1956 Nippon Professional Baseball season

The 1956 Nippon Professional Baseball season was the seventh season of operation of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).

This article is about the 1956 Nippon Professional Baseball season only. For information on all of baseball, see 1956 in baseball.

1956 NPB season
League	Nippon Professional Baseball
Sport	Baseball
Central League Pennant
League champions	Yomiuri Giants
Runners-up	Osaka Tigers
Season MVP	Takehiko Bessho (YOM)
Pacific League Pennant
League champions	Nishitetsu Lions
Runners-up	Nankai Hawks
Season MVP	Futoshi Nakanishi (NIS)
Japan Series
Champions	Nishitetsu Lions
Runners-up	Yomiuri Giants
Finals MVP	Yasumitsu Toyoda (NIS)

Regular season

Standings

Central League regular season standings

Team	G	W	L	T	Pct.	GB
Yomiuri Giants	130	82	44	4	.646	—
Osaka Tigers	130	79	50	1	.612	4.5
Chunichi Dragons	130	74	56	0	.569	10.0
Kokutetsu Swallows	130	61	65	4	.485	21.0
Hiroshima Carp	130	45	82	3	.358	27.5
Taiyo Whales	130	43	87	0	.331	41.0

Pacific League regular season standings

Team	G	W	L	T	Pct.	GB
Nishitetsu Lions	154	96	51	7	.646	—
Nankai Hawks	154	96	52	6	.643	0.5
Hankyu Braves	154	88	64	2	.578	10.5
Mainichi Orions	154	84	66	4	.558	13.5
Kintetsu Pearls	154	68	82	4	.455	29.5
Toei Flyers	154	58	92	4	.390	39.5
Daiei Stars	154	57	94	3	.380	41.0
Takahashi Unions	154	52	98	4	.351	45.5

Postseason

Japan Series

Main article: 1956 Japan Series

PL Nishitetsu Lions (4) vs. CL Yomiuri Giants (2)

Game	Date	Score	Location	Time	Attendance
1	October 10	Nishitetsu Lions – 0, Yomiuri Giants – 4	Korakuen Stadium	2:07	24,632[1]
2	October 11	Nishitetsu Lions – 6, Yomiuri Giants – 3	Korakuen Stadium	2:18	19,108[1]
3	October 13	Yomiuri Giants – 4, Nishitetsu Lions – 5	Heiwadai Stadium	2:41	23,528[1]
4	October 14	Yomiuri Giants – 0, Nishitetsu Lions – 4	Heiwadai Stadium	1:55	24,459[1]
5	October 15	Yomiuri Giants – 12, Nishitetsu Lions – 7	Heiwadai Stadium	3:16	19,042[1]
6	October 17	Nishitetsu Lions – 5, Yomiuri Giants – 1	Korakuen Stadium	2:13	27,994[1]

League leaders

Central League

Batting leaders Stat Player Team Total Batting average Wally Yonamine Yomiuri Giants .338 Home runs Noboru Aota Taiyo Whales 25 Runs batted in Andy Miyamoto Yomiuri Giants 69 Runs Wally Yonamine Yomiuri Giants 86 Hits Tetsuharu Kawakami Yomiuri Giants 160 Stolen bases Yoshio Yoshida Osaka Tigers 50

Pitching leaders Stat Player Team Total Wins Takehiko Bessho Yomiuri Giants 27 Losses Noboru Akiyama Taiyo Whales 25 Earned run average Shozo Watanabe Osaka Tigers 1.45 Strikeouts Masaichi Kaneda Kokutetsu Swallows 316 Innings pitched Noboru Akiyama Taiyo Whales 379​^2⁄3

Pacific League

Batting leaders Stat Player Team Total Batting average Yasumitsu Toyoda Nishitetsu Lions .325 Home runs Futoshi Nakanishi Nishitetsu Lions 29 Runs batted in Futoshi Nakanishi Nishitetsu Lions 95 Runs Chico Barbon Hankyu Braves 94 Hits Shinya Sasaki Takahashi Unions 180 Stolen bases Akiteru Kono Hankyu Braves 85

Pitching leaders Stat Player Team Total Wins Masayoshi Miura Daiei Stars 29 Losses Yasuo Yonekawa Toei Flyers 21 Earned run average Kazuhisa Inao Nishitetsu Lions 1.06 Strikeouts Takao Kajimoto Hankyu Braves 327 Innings pitched Yukio Shimabara Nishitetsu Lions 373​^2⁄3

Awards

• Most Valuable Player
  • Takehiko Bessho, Yomiuri Giants (CL)
  • Futoshi Nakanishi, Nishitetsu Lions (PL)
• Rookie of the Year
  • Noboru Akiyama, Taiyo Whales (CL)
  • Kazuhisa Inao, Nishitetsu Lions (PL)
• Eiji Sawamura Award
  • Masaichi Kaneda, Kokutetsu Swallows (CL)

Central League Best Nine Award winners Position Player Team Pitcher Takehiko Bessho Yomiuri Giants Catcher Shigeru Fujio 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 Wally Yonamine Yomiuri Giants Kenjiro Tamiya Osaka Tigers Noboru Aota Taiyo Whales

Pacific League Best Nine Award winners Position Player Team Pitcher Takao Kajimoto Hankyu Braves Catcher Katsuya Nomura Nankai Hawks First baseman Kihachi Enomoto Mainichi Orions Second baseman Shinya Sasaki Takahashi Unions Third baseman Futoshi Nakanishi Nishitetsu Lions Shortstop Yasumitsu Toyoda Nishitetsu Lions Outfielder Kazuhiro Yamauchi Mainichi Orions Katsuki Tokura Hankyu Braves Kohei Sugiyama Nankai Hawks

See also

• 1956 Major League Baseball season

References

1. 1956年度日本シリーズ　試合結果 (in Japanese). Nippon Professional Baseball. Retrieved April 14, 2010.

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