# 1961 Nippon Professional Baseball season

The 1961 Nippon Professional Baseball season was the twelfth 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 | 71 | 53 | 6 | .569 | — |
| Chunichi Dragons | 130 | 72 | 56 | 2 | .562 | 1.0 |
| Kokutetsu Swallows | 130 | 67 | 60 | 3 | .527 | 5.5 |
| Hanshin Tigers | 130 | 60 | 67 | 3 | .473 | 12.5 |
| Hiroshima Carp | 130 | 58 | 67 | 5 | .465 | 13.5 |
| Taiyo Whales | 130 | 50 | 75 | 5 | .404 | 21.5 |
Pacific League regular season standings :
| Team | G | W | L | T | Pct. | GB |
| Nankai Hawks | 140 | 85 | 49 | 6 | .629 | — |
| Toei Flyers | 140 | 83 | 52 | 5 | .611 | 2.5 |
| Nishitetsu Lions | 140 | 81 | 56 | 3 | .589 | 5.5 |
| Daimai Orions | 140 | 72 | 66 | 2 | .521 | 15.0 |
| Hankyu Braves | 140 | 53 | 84 | 3 | .389 | 33.5 |
| Kintetsu Buffaloes | 140 | 36 | 103 | 1 | .261 | 51.5 |

## Postseason
### Japan Series

CL Yomiuri Giants (4) vs. PL Nankai Hawks (2)
| Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
| 1 | October 22 | Yomiuri Giants – 0, Nankai Hawks – 6 | Osaka Stadium | 2:19 | 30,720 |
| 2 | October 24 | Yomiuri Giants – 6, Nankai Hawks – 4 | Osaka Stadium | 2:41 | 26,845 |
| 3 | October 26 | Nankai Hawks – 4, Yomiuri Giants – 5 | Korakuen Stadium | 2:23 | 30,878 |
| 4 | October 29 | Nankai Hawks – 3, Yomiuri Giants – 4 | Korakuen Stadium | 2:18 | 33,186 |
| 5 | October 30 | Nankai Hawks – 6, Yomiuri Giants – 3 | Korakuen Stadium | 2:28 | 30,135 |
| 6 | November 1 | Yomiuri Giants – 3, Nankai Hawks – 2 | Osaka Stadium | 2:45 | 21,565 |

## League leaders
### Central League

Batting leaders :
| Stat | Player | Team | Total |
| Batting average | Shigeo Nagashima | Yomiuri Giants | .353 |
| Home runs | Shigeo Nagashima | Yomiuri Giants | 28 |
| Runs batted in | Takeshi Kuwata | Taiyo Whales | 94 |
| Runs | Toshio Naka | Chunichi Dragons | 88 |
| Hits | Shigeo Nagashima | Yomiuri Giants | 158 |
| Stolen bases | Kazuhiko Kondo | Taiyo Whales | 35 |
Pitching leaders :
| Stat | Player | Team | Total |
| Wins | Hiroshi Gondo | Chunichi Dragons | 35 |
| Losses | Masaaki Koyama | Hanshin Tigers | 22 |
| Earned run average | Hiroshi Gondo | Chunichi Dragons | 1.70 |
| Strikeouts | Hiroshi Gondo | Chunichi Dragons | 310 |
| Innings pitched | Hiroshi Gondo | Chunichi Dragons | 4291⁄3 |

### Pacific League

Batting leaders :
| Stat | Player | Team | Total |
| Batting average | Isao Harimoto | Toei Flyers | .336 |
| Home runs | Katsuya Nomura Yoshihiro Nakata | Nankai Hawks Hankyu Braves | 29 |
| Runs batted in | Kazuhiro Yamauchi | Daimai Orions | 112 |
| Runs | Akio Saionji | Toei Flyers | 97 |
| Hits | Kihachi Enomoto | Daimai Orions | 180 |
| Stolen bases | Yoshinori Hirose | Nankai Hawks | 42 |
Pitching leaders :
| Stat | Player | Team | Total |
| Wins | Kazuhisa Inao | Nishitetsu Lions | 42 |
| Losses | Toshiaki Tokuhisa | Kintetsu Buffaloes | 24 |
| Earned run average | Kazuhisa Inao | Nishitetsu Lions | 1.69 |
| Strikeouts | Kazuhisa Inao | Nishitetsu Lions | 353 |
| Innings pitched | Kazuhisa Inao | Nishitetsu Lions | 404 |

## Awards

* Most Valuable Player
** Shigeo Nagashima, Yomiuri Giants (CL)
** Katsuya Nomura, Nankai Hawks (PL)
* Rookie of the Year
** Hiroshi Gondo, Chunichi Dragons (CL)
** Toshiaki Tokuhisa, Kintetsu Buffaloes (PL)
* Eiji Sawamura Award
** Hiroshi Gondo, Chunichi Dragons (CL)
Central League Best Nine Award winners :
| Position | Player | Team |
| Pitcher | Hiroshi Gondo | Chunichi Dragons |
| Catcher | Masahiko Mori | Yomiuri Giants |
| First baseman | Katsumi Fujimoto | Hanshin Tigers |
| Second baseman | Masataka Tsuchiya | Kokutetsu Swallows |
| Third baseman | Shigeo Nagashima | Yomiuri Giants |
| Shortstop | Akiteru Kono | Chunichi Dragons |
| Outfielder | Kazuhiko Kondo | Taiyo Whales |
| Outfielder | Shinichi Eto | Chunichi Dragons |
| Outfielder | Katsuji Morinaga | Hiroshima Carp |
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 | Nobuyasu Morishita | Nankai Hawks |
| Third baseman | Futoshi Nakanishi | Nishitetsu Lions |
| Shortstop | Yasumitsu Toyoda | Nishitetsu Lions |
| Outfielder | Kazuhiro Yamauchi | Daimai Orions |
| Outfielder | Kenjiro Tamiya | Daimai Orions |
| Outfielder | Isao Harimoto | Toei Flyers |