1955 Nippon Professional Baseball season

This article is about the 1955 Nippon Professional Baseball season only. For information on all of baseball, see 1955 in baseball.

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 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.

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

Central League 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

Pacific League regular season standings

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

Main article: 1955 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

Batting leaders Stat Player Team Total Batting average Tetsuharu Kawakami Yomiuri Giants .338 Home runs Yukihiko Machida Kokutetsu Swallows 31 Runs batted in Tetsuharu Kawakami Yomiuri Giants 78 Runs Takao Sato Kokutetsu Swallows 77 Hits Tetsuharu Kawakami Yoshio Yoshida Yomiuri Giants Osaka Tigers 147 Stolen bases Itsuro Honda Chunichi Dragons 42

Pitching leaders 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

Batting leaders Stat Player Team Total Batting average Futoshi Nakanishi Nishitetsu Lions .332 Home runs Futoshi Nakanishi Nishitetsu Lions 35 Runs batted in Kazuhiro Yamauchi Mainichi Orions 99 Runs Chico Barbon Hankyu Braves 105 Hits Tokuji Iida Chico Barbon Nankai Hawks Hankyu Braves 163 Stolen bases Masao Morishita Nankai Hawks 59

Pitching leaders 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)

Central League Best Nine Award winners Position Player Team Pitcher Takehiko Bessho Yomiuri Giants Catcher Jun Hirota Yomiuri Giants First baseman Tetsuharu Kawakami Yomiuri Giants Second baseman Noboru Inoue Chunichi Dragons Third baseman Toshikazu Kodama Chunichi Dragons Shortstop Yoshio Yoshida Osaka Tigers Outfielder Hiroyuki Watanabe Osaka Tigers Wally Yonamine Yomiuri Giants Yukihiko Machida Kokutetsu Swallows

Pacific League Best Nine Award winners 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

• 1955 Major League Baseball season

References

1. 1955年度日本シリーズ　試合結果 (in Japanese). Nippon Professional Baseball. Archived from the original on 31 March 2010. Retrieved April 13, 2010.

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