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{{short description|Annual championship series in Nippon Professional Baseball}}
{{distinguish|MLB Japan All-Star Series}}
{{more citations needed|date=April 2020}}
{{Infobox tournament
| name =<!--inherited from page name-->
| image = 
| image_size = 
| caption = 
| sport = [[Baseball]]
| month_played = Late October–early November
| established = [[1950 Japan Series|1950]]
| administrator = [[Nippon Professional Baseball]]
| format = [[Best-of-seven series]]
| teams = 2
| most_champs = [[Yomiuri Giants]]<br />(22 titles)
| defending_champs = [[Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks]]<br />(12th title)
| broadcast = 
| current = [[2025 Japan Series]]
}}

The '''Japan Series''' ({{nihongo2|日本シリーズ}} {{nihongo3|||Nippon Shiriizu}}, officially the '''Japan Championship Series''', {{nihongo2|プロ野球日本選手権シリーズ}} {{nihongo3|||Puro Yakyū Nippon Senshuken Shiriizu}}),<ref name="sponichi141101">{{Cite news |title=日本シリーズ チャンピオンフラッグのお値段は？ |work=[[Sports Nippon|Sponichi Annex]] |date=2014-11-01 |publisher={{nihongo|Yakyu Taro|[[:ja:野球太郎|週刊野球太郎編集部]]}} |url=https://www.sponichi.co.jp/baseball/news/2014/11/01/kiji/K20141101009208620.html |access-date=2018-10-24 |archive-date=2024-11-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241127044922/https://www.sponichi.co.jp/baseball/news/2014/11/01/kiji/K20141101009208620.html |url-status=live }}</ref> also the '''Nippon Series''',<ref>{{cite web |author=Nippon Professional Baseball Organization. |url=http://npb.jp/eng/ |title=Nippon Professional Baseball Organization |publisher=Npb.jp |date= |accessdate=2022-07-13 |archive-date=2022-06-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220629074954/https://npb.jp/eng/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>[[:File:2014_JS_logo.png]]</ref> is the annual [[championship]] series in [[Nippon Professional Baseball]], the top [[baseball]] league in Japan. It is a [[best-of-seven]] series between the winning clubs of the league's two circuits, the [[Central League]] and the [[Pacific League]], and is played in October or November. The first team to win four games is the overall winner and is declared {{nihongo|the Japan Series Champion|日本一|Nippon Ichi|number one in Japan|}} each year. The Japan Series uses a 2–3–2 format, with the latter four games in theory if additional games are needed following ties.

The [[home advantage|home]] team for games 1, 2 and eventually 6 and 7, alternates between the two leagues with the Pacific League having the advantage on the years ending with an odd number and the Central League on the years ending with an even number. [[Designated hitter]]s are used if the team from the Pacific League hosts the game. There is a 40-man postseason roster limit, and the rule on drawn games is changed to 12 innings, since 2018.  If the series is tied after the seventh game, a Game 8 will be held with the same team hosting Games 6 and 7 hosting this game. Only once has a Game 8 been played in Japan Series history, where the [[Seibu Lions]] defeated the [[Hiroshima Toyo Carp]] in 1986. In the event that Game 8 does not decide the series, the next game would be played at the stadium that hosted Games 3 through 5 after a day of rest, and games will continue until one team wins four games.

Every current team in the NPB has won the Japan Series at least once. The team with the most championships is the [[Yomiuri Giants]], who have won the Japan Series twenty-two times.  In 2004, the Pacific League instituted a three-team stepladder [[playoff]] format to determine the league [[champion]], while the Central League champion had a long wait before the Japan Series.  During this time, the Pacific League won four consecutive Series from 2003 to 2006.  Starting with the 2007 postseason, both leagues adopted the [[Climax Series]] to determine their champions.  The Climax Series involves the top three finishers in each league, though the format gives a significant advantage to the team with the best record in each league.

On November 6, 2010, the [[Chunichi Dragons]] and [[Chiba Lotte Marines]] played the longest game in Japan Series history. It lasted fifteen innings and resulted in a 2–2 draw, with the game lasting 5 hours and 43 minutes. Only Game 2 of the 2022 Japan Series on October 23, 2022, came close, with the [[Orix Buffaloes]] and [[Tokyo Yakult Swallows]] playing to a 3–3 draw after 12 innings, lasting 5 hours and 3 minutes.

Even though the Central League is historically more victorious, in recent years, the Pacific League has been catching up in titles. Currently, the Central League has 38 titles, while the Pacific League has 37 titles. The Pacific League won eight consecutive Japan Series championships from 2013 to 2020, with six by the [[Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks]], and one each by the [[Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters]] and [[Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles]]. The streak was broken in 2021, with the [[Tokyo Yakult Swallows]] beating the [[Orix Buffaloes]].

