# 1963 Nippon Professional Baseball season

The 1963 Nippon Professional Baseball season was the fourteenth 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 | 140 | 83 | 55 | 2 | .601 | — |
| Chunichi Dragons | 140 | 80 | 57 | 3 | .584 | 2.5 |
| Hanshin Tigers | 140 | 69 | 70 | 1 | .496 | 14.5 |
| Kokutetsu Swallows | 140 | 65 | 73 | 2 | .471 | 18.0 |
| Taiyo Whales | 140 | 59 | 79 | 2 | .428 | 24.0 |
| Hiroshima Carp | 140 | 58 | 80 | 2 | .420 | 25.0 |
Pacific League regular season standings :
| Team | G | W | L | T | Pct. | GB |
| Nishitetsu Lions | 150 | 86 | 60 | 4 | .589 | — |
| Nankai Hawks | 150 | 85 | 61 | 4 | .582 | 1.0 |
| Toei Flyers | 150 | 76 | 71 | 3 | .517 | 10.5 |
| Kintetsu Buffaloes | 150 | 74 | 73 | 3 | .503 | 12.5 |
| Daimai Orions | 150 | 64 | 85 | 1 | .430 | 23.5 |
| Hankyu Braves | 150 | 57 | 92 | 1 | .383 | 30.5 |

## Postseason
### Japan Series

CL Yomiuri Giants (4) vs. PL Nishitetsu Lions (3)
| Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
| 1 | October 26 | Yomiuri Giants – 1, Nishitetsu Lions – 6 | Heiwadai Stadium | 2:29 | 29,806 |
| 2 | October 27 | Yomiuri Giants – 9, Nishitetsu Lions – 6 | Heiwadai Stadium | 2:54 | 29,969 |
| 3 | October 30 | Nishitetsu Lions – 2, Yomiuri Giants – 8 | Korakuen Stadium | 2:28 | 30,384 |
| 4 | October 31 | Nishitetsu Lions – 4, Yomiuri Giants – 1 | Korakuen Stadium | 2:42 | 29,960 |
| 5 | November 1 | Nishitetsu Lions – 1, Yomiuri Giants – 3 | Korakuen Stadium | 2:10 | 30,386 |
| 6 | November 3 | Yomiuri Giants – 0, Nishitetsu Lions – 6 | Heiwadai Stadium | 2:09 | 27,079 |
| 7 | November 4 | Yomiuri Giants – 18, Nishitetsu Lions – 4 | Heiwadai Stadium | 2:32 | 17,436 |

## League leaders
### Central League

Batting leaders :
| Stat | Player | Team | Total |
| Batting average | Shigeo Nagashima | Yomiuri Giants | .341 |
| Home runs | Sadaharu Oh | Yomiuri Giants | 40 |
| Runs batted in | Shigeo Nagashima | Yomiuri Giants | 112 |
| Runs | Sadaharu Oh | Yomiuri Giants | 111 |
| Hits | Shigeo Nagashima | Yomiuri Giants | 163 |
| Stolen bases | Morimichi Takagi | Chunichi Dragons | 50 |
Pitching leaders :
| Stat | Player | Team | Total |
| Wins | Masaichi Kaneda | Kokutetsu Swallows | 30 |
| Losses | Kiyoshi Oishi | Hiroshima Carp | 22 |
| Earned run average | Minoru Kakimoto | Chunichi Dragons | 1.70 |
| Strikeouts | Masaichi Kaneda | Kokutetsu Swallows | 287 |
| Innings pitched | Makoto Inagawa | Taiyo Whales | 3381⁄3 |

### Pacific League

Batting leaders :
| Stat | Player | Team | Total |
| Batting average | Jack Bloomfield | Kintetsu Buffaloes | .335 |
| Home runs | Katsuya Nomura | Nankai Hawks | 52 |
| Runs batted in | Katsuya Nomura | Nankai Hawks | 135 |
| Runs | Katsuya Nomura | Nankai Hawks | 104 |
| Hits | Yoshinori Hirose | Nankai Hawks | 187 |
| Stolen bases | Yoshinori Hirose | Nankai Hawks | 45 |
Pitching leaders :
| Stat | Player | Team | Total |
| Wins | Kazuhisa Inao | Nishitetsu Lions | 28 |
| Losses | Tetsuya Yoneda | Hankyu Braves | 23 |
| Earned run average | Masahiro Kubo | Kintetsu Buffaloes | 2.36 |
| Strikeouts | Kazuhisa Inao | Nishitetsu Lions | 226 |
| Innings pitched | Kazuhisa Inao | Nishitetsu Lions | 386 |

## Awards

* Most Valuable Player
** Shigeo Nagashima, Yomiuri Giants (CL)
** Katsuya Nomura, Nankai Hawks (PL)
* Rookie of the Year
** No CL recipient
** No PL recipient
* Eiji Sawamura Award
** Yoshiaki Ito, Yomiuri Giants (CL)
Central League Best Nine Award winners :
| Position | Player | Team |
| Pitcher | Masaichi Kaneda | Kokutetsu Swallows |
| Catcher | Masahiko Mori | Yomiuri Giants |
| First baseman | Sadaharu Oh | Yomiuri Giants |
| Second baseman | Morimichi Takagi | Chunichi Dragons |
| Third baseman | Shigeo Nagashima | Yomiuri Giants |
| Shortstop | Takeshi Koba | Hiroshima Carp |
| Outfielder | Kazuhiko Kondo | Taiyo Whales |
| Outfielder | Shinichi Eto | Chunichi Dragons |
| Outfielder | Eiji Fujii | Hanshin Tigers |
Pacific League Best Nine Award winners :
| Position | Player | Team |
| Pitcher | Kazuhisa Inao | Nishitetsu Lions |
| Catcher | Katsuya Nomura | Nankai Hawks |
| First baseman | Kihachi Enomoto | Daimai Orions |
| Second baseman | Jack Bloomfield | Kintetsu Buffaloes |
| Third baseman | Akitoshi Kodama | Kintetsu Buffaloes |
| Shortstop | Kenji Koike | Nankai Hawks |
| Outfielder | Isao Harimoto | Toei Flyers |
| Outfielder | Kazuhiro Yamauchi | Daimai Orions |
| Outfielder | Yoshinori Hirose | Nankai Hawks |