The 1955 Nippon Professional Baseball season was the sixth season of operation of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). This season featured the worst statistical season by winning percentage in NPB history, a .231 winning percentage set by the Taiyo Whales. This season also saw the most wins in a single season by a single team in NPB history, with the Nankai Hawks winning a record 99 games.
| 1955 NPB season | |
|---|---|
| League | Nippon Professional Baseball |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Central League Pennant | |
| League champions | Yomiuri Giants |
| Runners-up | Osaka Tigers |
| Season MVP | Tetsuharu Kawakami (YOM) |
| Pacific League Pennant | |
| League champions | Nankai Hawks |
| Runners-up | Nishitetsu Lions |
| Season MVP | Tokuji Iida (NAN) |
| Japan Series | |
| Champions | Yomiuri Giants |
| Runners-up | Nankai Hawks |
| Finals MVP | Takehiko Bessho (YOM) |
The Yomiuri Giants defeated the Nankai Hawks in the Japan Series, 4 games to 3, marking the Giants' 4th NPB championship, all of which to this point had come against the Hawks.
Regular season
Standings
| Team | G | W | L | T | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yomiuri Giants | 130 | 92 | 37 | 1 | .713 | — |
| Osaka Tigers | 130 | 77 | 52 | 1 | .597 | 15.0 |
| Chunichi Dragons | 130 | 71 | 57 | 2 | .555 | 20.5 |
| Hiroshima Carp | 130 | 58 | 70 | 2 | .453 | 33.5 |
| Kokutetsu Swallows | 130 | 57 | 71 | 2 | .445 | 34.5 |
| Taiyo Whales | 130 | 31 | 99 | 0 | .238 | 61.5 |
| Team | G | W | L | T | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nankai Hawks | 143 | 99 | 41 | 3 | .707 | — |
| Nishitetsu Lions | 144 | 90 | 50 | 4 | .643 | 9.0 |
| Mainichi Orions | 142 | 85 | 55 | 2 | .607 | 14.0 |
| Hankyu Braves | 142 | 80 | 60 | 2 | .571 | 19.0 |
| Kintetsu Pearls | 142 | 60 | 80 | 2 | .429 | 39.0 |
| Daiei Stars | 141 | 53 | 87 | 1 | .379 | 46.0 |
| Toei Flyers | 143 | 51 | 89 | 3 | .364 | 48.0 |
| Tombo Unions | 141 | 42 | 98 | 1 | .300 | 57.0 |
Postseason
Japan Series
CL Yomiuri Giants (4) vs. PL Nankai Hawks (3)
| Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | October 15 | Yomiuri Giants – 4, Nankai Hawks – 1 | Osaka Stadium | 2:32 | 22,448[1] |
| 2 | October 16 | Yomiuri Giants – 0, Nankai Hawks – 2 | Osaka Stadium | 2:02 | 27,784[1] |
| 3 | October 18 | Nankai Hawks – 2, Yomiuri Giants – 0 | Korakuen Stadium | 2:02 | 17,324[1] |
| 4 | October 21 | Nankai Hawks – 5, Yomiuri Giants – 2 | Korakuen Stadium | 2:06 | 19,373[1] |
| 5 | October 22 | Nankai Hawks – 5, Yomiuri Giants – 9 | Korakuen Stadium | 2:38 | 17,320[1] |
| 6 | October 23 | Yomiuri Giants – 3, Nankai Hawks – 1 | Osaka Stadium | 2:11 | 22,695[1] |
| 7 | October 24 | Yomiuri Giants – 4, Nankai Hawks – 0 | Osaka Stadium | 2:11 | 17,775[1] |
League leaders
Central League
| Stat | Player | Team | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wins | Ryohei Hasegawa Takumi Otomo | Hiroshima Carp Yomiuri Giants | 30 |
| Losses | Masatoshi Gondo | Taiyo Whales | 21 |
| Earned run average | Takehiko Bessho | Yomiuri Giants | 1.33 |
| Strikeouts | Masaichi Kaneda | Kokutetsu Swallows | 350 |
| Innings pitched | Masaichi Kaneda | Kokutetsu Swallows | 400 |
Pacific League
| Stat | Player | Team | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wins | Motoji Takuwa | Nankai Hawks | 24 |
| Losses | Yasuo Yonekawa | Toei Flyers | 21 |
| Earned run average | Takashi Nakagawa | Mainichi Orions | 2.08 |
| Strikeouts | Hisafumi Kawamura | Nishitetsu Lions | 225 |
| Innings pitched | Yasuo Yonekawa | Toei Flyers | 3531⁄3 |
Awards
- Most Valuable Player
- Tetsuharu Kawakami, Yomiuri Giants (CL)
- Tokuji Iida, Nankai Hawks (PL)
- Rookie of the Year
- Kazunori Nishimura, Osaka Tigers (CL)
- Kihachi Enomoto, Mainichi Orions (PL)
- Eiji Sawamura Award
- Takehiko Bessho, Yomiuri Giants (CL)
| Position | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Pitcher | Taisei Nakamura | Nankai Hawks |
| Catcher | Charlie Lewis | Mainichi Orions |
| First baseman | Kohei Sugiyama | Nankai Hawks |
| Second baseman | Isami Okamoto | Nankai Hawks |
| Third baseman | Futoshi Nakanishi | Nishitetsu Lions |
| Shortstop | Chusuke Kizuka | Nankai Hawks |
| Outfielder | Kazuhiro Yamauchi | Mainichi Orions |
| Tokuji Iida | Nankai Hawks | |
| Katsuki Tokura | Hankyu Braves |
See also
References
- Johnson, Daniel E. (July 2006). Japanese Baseball: A Statistical Handbook. McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-0-7864-2841-0.
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