==List of winners==
{{legend|#58ceff|Pacific League team (PL)}}

{{legend|#59d986|Central League team (CL)}}

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|-
!scope="row"|MVP
|[[Japan Series Most Valuable Player Award]]
|-
!scope="row"|FSA
|Fighting Spirit Award (MVP on the losing team)
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|-
!scope="col"| Year
!scope="col"| Winning team
!scope="col"| Manager
!scope="col"| Series
!scope="col"| Losing team
!scope="col"|Manager
!scope="col"| MVP
!scope="col"| FSA
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[1950 Japan Series|1950]]
| align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" | [[Mainichi Orions]] || [[Yuasa Yoshio]]|| 4–2 || align="left" style="background:#59d986;" | [[Shochiku Robins]] || [[Tokuro Konishi]]	||[[Kaoru Bettou]] || Not awarded
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[1951 Japan Series|1951]]
| align="left" style="background:#59d986;" | [[Yomiuri Giants]] ||[[Shigeru Mizuhara]] || 4–1 || align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" | [[Nankai Hawks]] || [[Kazuto Tsuruoka]] || [[Yukou Minamimura]] || Not awarded
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[1952 Japan Series|1952]]
| align="left" style="background:#59d986;" | [[Yomiuri Giants]] ||[[Shigeru Mizuhara]] || 4–2 || align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" |[[Nankai Hawks]] || [[Kazuto Tsuruoka]]|| [[Takehiko Bessho]] || Not awarded
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[1953 Japan Series|1953]]
| align="left" style="background:#59d986;" | [[Yomiuri Giants]]|| [[Shigeru Mizuhara]] || 4–2–1 || align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" |[[Nankai Hawks]]  ||[[Kazuto Tsuruoka]] || [[Tetsuharu Kawakami]] || [[Hiroshi Minohara]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[1954 Japan Series|1954]]
| align="left" style="background:#59d986;" | [[Chunichi Dragons]] || [[Shunichi Amachi]] ||  4–3  || align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" |[[Nishitetsu Lions]] || [[Osamu Mihara]]|| [[Shigeru Sugishita]] || [[Hiroshi Oshita]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[1955 Japan Series|1955]]
| align="left" style="background:#59d986;" | [[Yomiuri Giants]] || [[Shigeru Mizuhara]] || 4–3 || align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" |[[Nankai Hawks]] || [[Kazuto Tsuruoka]] ||  Takehiko Bessho || [[Ichiro Togawa]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[1956 Japan Series|1956]]
| align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" | [[Saitama Seibu Lions|Nishitetsu Lions]] || [[Osamu Mihara]] || 4–2 || align="left" style="background:#59d986;" |[[Yomiuri Giants]] ||[[Shigeru Mizuhara]] ||  [[Yasumitsu Toyoda]] || [[Kazuhisa Inao]]*
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[1957 Japan Series|1957]]
| align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" | [[Saitama Seibu Lions|Nishitetsu Lions]] || [[Osamu Mihara]] || 4–0–1 || align="left" style="background:#59d986;" |[[Yomiuri Giants]] ||[[Shigeru Mizuhara]]  || [[Hiroshi Oshita]] || [[Toshio Miyamoto]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[1958 Japan Series|1958]]
| align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" | [[Saitama Seibu Lions|Nishitetsu Lions]] || [[Osamu Mihara]] || 4–3 || align="left" style="background:#59d986;" |[[Yomiuri Giants]] |||[[Shigeru Mizuhara]]||[[Kazuhisa Inao]] || [[Motoshi Fujita]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[1959 Japan Series|1959]]
| align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" | [[Nankai Hawks]] || [[Kazuto Tsuruoka]] || 4–0 || align="left" style="background:#59d986;" |[[Yomiuri Giants]] || |[[Shigeru Mizuhara]]||[[Tadashi Sugiura]] || [[Masataka Tsuchiya]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[1960 Japan Series|1960]]
| align="left" style="background:#59d986;" | [[Yokohama BayStars|Taiyō Whales]] ||[[Osamu Mihara]] || 4–0 || align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" |[[Daimai Orions]] || [[Yukio Nishimoto]] ||  [[Akihito Kondo]] || [[Kenjiro Tamiya]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[1961 Japan Series|1961]]
| align="left" style="background:#59d986;" | [[Yomiuri Giants]] || [[Tetsuharu Kawakami]] || 4–2 || align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" | [[Nankai Hawks]] || [[Kazuto Tsuruoka]] || [[Andy Miyamoto]] || [[Joe Stanka]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[1962 Japan Series|1962]]
| align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" | [[Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters|Toei Flyers]] || [[Shigeru Mizuhara]]  || 4–2–1 || align="left" style="background:#59d986;" | [[Hanshin Tigers]] || [[Sadayoshi Fujimoto]] || [[Masayuki Dobashi]]<br/>[[Masayuki Tanemo]] || [[Yoshio Yoshida (baseball)|Yoshio Yoshida]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[1963 Japan Series|1963]]
| align="left" style="background:#59d986;" | [[Yomiuri Giants]] || [[Tetsuharu Kawakami]] || 4–3|| align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" | [[Nishitetsu Lions]] || [[Futoshi Nakanishi]] || [[Shigeo Nagashima]] || [[Kazuhisa Inao]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[1964 Japan Series|1964]]
| align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" | [[Nankai Hawks]] || [[Kazuto Tsuruoka]] || 4–3|| align="left" style="background:#59d986;" | [[Hanshin Tigers]] || [[Sadayoshi Fujimoto]] || [[Joe Stanka]] || [[Kazuhiro Yamauchi]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[1965 Japan Series|1965]]
| align="left" style="background:#59d986;" | [[Yomiuri Giants]] || [[Tetsuharu Kawakami]] || 4–1 || align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" | [[Nankai Hawks]] || [[Kazuto Tsuruoka]] ||  [[Shigeo Nagashima]] || [[Nobushige Morishita]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[1966 Japan Series|1966]]
| align="left" style="background:#59d986;" | [[Yomiuri Giants]] || [[Tetsuharu Kawakami]] ||  4–2 || align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" | [[Nankai Hawks]] || [[Kazuto Tsuruoka]] || [[Isao Shibata]] || [[Taisuke Watanabe]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[1967 Japan Series|1967]]
| align="left" style="background:#59d986;" | [[Yomiuri Giants]] || [[Tetsuharu Kawakami]] ||  4–2 || align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" |[[Orix Buffaloes|Hankyu Braves]] || [[Yukio Nishimoto]] || [[Masaaki Mori]] || [[Mitsuhiro Adachi]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[1968 Japan Series|1968]]
