# 1955 Nippon Professional Baseball season

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

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 |
| 2 | October 16 | Yomiuri Giants – 0, Nankai Hawks – 2 | Osaka Stadium | 2:02 | 27,784 |
| 3 | October 18 | Nankai Hawks – 2, Yomiuri Giants – 0 | Korakuen Stadium | 2:02 | 17,324 |
| 4 | October 21 | Nankai Hawks – 5, Yomiuri Giants – 2 | Korakuen Stadium | 2:06 | 19,373 |
| 5 | October 22 | Nankai Hawks – 5, Yomiuri Giants – 9 | Korakuen Stadium | 2:38 | 17,320 |
| 6 | October 23 | Yomiuri Giants – 3, Nankai Hawks – 1 | Osaka Stadium | 2:11 | 22,695 |
| 7 | October 24 | Yomiuri Giants – 4, Nankai Hawks – 0 | Osaka Stadium | 2:11 | 17,775 |

## 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 |
| Outfielder | Wally Yonamine | Yomiuri Giants |
| Outfielder | 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 |
| Outfielder | Tokuji Iida | Nankai Hawks |
| Outfielder | Katsuki Tokura | Hankyu Braves |