The Chunichi Dragons are a professional baseball team based in Nagoya, the chief city in the Chūbu region of Japan. The team plays in the Central League of Nippon Professional Baseball. They began play as Nagoya Club in 1936. The team went through a variety of short-lived names: Sangyo Club (1944), Chubu Nippon (1946), Chubu Nippon Dragons (1947), Chunichi Dragons (1948–1950), Nagoya Dragons (1951–1953) before rebranding permanently to the Chunichi Dragons in 1954.

The Dragons have won the Japan Series two times (1954, 2007), tenth most among all current twelve NPB teams. They have won the Central League pennant nine times, most recently in 2011. Since the Climax Series era began for the Central League in 2007, the Dragons have appeared in the playoffs six times.

Table key + Key to symbols and terms in season tableWNumber of regular season winsLNumber of regular season lossesTNumber of regular season tiesGBGames behind from league's first-place teamROYCentral League Rookie of the Year AwardMVPCentral League Most Valuable Player AwardESAEiji Sawamura AwardMSAMatsutaro Shoriki AwardSeries MVPJapan Series Most Valuable Player AwardFSAFighting Spirit Award

Season-by-season records Japan Series Champions(1950–present) †Central League Pennant(1950–present)Central League Regular Season Champions(1950–present) ^Climax Series Berth(2007–present) ¤ SeasonLeagueFinishWinsLossesTiesWin%GBPlayoffsAwardsChunichi Dragons1936 JBL 790.438 Autumn 1936 JBL 1214 0.462 Spring 1937 JBL 7th 21 350.375 21 Autumn 1937 JBL 8th 1333 3.28325Spring 1938 JBL 7th 11 24 0 .314 18Autumn 1938 JBL 4th 19 18 3 .514 101939 JBL 6th38 53 5 .418 27.51940 JBL 5th58 41 5 .586 15.5 1941 JBL 6th 37 47 0 .440 251942 JBL 7th 39 60 6 .394 33.51943 JBL 2nd 48 29 7 .623 4 1944 JBL 4th 13 21 1 .382 14.5 1945No league play because of World War II1946JBL 7th 42 60 3 .412 22.5 1947JBL 2nd 67 50 2 .573 12.5 1948JBL 8th52 83 5 .385 34.51949 JBL 5th66 68 3 .493 19.51950Central 2nd 89 44 4 .669 9 1951 Central2nd62 48 3 .564 18 Shigeru Sugishita (ESA)1952 Central 3rd 75 43 2 .636 7 Shigeru Sugishita (ESA)1953 Central 3rd70 57 3 .551 18.51954Central 1st 86 40 4 .683 — Won Japan Series (Lions) 4–3 Shigeru Sugishita (MVP)Shigeru Sugishita (Series MVP)Shigeru Sugishita (ESA)1955 Central 2nd 71 57 2 .597 151956 Central 3rd74 56 0 .569 10 1957 Central 3rd 70 57 3 .550 4 1958 Central 3rd 66 59 5 .527 9 1959 Central 2nd64 61 5 .512 13 1960 Central 5th 63 67 0 .485 9 1961Central 2nd 72 56 2 .562 1 Hiroshi Gondo (ROY)Hiroshi Gondo (ESA)1962 Central 3rd70 60 3 .538 5 1963Central 2nd80 57 3 .584 2.5 1964 Central 6th57 83 0 .407 25 1965Central 2nd77 59 4 .566 13 1966Central 2nd76 54 2 .585 13 1967Central 2nd 72 58 4 .554 12 Kentaro Ogawa (ESA)1968 Central 6th 50 80 4 .385 27 1969Central 4th59 65 6 .476 14 1970 Central 5th 55 70 5 .440 23.5 Kenichi Yazawa (ROY)1971 Central 2nd 65 60 5 .520 6.5 1972 Central 3rd 67 59 4 .532 7 1973 Central 3rd 64 61 5 .512 1.5 1974Central 1st 70 49 11 .588— Lost Japan Series (Orions) 4–2 Yukio Fujinami (ROY)Senichi Hoshino (ESA)1975Central 2nd 69 53 8 .566 4.5 1976 Central 4th 54 66 10 .450 21.5 Yasushi Tao (ROY)1977 Central 3rd 64 61 5 .512 15.5 1978 Central 5th 53 71 6 .427 20 1979 Central 3rd 59 57 14 .509 7.5 Kimiya Fujisawa (ROY)1980 Central 6th 45 76 9 .372 30 1981 Central 5th 58 65 7 .472 16 1982Central 1st 64 47 19 .577 — Lost Japan Series (Lions) 4–2 Takayoshi Nakao (MVP)1983 Central 5th 54 69 7 .439 18.5 1984Central 2nd73 49 8 .598 3 1985 Central 5th56 61 13 .479 15 Tatsuo Komatsu (ESA)1986 Central 5th54 67 9 .446 20 1987Central 2nd 68 51 11 .571 8 1988Central 1st 79 46 5 .632— Lost Japan Series (Lions) 4–1 Genji Kaku (MVP)Kazuyoshi Tatsunami (ROY)1989 Central 3rd 68 59 3 .535 15.5 1990 Central 4th62 68 1 .477 26 Tsuyoshi Yoda (ROY)1991Central 2nd 74 56 2 .546 3 Koichi Morita (ROY)1992 Central 6th 60 70 0 .462 9 1993Central 2nd73 57 2 .562 7 Shinji Imanaka (ESA)1994Central 2nd 69 61 0 .531 1 Masahiro Yamamoto (ESA)1995 Central 5th 50 80 0 .385 32 1996Central 2nd72 58 0 .554 5 1997 Central 6th 59 76 1 .437 24 1998Central 2nd 75 60 1 .556 4 Kenshin Kawakami (ROY)1999Central 1st 81 54 0 .600 — Lost Japan Series (Hawks) 4–1Shigeki Noguchi (MVP)2000Central 2nd 70 65 0 .519 8 2001 Central 5th 62 74 4 .45615 2002Central 3rd 69 66 5 .511 15.5 2003Central 2nd73 66 1 .525 14.5 2004Central 1st 79 56 3 .585– Lost Japan Series (Lions) 4–3 Kenshin Kawakami (MVP)Kenshin Kawakami (ESA)2005Central 2nd 79 66 1 .545 10 2006Central 1st 87 54 5 .617– Lost Japan Series (Fighters) 4–1 Kosuke Fukudome (MVP)2007Central 2nd 78 64 2 .549 1.5Won Climax Series First Stage (Tigers) 2–0Won Climax Series Final Stage (Giants) 3–0 Won Japan Series (Fighters) 4–1 Norihiro Nakamura (Series MVP)Hiromitsu Ochiai (MSA)2008Central 3rd 71 68 5 .511 12 Won Climax Series First Stage (Tigers) 2–1Lost Climax Series Final Stage (Giants) 3–12009Central 2nd 81 62 1 .566 12 Won Climax Series First Stage (Swallows) 2–1Lost Climax Series Final Stage (Giants) 4–12010Central 1st 79 62 3 .560 –Won Climax Series Final Stage (Giants) 4–1Lost Japan Series (Marines) 4–2–1 Kazuhiro Wada (MVP)2011Central 1st 75 59 10 .560– Won Climax Series Final Stage (Swallows) 4–2Lost Japan Series (Hawks) 4–3 Takuya Asao (MVP)2012Central 2nd 75 53 16 .586 10.5Won Climax Series First Stage (Swallows) 2–1Lost Climax Series Final Stage (Giants) 4–32013 Central 4th 64 77 3 .454 22 2014 Central4th 67 73 4 .479 13.52015Central 5th 62 77 4 .446 13 2016 Central 6th58 82 3 .414 30.5 2017 Central 5th59 79 5 .428 28.5 Yota Kyoda (ROY)2018 Central 5th63 78 2.447 19 2019 Central 5th 68 73 2 .482 9 2020 Central 3rd60 55 5 .522 8.5 Yūdai Ōno (ESA)2021Central 5th 55 71 17 .437 18.5 2022 Central 6th 66 75 2 .468 15 2023 Central 6th 56 82 5 .40629 2024 Central 6th 60 75 8 .444 16.5 2025 Central 4th 63 78 2 .447 23

Notes This is determined by calculating the difference in wins plus the difference in losses divided by two. Records for 1936 seasons are incomplete. Both the Dragons and the Yomiuri Giants were 69–60 before the 130th and final game of the season. In the 1994 Central League tie-breaker game, otherwise known as the "10.8 deciding match", the Giants won 6–3.

The 2007 Central Climax Series Final Stage was the first and only time the regular season champion did not have a one-win advantage.

Beginning in 2008, the final stage of the Climax Series awards the regular season champion an automatic one-win advantage that meant they only had to win three games on the field to advance to the Japan Series.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Central League decided to send the regular season champion to the Japan Series directly with no Climax Series playoff.

References