| align="left" style="background:#59d986;" | [[Yomiuri Giants]] || [[Tetsuharu Kawakami]] || 4–2 || align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" |[[Orix Buffaloes|Hankyu Braves]] || [[Yukio Nishimoto]]||  [[Shigeru Takada]] || [[Tokuji Nagaike]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[1969 Japan Series|1969]]
| align="left" style="background:#59d986;" | [[Yomiuri Giants]] || [[Tetsuharu Kawakami]] || 4–2 || align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" |[[Orix Buffaloes|Hankyu Braves]] || [[Yukio Nishimoto]] ||   [[Shigeo Nagashima]] || [[Tokuji Nagaike]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[1970 Japan Series|1970]]
| align="left" style="background:#59d986;" | [[Yomiuri Giants]] || [[Tetsuharu Kawakami]] || 4–1 || align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" |[[Lotte Orions]] || [[Wataru Nonin]]  || [[Shigeo Nagashima]] || [[Reiji Iishi]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[1971 Japan Series|1971]]
| align="left" style="background:#59d986;" | [[Yomiuri Giants]] || [[Tetsuharu Kawakami]] ||  4–1 || align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" |[[Orix Buffaloes|Hankyu Braves]] ||[[Yukio Nishimoto]] || [[Toshimitsu Suetsugu]] || [[Hisashi Yamada]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[1972 Japan Series|1972]]
| align="left" style="background:#59d986;" | [[Yomiuri Giants]] || [[Tetsuharu Kawakami]] ||  4–1 || align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" |[[Orix Buffaloes|Hankyu Braves]] ||[[Yukio Nishimoto]] ||  [[Tsuneo Horiuchi]] || [[Mitsuhiro Adachi]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[1973 Japan Series|1973]]
| align="left" style="background:#59d986;" | [[Yomiuri Giants]] || [[Tetsuharu Kawakami]] || 4–1 || align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" |[[Nankai Hawks]] || [[Katsuya Nomura]] || [[Tsuneo Horiuchi]] || [[Katsuya Nomura]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[1974 Japan Series|1974]]
| align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" | [[Lotte Orions]] ||[[Masaichi Kaneda]] || 4–2 || align="left" style="background:#59d986;" |[[Chunichi Dragons]] ||[[Wally Yonamine]] ||   [[Sumio Hirota]] || [[Morimichi Takagi]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[1975 Japan Series|1975]]
| align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" | [[Orix Buffaloes|Hankyu Braves]] ||[[Toshiharu Ueda]] ||	4–0–2 || align="left" style="background:#59d986;" |[[Hiroshima Toyo Carp]] ||[[Takeshi Koba]]  || [[Takashi Yamaguchi (baseball)|Takashi Yamaguchi]] || [[Koji Yamamoto (baseball, born 1946)|Koji Yamamoto]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[1976 Japan Series|1976]]
| align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" | [[Orix Buffaloes|Hankyu Braves]] || [[Toshiharu Ueda]] || 4–3 || align="left" style="background:#59d986;" | [[Yomiuri Giants]] ||[[Shigeo Nagashima]] ||  [[Yutaka Fukumoto]] || [[Isao Shibata]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[1977 Japan Series|1977]]
| align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" | [[Orix Buffaloes|Hankyu Braves]] || [[Toshiharu Ueda]] || 4–1 || align="left" style="background:#59d986;" | [[Yomiuri Giants]] ||[[Shigeo Nagashima]] ||  [[Hisashi Yamada]] || [[Kazumasa Kono]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[1978 Japan Series|1978]]
| align="left" style="background:#59d986;" |  [[Yakult Swallows]] || [[Tatsuro Hirooka]] || 4–3|| align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" |[[Orix Buffaloes|Hankyu Braves]] || [[Toshiharu Ueda]] || [[Katsuo Osugi]] || [[Mitsuhiro Adachi]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[1979 Japan Series|1979]]
| align="left" style="background:#59d986;" | [[Hiroshima Toyo Carp]] || [[Takeshi Koba]] ||  4–3 || align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" |[[Kintetsu Buffaloes]] || [[Yukio Nishimoto]]  || [[Yoshihiko Takahashi]] || Takashi Imoto
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[1980 Japan Series|1980]]
| align="left" style="background:#59d986;" | [[Hiroshima Toyo Carp]] || [[Takeshi Koba]] || 4–3 ||align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" | [[Kintetsu Buffaloes]] || [[Yukio Nishimoto]] || [[Jim Lyttle]] || [[Toru Ogawa]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"  |[[1981 Japan Series|1981]]
| align="left" style="background:#59d986;" | [[Yomiuri Giants]] || [[Motoshi Fujita]] || 4–2 || align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" |[[Nippon-Ham Fighters]] ||[[Keiji Osawa]] ||   [[Takashi Nishimoto]] || [[Hiroaki Inoue]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[1982 Japan Series|1982]]
| align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" | [[Seibu Lions]] ||[[Tatsuro Hirooka]] || 4–2|| align="left" style="background:#59d986;" |[[Chunichi Dragons]] || [[Sadao Kondo]] || [[Osamu Higashio]] || [[Seiji Kamikawa]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[1983 Japan Series|1983]]
| align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" | [[Seibu Lions]] || [[Tatsuro Hirooka]] ||4–3 || align="left" style="background:#59d986;" | [[Yomiuri Giants]] || [[Motoshi Fujita]] || [[Takuji Ota]] || [[Takashi Nishimoto]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[1984 Japan Series|1984]]
| align="left" style="background:#59d986;" | [[Hiroshima Toyo Carp]] || [[Takeshi Koba]] ||4–3 || align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" |[[Orix Buffaloes|Hankyu Braves]] || [[Toshiharu Ueda]]   || [[Kiyoyuki Nagashima]] || [[Yukihiko Yamaoki]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[1985 Japan Series|1985]]
| align="left" style="background:#59d986;" | [[Hanshin Tigers]] || [[Yoshio Yoshida (baseball)|Yoshio Yoshida]]|| 4–2 || align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" |[[Seibu Lions]] || [[Tatsuro Hirooka]] || [[Randy Bass]] || [[Hiromichi Ishige]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[1986 Japan Series|1986]]
| align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" | [[Seibu Lions]] ||[[Masaaki Mori]] ||  4–3–1 || align="left" style="background:#59d986;" | [[Hiroshima Toyo Carp]] ||[[Junro Anan]] ||  [[Kimiyasu Kudo]] || [[Mitsuo Tatsukawa]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[1987 Japan Series|1987]]
