Nippon Professional Baseball
Japan's top flight, split into the Central and Pacific Leagues. Every Japan Series champion since 1950, the headline honour, alongside league pennants and the all-time record of the 12 clubs, with historical franchises folded into their modern successors.
2026 Postseason
Best of 3, then best of 6 (the league champion starts one win up), then the best-of-7 Japan Series.
How the Climax Series works
The top three clubs in each league reach the Climax Series. The first stage is the second seed hosting the third, best of three. Its winner meets the league champion in the final stage, best of six, where the champion begins with a one-win advantage, so it needs three more wins to the challenger's four. The two final-stage winners play the best-of-seven Japan Series. Results and seeds come from English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA): 2026 Central League Climax Series, 2026 Pacific League Climax Series, 2026 Japan Series.
Climax Series First Stage
Climax Series Final Stage
Japan Series
As of Nov 2, via English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA): 2026 Central League Climax Series, 2026 Pacific League Climax Series, 2026 Japan Series.
2026 Standings
Current Central and Pacific League tables, refreshed through the season. Live data from SPAIA. Green-shaded clubs hold a Climax Series place (top three per league). Title odds are conditioned on the series state: clubs already out show a dash, and the rest are our simulation of what is left (20,000 runs, as of 2026-11-02T10:19:01Z).
Japan Series
The championship: a best-of-seven between the Central and Pacific pennant winners (the Climax Series winners since 2007). 76 editions.
All-time clubs
The 12 current franchises, ranked by Japan Series titles then pennants. Records and honours include each club's earlier identities. Switch to All to add defunct franchises with no modern successor (Kintetsu Buffaloes and the 1950s Unions/Stars).
Sources & methodology
Standings, postseason results, and franchise lineages from a season-by-season Wikipedia extract, 1950-2025. Each Japan Series champion is determined from the best-of-seven between the two league finalists; pennants are regular-season league titles. Defunct and renamed franchises (Nankai Hawks, Hankyu Braves, Nishitetsu Lions, Taiyo Whales, and others) fold into their modern successors, so a club's record and titles span its full history. Japan Series titles are the headline honour.