The 1955 Nippon Professional Baseball season was the sixth season of operation of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). This season featured the worst statistical season by winning percentage in NPB history, a .231 winning percentage set by the Taiyo Whales. This season also saw the most wins in a single season by a single team in NPB history, with the Nankai Hawks winning a record 99 games.
The Yomiuri Giants defeated the Nankai Hawks in the Japan Series, 4 games to 3, marking the Giants' 4th NPB championship, all of which to this point had come against the Hawks.
Regular season
Standings + Central League regular season standings Team G W L T Pct. GBYomiuri Giants 130 92 37 1 .713 —Osaka Tigers 130 77 52 1 .597 15.0Chunichi Dragons 130 71 57 2 .555 20.5Hiroshima Carp 130 58 70 2 .453 33.5Kokutetsu Swallows 130 57 71 2 .445 34.5Taiyo Whales 130 31 99 0 .238 61.5
+ Pacific League regular season standings Team G W L T Pct. GBNankai Hawks 143 99 41 3 .707 —Nishitetsu Lions 144 90 50 4 .643 9.0Mainichi Orions 142 85 55 2 .607 14.0Hankyu Braves 142 80 60 2 .571 19.0Kintetsu Pearls 142 60 80 2 .429 39.0Daiei Stars 141 53 87 1 .379 46.0Toei Flyers 143 51 89 3 .364 48.0Tombo Unions 141 42 98 1 .300 57.0
Postseason
Japan Series
League leaders
Central League
+ Batting leaders Stat Player Team Total Batting average Tetsuharu Kawakami Yomiuri Giants .338 Home runs Yukihiko Machida Kokutetsu Swallows 31 Runs batted in Tetsuharu Kawakami Yomiuri Giants 78 Runs Takao Sato Kokutetsu Swallows 77 Hits Tetsuharu KawakamiYoshio Yoshida Yomiuri GiantsOsaka Tigers 147 Stolen bases Itsuro Honda Chunichi Dragons 42
+ Pitching leaders Stat Player Team Total Wins Ryohei HasegawaTakumi Otomo Hiroshima CarpYomiuri Giants 30 Losses Masatoshi Gondo Taiyo Whales 21 Earned run average Takehiko Bessho Yomiuri Giants 1.33 Strikeouts Masaichi Kaneda Kokutetsu Swallows 350 Innings pitched Masaichi Kaneda Kokutetsu Swallows 400
Pacific League
+ Batting leaders Stat Player Team Total Batting average Futoshi Nakanishi Nishitetsu Lions .332 Home runs Futoshi Nakanishi Nishitetsu Lions 35 Runs batted in Kazuhiro Yamauchi Mainichi Orions 99 Runs Chico Barbon Hankyu Braves 105 Hits Tokuji IidaChico Barbon Nankai HawksHankyu Braves 163 Stolen bases Masao Morishita Nankai Hawks 59
+ Pitching leaders Stat Player Team Total Wins Motoji Takuwa Nankai Hawks 24 Losses Yasuo Yonekawa Toei Flyers 21 Earned run average Takashi Nakagawa Mainichi Orions 2.08 Strikeouts Hisafumi Kawamura Nishitetsu Lions 225 Innings pitched Yasuo Yonekawa Toei Flyers 353
Awards Most Valuable Player Tetsuharu Kawakami, Yomiuri Giants (CL) Tokuji Iida, Nankai Hawks (PL) Rookie of the Year Kazunori Nishimura, Osaka Tigers (CL) Kihachi Enomoto, Mainichi Orions (PL) Eiji Sawamura Award Takehiko Bessho, Yomiuri Giants (CL)
+ Central League Best Nine Award winners Position Player Team Pitcher Takehiko Bessho Yomiuri Giants Catcher Jun Hirota Yomiuri Giants First baseman Tetsuharu Kawakami Yomiuri Giants Second baseman Noboru Inoue Chunichi Dragons Third baseman Toshikazu Kodama Chunichi Dragons Shortstop Yoshio Yoshida Osaka TigersOutfielder Hiroyuki Watanabe Osaka Tigers Wally Yonamine Yomiuri Giants Yukihiko Machida Kokutetsu Swallows
+ Pacific League Best Nine Award winners Position Player Team Pitcher Taisei Nakamura Nankai Hawks Catcher Charlie Lewis Mainichi Orions First baseman Kohei Sugiyama Nankai Hawks Second baseman Isami Okamoto Nankai Hawks Third baseman Futoshi Nakanishi Nishitetsu Lions Shortstop Chusuke Kizuka Nankai HawksOutfielder Kazuhiro Yamauchi Mainichi Orions Tokuji Iida Nankai Hawks Katsuki Tokura Hankyu Braves
See also 1955 Major League Baseball season
References