Pitcher | Livan Moinelo | Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks |
| Catcher | Kenya Wakatsuki | Orix Buffaloes |
| First Base | Tyler Nevin | Saitama Seibu Lions |
| Second Base | Taisei Makihara | Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks |
| Third Base | Itsuki Murabayashi | Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles |
| Shortstop | Rui Muneyama | |
| Outfield | Ukyo Shuto | Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks |
| Keita Nakagawa | Orix Buffaloes | |
| Tatsuru Yanagimachi | Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks | |
| Designated Hitter | Franmil Reyes | Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters |
Foreign player signings
The following list includes players formerly playing for other professional baseball leagues who signed with NPB teams during and prior to the 2025 season.
| Date | Player | NPB team | Former team | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 15, 2025 | Shintaro Fujinami (RHP) | Yokohama DeNA BayStars | Seattle Mariners (MLB) | [26] |
| July 14, 2025 | Grant Hartwig (RHP) | Hanshin Tigers | New York Mets (MLB) | [27] |
| July 11, 2025 | Michael Chavis (IF) | Chunichi Dragons | Los Angeles Dodgers (MLB) | [28] |
| J. D. Davis (IF) | Seibu Lions | Los Angeles Angels (MLB) | [29] | |
| June 22, 2025 | Luke Voit (IF) | Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles | Tigres de Quintana Roo (LMB) | [30] |
| May 22, 2025 | Oscar Gonzalez (OF) | San Diego Padres (MLB) | [31] | |
| February 16, 2025 | Pedro Avila (RHP) | Tokyo Yakult Swallows | Cleveland Guardians (MLB) | [32] |
| February 9, 2025 | Austin Voth (RHP) | Chiba Lotte Marines | Seattle Mariners (MLB) | [33] |
| February 6, 2025 | Yunior Marte (RHP) | Chunichi Dragons | [34] | |
| January 26, 2025 | Trevor Bauer (RHP) | Yokohama DeNA BayStars | Diablos Rojos del Mexico (LMB) | [35] |
| January 11, 2025 | Edward Olivares (OF) | Orix Buffaloes | New York Mets (MLB) | [36] |
| January 10, 2025 | Jordan Díaz (IF) | Athletics (MLB) | [37] | |
| January 9, 2025 | Tyler Nevin (IF) | Seibu Lions | [38] | |
| January 6, 2025 | Trey Wingenter (RHP) | Chicago Cubs (MLB) | [39] | |
| December 20, 2024 | Nick Nelson (RHP) | Hanshin Tigers | Philadelphia Phillies (MLB) | [40] |
| December 18, 2024 | Naoyuki Uwasawa (RHP) | SoftBank Hawks | Boston Red Sox (MLB) | [41] |
| December 17, 2024 | Trey Cabbage (1B/OF) | Yomiuri Giants | Pittsburgh Pirates (MLB) | [42] |
| December 16, 2024 | Jon Duplantier (RHP) | Hanshin Tigers | Milwaukee Brewers (MLB) | [43] |
| December 15, 2024 | Kyle Muller (LHP) | Chunichi Dragons | Athletics (MLB) | [44] |
| December 14, 2024 | Peter Lambert (RHP) | Yakult Swallows | Colorado Rockies (MLB) | [45] |
| December 13, 2024 | Bryan Sammons (LHP) | Chiba Lotte Marines | Detroit Tigers (MLB) | [46] |
| December 10, 2024 | Spencer Howard (RHP) | Rakuten Eagles | San Francisco Giants (MLB) | [47] |
| December 9, 2024 | Mike Baumann (RHP) | Yakult Swallows | Miami Marlins (MLB) | [48] |
| December 4, 2024 | Tayron Guerrero (RHP) | Chiba Lotte Marines | Los Angeles Angels (MLB) | [49] |
| November 30, 2024 | Emmanuel Ramirez (RHP) | Seibu Lions | Toronto Blue Jays (MLB) | [50] |
| Jason Vosler (IF) | Chunichi Dragons | Seattle Mariners (MLB) | [51] | |
| November 20, 2024 | Sandro Fabian (OF) | Hiroshima Toyo Carp | Texas Rangers (MLB) | [52] |
| November 8, 2024 | Elehuris Montero (IF) | Colorado Rockies (MLB) | [53] |
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