1951 Nippon Professional Baseball season

The 1951 Nippon Professional Baseball season was the second season of operation of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).

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

Central League 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

Pacific League regular season standings

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

Batting leaders Stat Player Team Total Batting average Tetsuharu Kawakami Yomiuri Giants .377 Home runs Noboru Aota Yomiuri Giants 32 Runs batted in Noboru Aota Yomiuri Giants 105 Runs Noboru Aota Yomiuri Giants 101 Hits Tsuguo Goto Osaka Tigers 155 Stolen bases Goro Tsuchiya Kokutetsu Swallows 52

Pitching leaders Stat Player Team Total Wins Shigeru Sugishita Nagoya Dragons 28 Losses Masaichi Kaneda Kokutetsu Swallows 21 Earned run average Kiyoshi Matsuda Yomiuri Giants 2.01 Strikeouts Masaichi Kaneda Kokutetsu Swallows 233 Innings pitched Masaichi Kaneda Kokutetsu Swallows 350

Pacific League

Batting leaders Stat Player Team Total Batting average Hiroshi Oshita Tokyu Flyers .383 Home runs Hiroshi Oshita Tokyu Flyers 26 Runs batted in Tokuji Iida Nankai Hawks 87 Runs Kazuo Yamamoto Nankai Hawks 97 Hits Chusuke Kizuka Nankai Hawks 130 Stolen bases Chusuke Kizuka Nankai Hawks 55

Pitching leaders Stat Player Team Total Wins Tadashi Eto Nankai Hawks 24 Losses Mitsuro Sawafuji Kintetsu Pearls 16 Earned run average Takeo Hattori Nankai Hawks 2.03 Strikeouts Hachiro Abe Hankyu Braves 150 Innings pitched Yasuo Yonekawa Tokyu Flyers 294​^2⁄3

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
  • Shigeru Sugishita, Nagoya Dragons (CL)

Central League Best Nine Award winners Position Player Team Pitcher Takehiko Bessho Yomiuri Giants Catcher Akira Noguchi Nagoya Dragons First baseman Tetsuharu Kawakami Yomiuri Giants Second baseman Shigeru Chiba Yomiuri Giants Third baseman Fumio Fujimura Osaka Tigers Shortstop Masaaki Hirai Yomiuri Giants Outfielder Masayasu Kaneda Osaka Tigers Noboru Aota Yomiuri Giants Yoshiyuki Iwamoto Shochiku Robins

Pacific League Best Nine Award winners Position Player Team Pitcher Tadashi Eto Nankai Hawks Catcher Takeshi Doigaki Mainichi Orions First baseman Tokuji Iida Nankai Hawks Second baseman Kazuto Yamamoto Nankai Hawks Third baseman Kazuo Kageyama Nankai Hawks Shortstop Chusuke Kizuka Nankai Hawks Outfielder Kaoru Betto Mainichi Orions Hiroshi Oshita Tokyu Flyers Shigeya Iijima Daiei Stars

See also

• 1951 All-American Girls Professional Baseball League season
• 1951 Major League Baseball season

References

1. "1951年度日本シリーズ　試合結果" (in Japanese). Nippon Professional Baseball. Retrieved November 23, 2009.

• Johnson, Daniel E. (July 2006). Japanese Baseball: A Statistical Handbook. McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-0-7864-2841-0.