| align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" | [[Seibu Lions]] ||[[Masaaki Mori]] ||  4–2 || align="left" style="background:#59d986;" | [[Yomiuri Giants]] ||[[Sadaharu Oh]] || [[Kimiyasu Kudo]] || [[Kazunori Shinozuka]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[1988 Japan Series|1988]]
| align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" | [[Seibu Lions]] ||[[Masaaki Mori]] || 4–1 || align="left" style="background:#59d986;" | [[Chunichi Dragons]] ||[[Senichi Hoshino]] ||   [[Hiromichi Ishige]] || [[Masaru Uno]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[1989 Japan Series|1989]]
| align="left" style="background:#59d986;" | [[Yomiuri Giants]] ||[[Motoshi Fujita]] || 4–3 || align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" |[[Kintetsu Buffaloes]] ||[[Akira Ohgi]] ||  [[Norihiro Komada]] || [[Hiromasa Arai]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[1990 Japan Series|1990]]
| align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" | [[Seibu Lions]] ||[[Masaaki Mori]] ||  4–0 || align="left" style="background:#59d986;" | [[Yomiuri Giants]] ||[[Motoshi Fujita]] || [[Orestes Destrade]] || [[Kaoru Okazaki]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[1991 Japan Series|1991]]
| align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" | [[Seibu Lions]] ||[[Masaaki Mori]] ||  4–3 || align="left" style="background:#59d986;" | [[Hiroshima Toyo Carp]] ||[[Koji Yamamoto (baseball, born 1946)|Koji Yamamoto]] ||  [[Kouji Akiyama]] || [[Kazuhisa Kawaguchi]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[1992 Japan Series|1992]]
| align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" | [[Seibu Lions]] || [[Masaaki Mori]] || 4–3 || align="left" style="background:#59d986;" | [[Yakult Swallows]] || [[Katsuya Nomura]] ||   [[Takehiro Ishii]] || [[Yoichi Okabayashi]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[1993 Japan Series|1993]]
| align="left" style="background:#59d986;" | [[Yakult Swallows]] ||[[Katsuya Nomura]] || 4–3 ||  align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" |[[Seibu Lions]] ||[[Masaaki Mori]] ||  [[Kenjiro Kawasaki]] || [[Kazuhiro Kiyohara]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[1994 Japan Series|1994]]
| align="left" style="background:#59d986;" | [[Yomiuri Giants]] ||[[Shigeo Nagashima]] || 4–2 ||  align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" |[[Seibu Lions]] ||[[Masaaki Mori]]||   [[Hiromi Makihara]] || [[Kazuhiro Kiyohara]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[1995 Japan Series|1995]]
| align="left" style="background:#59d986;" | [[Yakult Swallows]] ||[[Katsuya Nomura]] || 4–1 ||  align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" |[[Orix BlueWave]] ||[[Akira Ogi]] ||   [[Tom O'Malley]] || [[Hiroshi Kobayashi (baseball)|Hiroshi Kobayashi]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[1996 Japan Series|1996]]
| align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" | [[Orix BlueWave]] ||[[Akira Ogi]] || 4–1 || align="left" style="background:#59d986;" |[[Yomiuri Giants]] ||[[Shigeo Nagashima]] ||   [[Troy Neel]] || [[Toshihisa Nishi]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[1997 Japan Series|1997]]
| align="left" style="background:#59d986;" | [[Yakult Swallows]] ||[[Katsuya Nomura]] ||  4–1 ||  align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" |[[Seibu Lions]] ||[[Osamu Higashio]] ||  [[Atsuya Furuta]] || [[Kazuo Matsui]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[1998 Japan Series|1998]]
| align="left" style="background:#59d986;" | [[Yokohama BayStars]] ||[[Hiroshi Gondoh]] ||4–2 ||  align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" |[[Seibu Lions]] ||[[Osamu Higashio]] ||  [[Takanori Suzuki]] || [[Koji Otsuka]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[1999 Japan Series|1999]]
| align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" | [[Fukuoka Daiei Hawks]] ||[[Sadaharu Oh]] || 4–1 || align="left" style="background:#59d986;" | [[Chunichi Dragons]] ||[[Senichi Hoshino]] ||   [[Kouji Akiyama]] || [[Kenshin Kawakami]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[2000 Japan Series|2000]]
| align="left" style="background:#59d986;" | [[Yomiuri Giants]] ||[[Shigeo Nagashima]] || 4–2 ||  align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" |[[Fukuoka Daiei Hawks]] ||[[Sadaharu Oh]] ||   [[Hideki Matsui]] || [[Kenji Jojima]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[2001 Japan Series|2001]]
| align="left" style="background:#59d986;" | [[Yakult Swallows]] ||[[Tsutomu Wakamatsu]] ||  4–1 ||  align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" |[[Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes]] ||[[Masataka Nashida]] ||  [[Atsuya Furuta]] || [[Tuffy Rhodes]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[2002 Japan Series|2002]]
| align="left" style="background:#59d986;" |[[Yomiuri Giants]] ||[[Tatsunori Hara]] ||4–0 ||  align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" |[[Seibu Lions]] ||[[Haruki Ihara]] ||   [[Tomohiro Nioka]] || [[Alex Cabrera]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[2003 Japan Series|2003]]
| align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" | [[Fukuoka Daiei Hawks]] ||[[Sadaharu Oh]] || 4–3 ||  align="left" style="background:#59d986;" |[[Hanshin Tigers]] ||[[Senichi Hoshino]] ||   [[Toshiya Sugiuchi]] || [[Tomoaki Kanemoto]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[2004 Japan Series|2004]]
| align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" | [[Seibu Lions]] ||[[Tsutomu Itoh]] || 4–3 ||  align="left" style="background:#59d986;" |[[Chunichi Dragons]] ||[[Hiromitsu Ochiai]] ||  [[Takashi Ishii (baseball)|Takashi Ishii]] || [[Kazuki Inoue]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[2005 Japan Series|2005]]
| align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" |[[Chiba Lotte Marines]] ||[[Bobby Valentine]] || 4–0 ||  align="left" style="background:#59d986;" |[[Hanshin Tigers]]||[[Akinobu Okada]] ||   [[Toshiaki Imae]] || [[Akihiro Yano]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[2006 Japan Series|2006]]
| align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" | [[Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters]] ||[[Trey Hillman]] || 4–1 ||  align="left" style="background:#59d986;" |[[Chunichi Dragons]] ||[[Hiromitsu Ochiai]] ||  [[Atsunori Inaba]] || [[Kenshin Kawakami]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[2007 Japan Series|2007]]
