1988 in Japanese Baseball

1988 in baseball
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1988 in Japanese baseball

Nippon Professional Baseball

Standings

Bold indicates league champion; Italics indicate Nippon Series winner.

Central League

Team	G	W	L	T	WPCT	GB	RS	RA	AVG	ERA	Manager(s)
Chunichi Dragons	130	79	46	5	0.627	0.0	549	483	0.258	3.20	Senichi Hoshino
Yomiuri Giants	130	68	59	3	0.535	12.0	518	442	0.268	3.09	Sadaharu Oh
Hiroshima Toyo Carp	130	65	62	3	0.512	15.0	447	442	0.244	3.06	Junro Anan
Yokohama Taiyo Whales	130	59	67	4	0.469	20.5	514	542	0.273	3.93	Takeshi Koba
Yakult Swallows	130	58	69	3	0.458	22.0	496	534	0.246	3.79	Junzo Sekine
Hanshin Tigers	130	51	77	2	0.400	29.5	444	525	0.248	3.82	Minoru Murayama

Pacific League

Team	G	W	L	T	WPCT	GB	RS	RA	AVG	ERA	Manager(s)
Seibu Lions	130	73	51	6	0.585	0.0	645	531	0.270	3.61	Masahiko Mori
Kintetsu Buffaloes	130	74	52	4	0.585	0.0	515	446	0.253	3.23	Akira Ogi
Nippon Ham Fighters	130	62	65	3	0.488	12.5	455	448	0.245	3.12	Shigeru Takada
Hankyu Braves	130	60	68	2	0.469	15.0	532	578	0.264	4.08	Toshiharu Ueda
Nankai Hawks	130	58	71	1	0.450	17.5	578	607	0.267	4.07	Tadashi Sugiura
Lotte Orions	130	54	74	2	0.423	21.0	486	601	0.262	4.38	Michiyo Arito

Leaders

Bold indicates league record, Italics indicate all-time record

Batting

Statistic		Central League				Pacific League
		Leader	Team	Number		Leader	Team	Number
Batting Average		Kozo Shoda	Hiroshima Toyo Carp	.340		Hideaki Takazawa	Lotte Orions	.327
Runs		Hiromitsu Ochiai	Chunichi Dragons	82		Kazuhiro Kiyohara	Seibu Lions	97
Hits		Warren Cromartie	Yomiuri Giants	166		Boomer Wells	Hankyu Braves	165
Doubles		Kiyoshi Nakahata	Yomiuri Giants	36		Takeshi Aiko	Lotte Orions	30
Triples		Kozo Shoda	Hiroshima Toyo Carp	7		Daijiro Oishi	Kintetsu Buffaloes	9
Home Runs		Carlos Ponce	Yokohama Taiyo Whales	33		Hiromitsu Kadota	Nankai Hawks	44
Runs Batted In		Carlos Ponce	Yokohama Taiyo Whales	102		Hiromitsu Ochiai	Lotte Orions	125
Stolen Bases		Kaname Yashiki	Yokohama Taiyo Whales	33		Norifumi Nishimura	Lotte Orions	55
Walks		Hiromitsu Ochiai	Chunichi Dragons	98		Hiromitsu Kadota	Nankai Hawks	98

Pitching

Statistic		Central League				Pacific League
		Leader	Team	Number		Leader	Team	Number
ERA		Yutaka Ono	Hiroshima Toyo Carp	1.70		Hirofumi Kono	Nippon Ham Fighters	2.38
Wins		Kazuyuki Ono Akimitsu Itoh	Chunichi Dragons Yakult Swallows	18		Hisanobu Watanabe Yukihiro Nishizaki Hiroaki Matsuura	Seibu Lions Nippon Ham Fighters Nippon Ham Fighters	15
Winning Percentage		Kazuyuki Ono	Chunichi Dragons	.818		Taigen Kaku	Seibu Lions	.813
Losses		Takao Obana	Yakult Swallows	16		Shuji Fujimoto Kazuhiro Yamauchi Kazumi Sonokawa	Nankai Hawks Nankai Hawks Lotte Orions	15
Saves		Genji Kaku	Chunichi Dragons	37		Kazuhiko Ushijima	Lotte Orions	25
Save Points		Genji Kaku	Chunichi Dragons	44		Masato Yoshii	Kintetsu Buffaloes	34
Innings Pitched		Takao Obana	Yakult Swallows	232.0		Yukihiro Nishizaki	Nippon Ham Fighters	241.2
Appearances		Hiroaki Nakayama	Yokohama Taiyo Whales	70		Minoru Yano	Nankai Hawks	57
Hits Allowed		Takao Obana	Yakult Swallows	242		Yukihiro Nishizaki	Nippon Ham Fighters	211
Home Runs Allowed		Manabu Kitabeppu	Hiroshima Toyo Carp	22		Katsuo So	Lotte Orions	30
Strikeouts		Hiromi Makihara	Yomiuri Giants	187		Hiroshi Ogawa	Lotte Orions	204
Base-on-Balls		Kazuhisa Kawaguchi	Hiroshima Toyo Carp	72		Hiroshi Ogawa	Lotte Orions	91

All-Star Game

The NPB All-Star Game featured three games and was won by the Central League two games to one. The first game was played at Nishinomiya Baseball Stadium and was won by the PL, 3 - 1. The second game was played at Nagoya Stadium and was won by the CL, 4 - 1. The third game was played at Tokyo Dome and was won by the CL, 4 - 3.

