2020 Nippon Professional Baseball season

This article is about the 2020 Nippon Professional Baseball season only. For information on all of baseball, see 2020 in baseball.

The 2020 Nippon Professional Baseball season was the 71st 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.

2020 NPB season
League	Nippon Professional Baseball
Sport	Baseball
Duration	June 19 – November 25
Number of games	120
Number of teams	12
Central League Pennant
League champions	Yomiuri Giants
Runners-up	Hanshin Tigers
Season MVP	Tomoyuki Sugano (Yomiuri)
Pacific League Pennant
League champions	Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
Runners-up	Chiba Lotte Marines
Season MVP	Yuki Yanagita (SoftBank)
Climax Series
CL champions	N/A
CL runners-up	N/A
PL champions	Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
PL runners-up	Chiba Lotte Marines
Japan Series
Champions	Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
Runners-up	Yomiuri Giants
Finals MVP	Ryoya Kurihara (SoftBank)

Season schedule

The 2020 season was originally scheduled to begin on 20 March, with a break from 21 July to 13 August, for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.^[1] On 26 February 2020, the league announced that its remaining spring training games would be held without fans in attendance, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan.^[2][3] With health related precautions in place, the media was allowed into some ballparks.^[4] Following another league meeting on 9 March, commissioner Atsushi Saito stated that the 2020 season would be postponed until April.^[5][6] Saito also said that the league aimed to retain a full regular season schedule of 143 games.^[7] This announcement marked the first time since 2011 that a Nippon Professional Baseball season was delayed.^[8]

On 18 April, the league announced that it would remain delayed indefinitely through the entirety of May, with the 18-game interleague schedule removed to accommodate a 125-game schedule. The delay of the 2020 Olympics meant that the three-week Olympic break would no longer be needed. Therefore, it was removed from the schedule.^[9] Before the league began play, the 2020 season was shortened to 120 games, and scheduled to end on 7 November.^[10][11] As a result of the condensed schedule, it was also announced that the First Stage of the Pacific League Climax Series would not be played, with the top two teams from the regular season competing in a best-of-5 Final Stage which the regular season winner enters with a one-game advantage. The Central League would do away with its Climax Series entirely, with its regular season winner advancing directly to the 2020 Japan Series.^[12]

With the lifting of states of emergency over major Japanese cities, NPB announced that it would begin its regular season on 19 June behind closed doors. "Warm-up" games began 26 May.^[13] All twelve NPB teams played on as scheduled on 19 June.^[10] On 10 July NPB began allowing a limited number of fans to attend games, with plans to further ease restrictions in the near future.^[14] On 19 September, attendance was expanded to a maximum of 20,000 fans per game, or 50% of stadium capacity.^[15]

Regular season standings

Central League regular season standings^[16]

Pos	Team	G	W	L	T	Pct.	GB
1	Yomiuri Giants	120	67	45	8	.598	-
2	Hanshin Tigers	120	60	53	7	.531	7.5
3	Chunichi Dragons	120	60	55	5	.522	8.5
4	Yokohama DeNA BayStars	120	56	58	6	.491	12
5	Hiroshima Toyo Carp	120	52	56	12	.481	13
6	Tokyo Yakult Swallows	120	41	69	10	.373	25

Pacific League regular season standings^[17]

Pos	Team	G	W	L	T	Pct.	GB
1	Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks	120	73	42	5	.635	-
2	Chiba Lotte Marines	120	60	57	3	.513	14
3	Saitama Seibu Lions	120	58	58	4	.500	15.5
4	Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles	120	55	57	8	.491	16.5
5	Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters	120	53	62	5	.461	20
6	Orix Buffaloes	120	45	68	7	.398	27

Climax Series

Main article: 2020 Pacific League Climax Series

	Pacific League Climax Series					Japan Series
						CL1	Yomiuri Giants	0
	1	Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks	3			PL1	Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks	4
	2	Chiba Lotte Marines	0

Pacific League

Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks won the series, 3–0.

Game	Date	Score	Location	Time	Attendance
1	November 14	Chiba Lotte Marines – 3, Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks – 4	PayPay Dome	3:19	19,901[18]
2	November 15	Chiba Lotte Marines – 4, Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks – 6	PayPay Dome	3:27	19,995[19]

Japan Series

Main article: 2020 Japan Series

Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks won the series, 4–0.