| align="left" style="background:#59d986;" | [[Chunichi Dragons]]||[[Hiromitsu Ochiai]] ||4–1 || align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" |[[Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters]] ||[[Trey Hillman]] ||   [[Norihiro Nakamura]] || [[Yu Darvish]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[2008 Japan Series|2008]]
| align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" | [[Saitama Seibu Lions]] ||[[Hisanobu Watanabe]] ||4–3 || align="left" style="background:#59d986;" |[[Yomiuri Giants]] ||[[Tatsunori Hara]] ||   [[Takayuki Kishi]] || [[Alex Ramírez]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[2009 Japan Series|2009]]
| align="left" style="background:#59d986;" | [[Yomiuri Giants]] ||[[Tatsunori Hara]]  ||  4–2 || align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" |[[Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters]] ||[[Masataka Nashida]] ||  [[Shinnosuke Abe]] || [[Shinji Takahashi (baseball)|Shinji Takahashi]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[2010 Japan Series|2010]]
| align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" | [[Chiba Lotte Marines]] ||[[Norifumi Nishimura]]|| 4–2–1 ||  align="left" style="background:#59d986;" |[[Chunichi Dragons]] ||[[Hiromitsu Ochiai]] ||   [[Toshiaki Imae]] || [[Kazuhiro Wada]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[2011 Japan Series|2011]]
| align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" | [[Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks]] ||[[Koji Akiyama]]  || 4–3 ||  align="left" style="background:#59d986;" |[[Chunichi Dragons]] ||[[Hiromitsu Ochiai]] ||   [[Hiroki Kokubo]] || [[Kazuhiro Wada]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[2012 Japan Series|2012]]
| align="left" style="background:#59d986;" | [[Yomiuri Giants]]||[[Tatsunori Hara]]  ||  4–2 ||  align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" |[[Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters]] ||[[Hideki Kuriyama]] ||  [[Tetsuya Utsumi]] || [[Atsunori Inaba]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[2013 Japan Series|2013]]
| align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" | [[Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles]] ||[[Senichi Hoshino]] || 4–3 || align="left" style="background:#59d986;" | [[Yomiuri Giants]] ||[[Tatsunori Hara]] ||  [[Manabu Mima]] || [[Hisayoshi Chōno]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[2014 Japan Series|2014]]
| align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" | [[Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks]] ||[[Koji Akiyama]] || 4–1 || align="left" style="background:#59d986;" | [[Hanshin Tigers]] ||[[Yutaka Wada]] ||  [[Seiichi Uchikawa]] || [[Randy Messenger]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[2015 Japan Series|2015]]
| align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" | [[Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks]] ||[[Kimiyasu Kudo]]  || 4–1 ||  align="left" style="background:#59d986;" |[[Tokyo Yakult Swallows]] || [[Mitsuru Manaka]]||   [[Lee Dae-ho]] || [[Tetsuto Yamada]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[2016 Japan Series|2016]]
| align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" | [[Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters]] ||[[Hideki Kuriyama]]  || 4–2 ||  align="left" style="background:#59d986;" |[[Hiroshima Toyo Carp]] ||[[Koichi Ogata]]||  [[Brandon Laird]] || [[Brad Eldred]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[2017 Japan Series|2017]]
| align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" | [[Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks]] ||[[Kimiyasu Kudo]]  || 4–2 ||  align="left" style="background:#59d986;" |[[Yokohama DeNA BayStars]] ||[[Alex Ramírez]] ||   [[Dennis Sarfate]] || [[Toshiro Miyazaki]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[2018 Japan Series|2018]]
| align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" | [[Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks]] ||[[Kimiyasu Kudo]]  || 4–1–1 ||  align="left" style="background:#59d986;" |[[Hiroshima Toyo Carp]] ||[[Koichi Ogata]] ||   [[Takuya Kai]] || [[Seiya Suzuki]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[2019 Japan Series|2019]]
| align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" | [[Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks]] ||[[Kimiyasu Kudo]] || 4–0 || align="left" style="background:#59d986;" | [[Yomiuri Giants]] ||[[Tatsunori Hara]] ||   [[Yurisbel Gracial]] || [[Yoshiyuki Kamei (baseball)|Yoshiyuki Kamei]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[2020 Japan Series|2020]]
| align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" | [[Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks]] ||[[Kimiyasu Kudo]] || 4–0 || align="left" style="background:#59d986;" |[[Yomiuri Giants]] ||[[Tatsunori Hara]] ||   [[Ryoya Kurihara]] || [[Shosei Togo]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[2021 Japan Series|2021]]
| align="left" style="background:#59d986;" | [[Tokyo Yakult Swallows]] ||[[Shingo Takatsu]] ||  4–2 || align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" | [[Orix Buffaloes]] ||[[Satoshi Nakajima]] ||  [[Yuhei Nakamura]] || [[Yoshinobu Yamamoto]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | [[2022 Japan Series|2022]]
| align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" |[[Orix Buffaloes]] 
|[[Satoshi Nakajima]]
|4–2–1
| align="left" style="background:#59d986;" |[[Tokyo Yakult Swallows]] 
|[[Shingo Takatsu]]
|[[Yutaro Sugimoto]]
|[[José Osuna]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[2023 Japan Series|2023]]
| align="left" style="background:#59d986;" |[[Hanshin Tigers]] 
|[[Akinobu Okada]]
|4–3
| align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" |[[Orix Buffaloes]] 
|[[Satoshi Nakajima]]
|[[Koji Chikamoto]]
|[[Kotaro Kurebayashi]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[2024 Japan Series|2024]]
| align="left" style="background:#59d986;" |[[Yokohama DeNA BayStars]] 
|[[Daisuke Miura]]
|4–2
| align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" |[[Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks]] 
|[[Hiroki Kokubo]]
|[[Masayuki Kuwahara]]
|[[Kenta Imamiya]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | [[2025 Japan Series|2025]]
| align="left" style="background:#58ceff;" |[[Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks]] 
|[[Hiroki Kokubo]]
|4–1
| align="left" style="background:#59d986;" |[[Hanshin Tigers]] 
|[[Kyuji Fujikawa]]
|[[Hotaka Yamakawa]]
|[[Teruaki Sato]]
|}

