NPB Guide: Japanese Baseball's 12 Teams, the Climax Series and the Japan Series
How the Central and Pacific Leagues differ, how the Climax Series works and what to know about foreign-player rules: a first-timer's guide to Nippon Professional Baseball.
Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) is the strongest league in Asia and the starting point for stars such as Shohei Ohtani, Ichiro Suzuki and Hideki Matsui. Professional baseball in Japan began in 1936, and in 1950 it split into the Central League and the Pacific League, the structure it still has today. This guide covers the teams, the season and what to look for at the ballpark.
Two leagues, twelve teams
The Central League's six clubs are the Yomiuri Giants (Tokyo Dome), Hanshin Tigers (Koshien Stadium), Chunichi Dragons (Nagoya Dome), Hiroshima Carp (Mazda Stadium), Yokohama DeNA BayStars (Yokohama Stadium) and Tokyo Yakult Swallows (Meiji Jingu Stadium).
The Pacific League's six are the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks (Fukuoka Dome), Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters (ES CON Field, opened in 2023), Chiba Lotte Marines (ZOZO Marine Stadium), Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles (Sendai), Saitama Seibu Lions (Belluna Dome) and Orix Buffaloes (Kyocera Dome Osaka).
The Giants and Tigers are the oldest and most popular clubs, and games between them are known as the traditional rivalry, the most watched matchup in Japanese baseball.
The biggest difference: the designated hitter
The Pacific League has used the designated hitter since 1975, while the Central League long kept pitchers in the batting order, which gave the two leagues noticeably different styles. The Central League has announced it will adopt the DH from 2027, so that long-standing difference is about to end.
Regular season, interleague play and the Climax Series
Each team plays 143 regular-season games, including interleague play, introduced in 2005. Unlike Major League Baseball, extra innings are capped, and a game still tied after twelve innings ends as a tie.
The postseason is called the Climax Series. The top three teams in each league take part: second and third meet in the first stage, and the winner faces the league champion in the final stage. To reward the regular-season winner, the first-place team starts the final stage with a one-win advantage. The two league winners then meet in the best-of-seven Japan Series for the national title.
Rules on foreign players
Each team can register at most four foreign players on its first-team roster, and they cannot all be pitchers or all be position players. The rule pushes clubs to develop local talent and makes every foreign signing an important decision.
The road to the majors: the posting system
Japan's best players can move to MLB through the posting system. With their club's agreement, MLB teams can negotiate with the player, and the signing team pays a transfer fee to the Japanese club. Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto both crossed the Pacific this way.
What to look for at the park
A Japanese ballpark feels very different from an American one. Cheering sections in the outfield bring instruments and flags and sing a song for every batter, and at many parks fans release balloons together in the seventh inning. Ballpark bento boxes and beer vendors carrying kegs on their backs are famous too; a game feels like a festival.
Big crowds and a deep farm system
NPB draws some of the largest crowds in world baseball. The Giants and Tigers regularly fill stadiums holding tens of thousands, and even smaller-market clubs have loyal local followings that travel to road games.
Behind every first team is a second team that plays in its own minor league, the Eastern League in the east of the country and the Western League in the west. Young players, veterans returning from injury and anyone who has lost their place on the first team play there, and promotions and demotions between the two rosters happen all season long. Following a club's second team is one of the best ways to spot the stars of the next few years before they become famous.
For Baseball Dream players
NPB teams value pitchers' control, careful bunting and smart baserunning, all tactics you can use in the game. If your lineup lacks power, try the Japanese approach: get on base, move runners over with bunts and steals, and take every run that is offered.