Game	Date	Score	Location	Time	Attendance
1	November 21	Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks – 5, Yomiuri Giants – 1	Kyocera Dome Osaka	3:34	16,489[20]
2	November 22	Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks – 13, Yomiuri Giants – 2	Kyocera Dome Osaka	3:40	16,333[21]
3	November 24	Yomiuri Giants – 0, Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks – 4	PayPay Dome	2:58	17,297[22]
4	November 25	Yomiuri Giants – 1, Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks – 4	PayPay Dome	3:22	19,679[23]

League leaders

Central League

Batting leaders[24] Stat Player Team Total Batting average Keita Sano Yokohama DeNA BayStars .328 Home runs Kazuma Okamoto Yomiuri Giants 31 Runs batted in Kazuma Okamoto Yomiuri Giants 97 Runs Kazuma Okamoto Yomiuri Giants 97 Hits Yohei Oshima Chunichi Dragons 146 Stolen bases Kōji Chikamoto Hanshin Tigers 31 On-base percentage Munetaka Murakami Tokyo Yakult Swallows .427 Slugging percentage Munetaka Murakami Tokyo Yakult Swallows .585

Pitching leaders[25] Stat Player Team Total Wins Tomoyuki Sugano Yomiuri Giants 14 Earned run average Yudai Ono Chunichi Dragons 1.82 Strikeouts Yudai Ono Chunichi Dragons 148 Innings pitched Yudai Ono Chunichi Dragons 148.2 Saves Robert Suárez Hanshin Tigers 25 Holds Daisuke Sobue Chunichi Dragons 30 Winning percentage Tomoyuki Sugano Yomiuri Giants .875

Pacific League

Batting leaders[26] Stat Player Team Total Batting average Masataka Yoshida Orix Buffaloes .350 Home runs Hideto Asamura Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles 32 Runs batted in Sho Nakata Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters 108 Runs Yuki Yanagita Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks 90 Hits Yuki Yanagita Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks 146 Stolen bases Ukyo Shuto Saitama Seibu Lions 50 On-base percentage Kensuke Kondo Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters .465 Slugging percentage Yuki Yanagita Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks .623

Pitching leaders[27] Stat Player Team Total Wins Shuta Ishikawa Kodai Senga Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks 11 Earned run average Kodai Senga Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks 2.16 Strikeouts Kodai Senga Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks 149 Innings pitched Ayumu Ishikawa Chiba Lotte Marines 133.1 Saves Tatsushi Masuda Saitama Seibu Lions 33 Holds Livan Moinelo Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks 40 Winning percentage Hideaki Wakui Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles .733

Awards

Regular season

NPB Awards

	Central League		Pacific League
Award	Player	Team	Player	Team
Rookie of the Year	Masato Morishita	Hiroshima Toyo Carp	Kaima Taira	Saitama Seibu Lions
Most Valuable Player	Tomoyuki Sugano	Yomiuri Giants	Yuki Yanagita	Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
Eiji Sawamura Award	Yūdai Ōno	Chunichi Dragons
Best Relief Pitcher	Noboru Shimizu Daisuke Sobue Hiroto Fuku	Tokyo Yakult Swallows Chunichi Dragons Chunichi Dragons	Liván Moinelo	Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
Matsutaro Shoriki Award			Kimiyasu Kudo	Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
Best Nine Award
Position	Player	Team	Player	Team
Pitcher	Tomoyuki Sugano	Yomiuri Giants	Kodai Senga	Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
Catcher	Takumi Ohshiro	Yomiuri Giants	Takuya Kai	Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
1st Base	Munetaka Murakami	Tokyo Yakult Swallows	Sho Nakata	Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters
2nd Base	Ryosuke Kikuchi	Hiroshima Toyo Carp	Hideto Asamura	Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles
3rd Base	Kazuma Okamoto	Yomiuri Giants	Daichi Suzuki	Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles
Shortstop	Hayato Sakamoto	Yomiuri Giants	Sosuke Genda	Saitama Seibu Lions
Outfield	Yoshihiro Maru	Yomiuri Giants	Masataka Yoshida	Orix Buffaloes
	Seiya Suzuki	Hiroshima Toyo Carp	Kensuke Kondo	Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters
	Keita Sano	Yokohama DeNA BayStars	Yuki Yanagita	Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
Designated hitter	Not applicable		Takumi Kuriyama	Saitama Seibu Lions