[[Kazuhisa Inao]], as an exception, won the Fighting Spirit Award (in 1956) while playing for the victorious [[Nishitetsu Lions]].

===Extra inning rules===
Since 2018, there is a limit of 12 innings in the seven regulation games, with games being called tie games if tied after that time.  From 1987 to 2020, the innings limit is abolished starting in extra games (Game 8, et al) if necessary.  Since 2021, extra games are played to 12 innings as normal.  Starting in the 13th inning of extra games, the [[World Baseball Softball Confederation]] two-runner tiebreaker with runners at first and second base, similar to the [[Japanese High School Baseball Championship]] (Koshien), will be implemented.

Historically:
* Until 1966 (except 1964): Game is called at sunset (all games were played as day games)
** 1964 (all games at night): No new inning may start after 10:30&nbsp;p.m.
* 1967–1981: No new inning may start after 5:30&nbsp;p.m.
* 1982–1986: No new inning may start after the game time reaches four-and-a-half hours
* 1987–1993: 18-inning limit until Game 7, unlimited innings Game 8 and onward (change introduced due to Game 8 being necessary in the 1986 series due to Game 1 being called after 14 innings)
* 1994: 18- (day game) / 15-inning (night game) limit until Game 7, unlimited innings Game 8 and onward
* 1995–2017: / 15-inning limit until Game 7, unlimited innings Game 8 and onward
** The three-and-a-half hour cut-off rule used in the [[2011 Nippon Professional Baseball season|2011 regular season]] was not used for the Japan Series.
* 2018–2020: 12-inning limit until Game 7, unlimited innings Game 8 and onward
* 2021–present:  12-inning limit.  Starting in Game 8, further innings played use [[World Baseball Softball Confederation|WBSC]] two-runner tiebreaker.

