# 1958 Nippon Professional Baseball season

The 1958 Nippon Professional Baseball season was the ninth season of operation of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).

## Regular season
### Standings

Central League regular season standings :
| Team | G | W | L | T | Pct. | GB |
| Yomiuri Giants | 130 | 77 | 52 | 1 | .596 | — |
| Osaka Tigers | 130 | 72 | 58 | 0 | .554 | 5.5 |
| Chunichi Dragons | 130 | 66 | 59 | 5 | .527 | 9.0 |
| Kokutetsu Swallows | 130 | 58 | 68 | 4 | .462 | 17.5 |
| Hiroshima Carp | 130 | 54 | 68 | 8 | .446 | 19.5 |
| Taiyo Whales | 130 | 51 | 73 | 6 | .415 | 23.5 |
Pacific League regular season standings :
| Team | G | W | L | T | Pct. | GB |
| Nishitetsu Lions | 130 | 78 | 47 | 5 | .619 | — |
| Nankai Hawks | 130 | 77 | 48 | 5 | .612 | 1.0 |
| Hankyu Braves | 130 | 73 | 51 | 6 | .585 | 4.5 |
| Daimai Orions | 130 | 62 | 63 | 5 | .496 | 16.0 |
| Toei Flyers | 130 | 57 | 70 | 3 | .450 | 22.0 |
| Kintetsu Pearls | 130 | 29 | 97 | 4 | .238 | 49.5 |

## Postseason
### Japan Series

PL Nishitetsu Lions (4) vs. CL Yomiuri Giants (3)
| Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
| 1 | October 11 | Nishitetsu Lions – 2, Yomiuri Giants – 9 | Korakuen Stadium | 3:02 | 35,217 |
| 2 | October 12 | Nishitetsu Lions – 3, Yomiuri Giants – 7 | Korakuen Stadium | 2:21 | 35,953 |
| 3 | October 14 | Yomiuri Giants – 1, Nishitetsu Lions – 0 | Heiwadai Stadium | 2:00 | 31,575 |
| 4 | October 16 | Yomiuri Giants – 4, Nishitetsu Lions – 6 | Heiwadai Stadium | 2:17 | 27,044 |
| 5 | October 17 | Yomiuri Giants – 3, Nishitetsu Lions – 5 | Heiwadai Stadium | 2:34 | 25,193 |
| 6 | October 20 | Nishitetsu Lions – 2, Yomiuri Giants – 0 | Korakuen Stadium | 2:03 | 31,745 |
| 7 | October 21 | Nishitetsu Lions – 6, Yomiuri Giants – 1 | Korakuen Stadium | 2:23 | 20,961 |

## League leaders
### Central League

Batting leaders :
| Stat | Player | Team | Total |
| Batting average | Kenjiro Tamiya | Osaka Tigers | .320 |
| Home runs | Shigeo Nagashima | Yomiuri Giants | 29 |
| Runs batted in | Shigeo Nagashima | Yomiuri Giants | 92 |
| Runs | Shigeo Nagashima | Yomiuri Giants | 89 |
| Hits | Shigeo Nagashima | Yomiuri Giants | 153 |
| Stolen bases | Hiroji Okajima | Chunichi Dragons | 47 |
Pitching leaders :
| Stat | Player | Team | Total |
| Wins | Masaichi Kaneda | Kokutetsu Swallows | 31 |
| Losses | Noboru Akiyama | Taiyo Whales | 23 |
| Earned run average | Masaichi Kaneda | Kokutetsu Swallows | 1.30 |
| Strikeouts | Masaichi Kaneda | Kokutetsu Swallows | 311 |
| Innings pitched | Motoshi Fujita Noboru Akiyama | Yomiuri Giants Taiyo Whales | 359 |

### Pacific League

Batting leaders :
| Stat | Player | Team | Total |
| Batting average | Futoshi Nakanishi | Nishitetsu Lions | .314 |
| Home runs | Futoshi Nakanishi | Nishitetsu Lions | 23 |
| Runs batted in | Takao Katsuragi | Daimai Orions | 85 |
| Runs | Yoshinori Hirose | Nankai Hawks | 82 |
| Hits | Takao Katsuragi | Daimai Orions | 147 |
| Stolen bases | Chico Barbon | Hankyu Braves | 38 |
Pitching leaders :
| Stat | Player | Team | Total |
| Wins | Kazuhisa Inao | Nishitetsu Lions | 33 |
| Losses | Mamoru Otsu | Kintetsu Pearls | 22 |
| Earned run average | Kazuhisa Inao | Nishitetsu Lions | 1.42 |
| Strikeouts | Kazuhisa Inao | Nishitetsu Lions | 334 |
| Innings pitched | Kazuhisa Inao | Nishitetsu Lions | 373 |

## Awards

* Most Valuable Player
** Motoshi Fujita, Yomiuri Giants (CL)
** Kazuhisa Inao, Nishitetsu Lions (PL)
* Rookie of the Year
** Shigeo Nagashima, Yomiuri Giants (CL)
** Tadashi Sugiura, Nankai Hawks (PL)
* Eiji Sawamura Award
** Masaichi Kaneda, Kokutetsu Swallows (CL)
Central League Best Nine Award winners :
| Position | Player | Team |
| Pitcher | Masaichi Kaneda | Kokutetsu Swallows |
| Catcher | Shigeru Fujio | Yomiuri Giants |
| First baseman | Tetsuharu Kawakami | Yomiuri Giants |
| Second baseman | Noboru Inoue | Chunichi Dragons |
| Third baseman | Shigeo Nagashima | Yomiuri Giants |
| Shortstop | Yoshio Yoshida | Osaka Tigers |
| Outfielder | Toru Mori | Chunichi Dragons |
| Outfielder | Wally Yonamine | Yomiuri Giants |
| Outfielder | Kenjiro Tamiya | Osaka Tigers |
Pacific League Best Nine Award winners :
| Position | Player | Team |
| Pitcher | Kazuhisa Inao | Nishitetsu Lions |
| Catcher | Katsuya Nomura | Nankai Hawks |
| First baseman | Stanley Hashimoto | Toei Flyers |
| Second baseman | Chico Barbon | Hankyu Braves |
| Third baseman | Futoshi Nakanishi | Nishitetsu Lions |
| Shortstop | Takao Katsuragi | Daimai Orions |
| Outfielder | Seiji Sekiguchi | Nishitetsu Lions |
| Outfielder | Shochi Busujima | Toei Flyers |
| Outfielder | Kohei Sugiyama | Nankai Hawks |