Mitsui Golden Glove Award

	Central League		Pacific League
Position	Player	Team	Player	Team
Pitcher	Tomoyuki Sugano	Yomiuri Giants	Kodai Senga	Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
Catcher	Ryutaro Umeno	Hanshin Tigers	Takuya Kai	Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
1st Base	Dayán Viciedo	Chunichi Dragons	Akira Nakamura Sho Nakata	Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters
2nd Base	Ryosuke Kikuchi	Hiroshima Toyo Carp	Shuta Tonosaki	Saitama Seibu Lions
3rd Base	Shuhei Takahashi	Chunichi Dragons	Daichi Suzuki	Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles
Shortstop	Hayato Sakamoto	Yomiuri Giants	Sosuke Genda	Saitama Seibu Lions
Outfield	Seiya Suzuki	Hiroshima Toyo Carp	Yuki Yanagita	Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
	Yōhei Ōshima	Chunichi Dragons	Taishi Ohta	Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters
	Norichika Aoki	Tokyo Yakult Swallows	Haruki Nishikawa	Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters

See also

• 2020 in baseball
• 2020 Major League Baseball season
• 2020 KBO League season
• 2020 Chinese Professional Baseball League season
• Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on baseball

Notes

1.^ The 2020 Central League Climax Series was cancelled. As a result, the regular season champion Yomiuri Giants advanced directly to the Japan Series.

References

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2. "Japanese pro baseball to restrict spectators from 72 preseason games". Japan Times. Kyodo News. February 26, 2020. Archived from the original on February 27, 2020. Retrieved March 9, 2020. Alt URL
3. Woods, Amanda (February 27, 2020). "Japanese baseball fans barred from preseason games over coronavirus fears". New York Post. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
4. Coskrey, Jason (February 29, 2020). "Giants and Swallows compete without familiar sights and sounds at ballpark". Japan Times. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
5. "Japan's pro baseball league delays season start over coronavirus". Kyodo News. March 9, 2020. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
6. "Virus postpones opening of Japanese pro baseball season". Taiwan News. Associated Press. March 9, 2020. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
7. Nagatsuka, Kaz (March 9, 2020). "NPB to delay start of regular season due to ongoing COVID-19 outbreak". Japan Times. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
8. "Start of Japan Pro Baseball Regular Season to Be Delayed". Jiji Press. March 9, 2020. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
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11. Nagatsuka, Kaz (May 25, 2020). "NPB can play ball in Japan from June 19, but minus fans". Japan Times. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
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13. Tarrant, Jack (May 25, 2020). "Baseball-Japan's baseball league to start on June 19". National Post. Reuters. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
14. "お待たせ！プロ野球７・１０に６球場一斉観客解禁…上限５０００人". June 23, 2020. Archived from the original on July 21, 2020. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
15. "ＮＰＢ １９日にも観客上限緩和へ ２万人、または収容５０％の少ない方（デイリースポーツ） - Yahoo!ニュース". Archived from the original on October 6, 2020. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
16. "2020 Central League Standings". Retrieved July 21, 2020.
17. "2020 Pacific League Standings". Retrieved July 21, 2020.
18. "Saturday, November 14, 2020". Nippon Professional Baseball. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
19. "Sunday, November 15, 2020". Nippon Professional Baseball. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
20. "Saturday, November 21, 2020". Nippon Professional Baseball. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
21. "Sunday, November 22, 2020". Nippon Professional Baseball. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
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23. "Wednesday, November 25, 2020". Nippon Professional Baseball. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
24. "2020 Central League Qualifiers for Batting Championship". npb.jp.
25. "2020 Central League Qualifiers for Earned-Run Average Title & Top Relief Pitchers". npb.jp.
26. "2020 Pacific League Qualifiers for Batting Championship". npb.jp.
27. "2020 Pacific League Qualifiers for Earned-Run Average Title & Top Relief Pitchers". npb.jp.