==Teams by number of wins==

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|-
! scope="col"| Team
! scope="col"| Wins
! scope="col"| Losses
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | [[Yomiuri Giants]]
| 22 || 14
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | [[Saitama Seibu Lions]]{{sup|1}}
| 13 || 8
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | [[Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks]]{{sup|2}}
| 12 || 10
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | [[Tokyo Yakult Swallows]]
| 6 || 3
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | [[Orix Buffaloes]]{{sup|3}}
| 5 || 10
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | [[Chiba Lotte Marines]]{{sup|4}}
| 4 || 2 
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | [[Hiroshima Toyo Carp]]
| 3 || 5
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | [[Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters]]{{sup|5}}
| 3 || 4
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | [[Yokohama DeNA BayStars]]{{sup|6}}
| 3 || 1
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | [[Chunichi Dragons]]
| 2 || 8  
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | [[Hanshin Tigers]]
| 2 || 5
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | [[Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles]]
| 1 || 0
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | [[Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes]]{{sup|7}}
| 0 || 4
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | [[Shochiku Robins]]{{sup|8}}
| 0 || 1
|}

{{sup|1}}The franchise currently known as the Saitama Seibu Lions had a Japan Series record of 3–2 as the Nishitetsu Lions.
<br>{{sup|2}}The franchise currently known as the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks had a Japan Series record of 2–8 as the Nankai Hawks, and 2–1 as the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks.
<br>{{sup|3}}The franchise currently known as the Orix Buffaloes had a Japan Series record of 3–7 as the Hankyu Braves, and 1–1 as the Orix BlueWave.  It took its current name in 2005 after merging with the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes.
<br>{{sup|4}}The franchise currently known as the Chiba Lotte Marines had a Japan Series record of 1–0 as the Mainichi Orions, 0–1 as the Daimai Orions, and 1–1 as the Lotte Orions.
<br>{{sup|5}}The franchise currently known as the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters had a Japan Series record of 1–0 as the Toei Flyers.
<br>{{sup|6}}The franchise has a Japan Series record of 1–0 as Yokohama Baystars and 1–0 as the Taiyō Whales.
<br>{{sup|7}}The Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes were merged with the Orix BlueWave in 2005 to form the Orix Buffaloes. 
<br>{{sup|8}}The Shochiku Robins were merged with the Taiyō Whales in 1953, eventually becoming the Yokohama DeNA BayStars.

==Leagues by number of wins==

{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|-
! scope="row" | [[Central League]]
| 38–38
! scope="row" | [[Pacific League]]
|}

==Managers with multiple championships==
Since 1950, fifteen managers have won the Japan Series multiple times. [[Osamu Mihara]] (Whales, Lions), [[Shigeru Mizuhara]] (Giants, Flyers), and [[Tatsuro Hirooka]] (Swallows, Lions) are the only managers to have multiple teams to wins in the Japan Series. In terms of pennants, eight managers have won a league pennant with multiple teams: [[Katsuya Nomura]], [[Sadaharu Oh]], Shigeru Mizuhara, Osamu Mihara, Tatusro Hirooka, [[Masataka Nashida]], [[Yukio Nishimoto]], and [[Senichi Hoshino]]. Nishimoto and Hoshino are the only ones to lead three different teams to the Japan Series.

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|- 
! scope="col"| Manager
! scope="col"| Championships
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[Tetsuharu Kawakami]] || 11
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[Masaaki Mori]] || 6
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[Shigeru Mizuhara]] || 5
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[Kimiyasu Kudo]] || 5
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[Osamu Mihara]] || 4
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[Toshiharu Ueda]] || 3
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[Tatsuro Hirooka]] || 3
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[Tatsunori Hara]] || 3
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[Takeshi Koba]] || 3
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[Katsuya Nomura]] || 3
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[Shigeo Nagashima]] || 2
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[Sadaharu Oh]] || 2
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[Motoshi Fujita]] || 2
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[Koji Akiyama]] || 2
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |[[Kazuto Tsuruoka]] || 2
|}

