# 1971 Nippon Professional Baseball season

The 1971 Nippon Professional Baseball season was the 22nd 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 | 70 | 52 | 8 | .574 | — |
| Chunichi Dragons | 130 | 65 | 60 | 5 | .520 | 6.5 |
| Taiyo Whales | 130 | 61 | 59 | 10 | .508 | 8.0 |
| Hiroshima Toyo Carp | 130 | 63 | 61 | 6 | .508 | 8.0 |
| Hanshin Tigers | 130 | 57 | 64 | 9 | .471 | 12.5 |
| Yakult Atoms | 130 | 52 | 72 | 6 | .419 | 19.0 |
Pacific League regular season standings :
| Team | G | W | L | T | Pct. | GB |
| Hankyu Braves | 130 | 80 | 39 | 11 | .672 | — |
| Lotte Orions | 130 | 80 | 46 | 4 | .635 | 3.5 |
| Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes | 130 | 65 | 60 | 5 | .520 | 18.0 |
| Nankai Hawks | 130 | 61 | 65 | 4 | .484 | 22.5 |
| Toei Flyers | 130 | 44 | 74 | 12 | .373 | 35.5 |
| Nishitetsu Lions | 130 | 38 | 84 | 8 | .311 | 43.5 |

## League leaders
### Central League

Batting leaders :
| Stat | Player | Team | Total |
| Batting average | Shigeo Nagashima | Yomiuri | .320 |
| Home runs | Sadaharu Oh | Yomiuri | 39 |
| Runs batted in | Sadaharu Oh | Yomiuri | 101 |
| Runs | Sadaharu Oh | Yomiuri | 92 |
| Hits | Shigeo Nagashima | Yomiuri | 155 |
| Stolen bases | Shigeru Takada | Yomiuri | 38 |
Pitching leaders :
| Stat | Player | Team | Total |
| Wins | Masaji Hiramatsu | Taiyo | 17 |
| Losses | Hiromu Matsuoka | Yakult | 15 |
| Earned run average | Kazuhiro Fujimoto | Hiroshima | 1.71 |
| Strikeouts | Yutaka Enatsu | Hankyu | 267 |
| Innings pitched | Hiromu Matsuoka | Yakult | 2812⁄3 |

### Pacific League

Batting leaders :
| Stat | Player | Team | Total |
| Batting average | Shinichi Eto | Lotte | .337 |
| Home runs | Katsuo Osugi | Toei | 41 |
| Runs batted in | Hiromitsu Kadota | Nankai | 120 |
| Runs | Atsushi Nagaike | Hankyu | 87 |
| Hits | Katsuo Osugi | Toei | 154 |
| Stolen bases | Yutaka Fukumoto | Hankyu | 67 |
Pitching leaders :
| Stat | Player | Team | Total |
| Wins | Masaaki Kitaru | Lotte | 24 |
| Losses | Osamu Higashio Akira Kawahara | Nishitetsu Nishitetsu | 16 16 |
| Earned run average | Hisashi Yamada | Hankyu | 2.37 |
| Strikeouts | Keishi Suzuki | Osaka | 269 |
| Innings pitched | Keishi Suzuki | Osaka | 2911⁄3 |

## Awards

* Most Valuable Player
** Shigeo Nagashima, Yomiuri Giants (CL)
** Tokuji Nagaike, Hankyu Braves (PL)
* Rookie of the Year
** Shitoshi Sekimoto, Yomiuri Giants (CL)
** Yasuo Minagawa, Toei Flyers (PL)
* Eiji Sawamura Award
** Not awarded
Central League Best Nine Award winners :
| Position | Player | Team |
| Pitcher | Masaji Hiramatsu | Taiyo |
| Catcher | Tatsuhiko Kimata | Chunichi |
| First baseman | Sadaharu Oh | Yomiuri |
| Second baseman | Yasuhiro Kunisada | Hiroshima |
| Third baseman | Shigeo Nagashima | Yomiuri |
| Shortstop | Taira Fujita | Hanshin |
| Outfielder | Jitsuo Mizutani | Hiroshima |
| Outfielder | Isao Shibata | Yomiuri |
| Outfielder | Shigeru Takada | Yomiuri |
Pacific League Best Nine Award winners :
| Position | Player | Team |
| Pitcher | Hisashi Yamada | Hankyu |
| Catcher | Katsuya Nomura | Nankai |
| First baseman | Katsuo Osugi | Toei |
| Second baseman | Hiroyuki Yamazaki | Lotte |
| Third baseman | Michiyo Arito | Lotte |
| Shortstop | Toshizo Sakamoto | Hankyu |
| Outfielder | George Altman | Lotte |
| Outfielder | Hiromitsu Kadota | Nankai |
| Outfielder | Tokuji Nagaike | Hankyu |