==Streaks and droughts==
* The Yomiuri Giants won nine consecutive Japan Series championships from 1965 to 1973.  The second-longest streak is four consecutive championships, accomplished by the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks from 2017 to 2020. Three consecutive championships have been accomplished by the Yomiuri Giants (1951–1953), the Nishitetsu Lions (1956–1958), the Hankyu Braves (1975–1977), and twice by the Seibu Lions (1986–1988 and 1990–1992).
* The Yomiuri Giants also won five consecutive Central League pennants from 1955 to 1959, and 19 of the 23 Central League pennants from 1951 to 1973.  The Giants also won two or three consecutive Central League pennants on several other occasions. The other teams to win consecutive Central League pennants are the Hiroshima Toyo Carp (1979–1980 and 2016–2018), the Yakult Swallows (1992–1993 and 2021–2022), and the Chunichi Dragons (2006–2007 and 2010–2011).
* The Nankai Hawks won three consecutive Pacific League pennants twice (1951–1953 and 1964–1966). The Hankyu Braves won nine of the 12 Pacific League pennants from 1967 to 1978, including three consecutive (1967–1969) and four consecutive (1975–1978).  The Seibu Lions won 11 of the 14 Pacific League pennants from 1985 to 1998, including four consecutive (1985–1988) and five consecutive (1990–1994). The Orix Buffaloes are the most recent team to win three consecutive Pacific League pennants (2021–2023).
* Franchises have gone 20 years or more without a Japan Series championship over the following intervals:  
**[[Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes]], {{age|1949|11|1|2004|11|1}} years (1950–2004, the entire franchise history; the drought extends to 72 years if one includes the history of the merged [[Orix Buffaloes]], who finally won the [[2022 Japan Series]]).
**[[Chunichi Dragons]], {{age|1954|11|1|2006|11|1}} years (1955–2006)
**[[Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters|Toei Flyers / Nippon-Ham Fighters]], {{age|1962|11|1|2005|11|1}} years (1963–2005)
**[[Hiroshima Toyo Carp]], {{age|1984|11|1}} years '''(1985–present)'''
**[[Yokohama DeNA BayStars|Taiyo Whales / Yokohama BayStars]], {{age|1960|11|1|1997|11|1}} years (1961–1997)
**[[Hanshin Tigers]], {{age|1985|11|1|2023|11|1}} years (1986–2022)
**[[Hanshin Tigers]], {{age|1949|11|1|1984|11|1}} years (1950–1984)
**[[Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks|Nankai/Fukuoka Hawks]], {{age|1964|11|1|1998|11|1}} years (1965–1998)
**[[Chiba Lotte Marines|Lotte Orions / Chiba Lotte Marines]], {{age|1974|11|1|2004|11|1}} years (1975–2004)
**[[Hiroshima Toyo Carp]], {{age|1949|11|1|1978|11|1}} years (1950–1978)
**[[Tokyo Yakult Swallows|Kokutetsu Swallows / Sankei Atoms / Yakult Swallows]], {{age|1949|11|1|1977|11|1}} years (1950–1977)
**[[Yokohama DeNA BayStars|Yokohama BayStars / Yokohama DeNA BayStars]], {{age|1998|11|1}} years (1999–2024)
**[[Orix BlueWave|Hankyu Braves]], {{age|1949|11|1|1974|11|1}} years (1950–1974)
**[[Chiba Lotte Marines|Mainichi/Daimai/Tokyo/Lotte Orions]], {{age|1950|11|1|1973|11|1}} years (1951–1973)
**[[Saitama Seibu Lions|Nishitetsu Lions / Seibu Lions]], {{age|1958|11|1|1982|11|1}} years (1959–1981)
* Franchises have gone 20 years or more without a league pennant over the following intervals:  
**[[Yokohama DeNA BayStars|Taiyo Whales / Yokohama BayStars]], {{age|1960|11|1|1998|11|1}} years (1961–1997)
**[[Chiba Lotte Marines|Lotte Orions / Chiba Lotte Marines]], {{age|1974|11|1|2005|11|1}} years (1975–2004)
**[[Yokohama DeNA BayStars|Yokohama BayStars / Yokohama DeNA BayStars]], {{age|1998|11|1|2024|11|1}} years (1998–2024)
**[[Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes]], {{age|1949|11|1|1979|11|1}} years (1950–1978)
**[[Hiroshima Toyo Carp]], {{age|1949|11|1|1975|11|1}} years (1950–1974)
**[[Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks|Nankai/Fukuoka Hawks]], {{age|1973|11|1|1999|11|1}} years (1974–1998)
**[[Nippon-Ham Fighters]], {{age|1981|11|1|2006|11|1}} years (1982–2005)
**[[Hiroshima Toyo Carp]], {{age|1991|11|1|2016|11|1}} years (1992–2015)
**[[Hanshin Tigers]], {{age|1964|11|1|1985|11|1}} years (1965–1984)

== Individual awards ==
{{see also|Japan Series Most Valuable Player Award}}
Two individual awards are given out at the conclusion of the Japan Series: the [[Japan Series Most Valuable Player Award|Most Valuable Player Award]], given to the most impactful player on the winning team;{{citation needed|date=November 2023}} and the Fighting Spirit Award, given to the most impactful player on the losing team.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Coskrey |first=Jason |date=2023-11-05 |title=Buffaloes to allow ace pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto to move to MLB |url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2023/11/05/baseball/japanese-baseball/buffaloes-to-allow-ace-pitcher-yoshinobu-yamamoto-to-move-to-mlb/ |access-date=2023-11-06 |website=The Japan Times |language=en |archive-date=2023-11-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231106034931/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2023/11/05/baseball/japanese-baseball/buffaloes-to-allow-ace-pitcher-yoshinobu-yamamoto-to-move-to-mlb/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Baggarly |first=Andrew |title=Long-suffering Hanshin Tigers end 'Curse of the KFC Colonel,' win Japan Series |url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5033081/2023/11/05/hanshin-tigers-japan-series-champions-kfc-curse/ |access-date=2023-11-06 |website=The Athletic |language=en}}</ref> As stated above, the FSA was only given to a player on the winning team once; [[Kazuhisa Inao]] won it in 1956, despite being on the winning side, the Nishitetsu Lions.

Six players have won the Japan Series MVP Award and gone on to become a manager in the Japan Series: [[Hiroki Kokubo]], [[Kimiyasu Kudo]], [[Masaaki Mori]], [[Osamu Higashio]], [[Shigeo Nagashima]], and [[Tetsuharu Kawakami]]; of those six, five (Kudo, Mori, Nagashima, Kawakami, Kokubo) have won a MVP Award as a player and won a Japan Series as a manager.

Eight players have won both the MVP Award and the Fighting Spirit Award: [[Hiromichi Ishige]], [[Hiroshi Oshita]], [[Hisashi Yamada]], [[Isao Shibata]], [[Joe Stanka]], [[Kazuhisa Inao]], [[Atsunori Inaba]], and [[Takashi Nishimoto]].

Players to have won the Fighting Spirit Award multiple times include: [[Mitsuhiro Adachi]] (3), [[Kazuhiro Kiyohara]], [[Kazuhiro Wada]], [[Kazuhisa Inao]], [[Kenshin Kawakami]], and [[Tokuji Nagaike]] (2 each).

==See also==
 
* [[Nippon Professional Baseball]]
* [[Asia Series]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{JapanSeries}}
{{Japanese Professional Baseball}}

[[Category:Japan Series| ]]
[[Category:Baseball competitions in Japan]]
[[Category:Recurring sporting events established in 1950]]