Postseason

In the Nippon Series, the Seibu Lions (PL) defeated the Chunichi Dragons (CL), 4 games to 1. It was the Lions' third consecutive title and fifth in seven years. The winning manager was Masahiko Mori and the series MVP was Hiromichi Ishige.

Award Winners

The winner of the 1988 Sawamura Award was Yutaka Ono of the Hiroshima Toyo Carp. He had a 13 - 7 win-loss record, 183 strikeouts, and a 1.70 ERA in 185.0 innings.

Award	League	Player	Team	Position	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OBP	SLG	W - L	SV	IP	HA	HRA	BB	SO	ERA
Most Valuable Player	CL	Genji Kaku	Chunichi Dragons	P	15	1	3	1	2	0	.200	.200	.400	7 - 6	37	111.0	73	9	31	94	1.95
	PL	Hiromitsu Kadota	Nankai Hawks	OF	447	82	139	44	125	2	.311	.429	.633	Did not pitch
Rookie of the Year	CL	Kazuyoshi Tatsunami	Chunichi Dragons	SS	336	61	75	4	18	22	.223	.317	.310	Did not pitch
	PL	Ryoji Moriyama	Seibu Lions	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	.---	.---	.---	10 - 9	0	169.0	166	12	41	77	3.46

Best Nine

The following players were part of the 1988 Best Nine teams.

Central League			Position		Pacific League
Player	Team				Player	Team
Kazuyuki Ono	Chunichi Dragons		P		Yukihiro Nishizaki	Nippon Ham Fighters
Mitsuo Tatsukawa	Hiroshima Toyo Carp		C		Tsutomu Ito	Seibu Lions
Hiromitsu Ochiai	Chunichi Dragons		1B		Kazuhiro Kiyohara	Seibu Lions
Kozo Shoda	Hiroshima Toyo Carp		2B		Junichi Fukura	Hankyu Braves
Tatsunori Hara	Yomiuri Giants		3B		Hiromi Matsunaga	Hankyu Braves
Takahiro Ikeyama	Yakult Swallows		SS		Yukio Tanaka	Nippon Ham Fighters
Katsumi Hirosawa	Yakult Swallows		OF		Koji Akiyama	Seibu Lions
Jim Paciorek	Yokohama Taiyo Whales				Ken Hirano	Seibu Lions
Carlos Ponce	Yokohama Taiyo Whales				Hideaki Takazawa	Lotte Orions
			DH		Hiromitsu Kadota	Nankai Hawks

Gold Gloves

The following players were the recipients of the Gold Glove Award in 1988.

Central League			Position		Pacific League
Player	Team				Player	Team
Masumi Kuwata	Yomiuri Giants		P		Yukihiro Nishizaki	Nippon Ham Fighters
Mitsuo Tatsukawa	Hiroshima Toyo Carp		C		Tsutomu Ito	Seibu Lions
Kiyoshi Nakahata	Yomiuri Giants		1B		Kazuhiro Kiyohara	Seibu Lions
Kozo Shoda	Hiroshima Toyo Carp		2B		Hatsuhiko Tsuji	Seibu Lions
Tatsunori Hara	Yomiuri Giants		3B		Hiromichi Ishige	Seibu Lions
Kazuyoshi Tatsunami	Chunichi Dragons		SS		Yukio Tanaka	Nippon Ham Fighters
Toshikatsu Hikono	Chunichi Dragons		OF		Koji Akiyama	Seibu Lions
Ryuzo Yamasaki	Hiroshima Toyo Carp				Ken Hirano	Seibu Lions
Kaname Yashiki	Yokohama Taiyo Whales				Hideaki Takazawa	Lotte Orions

High School Baseball

The 70th National High School Baseball Championship featured a total of 3958 schools competing for 49 spots in the finals at Koshien. In the championship game Hiroshima Shogyo High School (Hiroshima) defeated Fukuoka Daiichi High School (Fukuoka) by a score of 1 - 0.

The 60th National High School Baseball Invitational Tournament featured 34 schools competing in the tournament at Koshien. In the championship game Uwajima Higashi High School (Ehime) defeated Toho High School (Aichi) by a score of 6 - 1.

University Baseball

All-Japan University Baseball Championship Series

The 1988 All-Japan University Baseball Championship Series featured 16 schools competing in the tournament at Meiji-Jingu Stadium. In the championship game Kinki University defeated Tohoku Fukushi University by a score of 3 - 1.

Meiji Jingu Baseball Convention

The Meiji Jingu Baseball Convention was not held due to the illness of Hirohito.

Tokyo Big6 Baseball League

Season	First	Second	Third	Fourth	Fifth	Sixth
Spring	Hosei	Keio	Waseda	Meiji	Rikkio	Tokyo
Fall	Hosei	Keio	Waseda	Rikkio	Meiji	Tokyo

Tohto University Base Ball League

Season	League	First	Second	Third	Fourth	Fifth	Sixth
Spring	1	Komazawa	Asia	Senshu	Toyo	Aoyama Gakuin	Chuo
	2	Kokugakuin	Rissho, Takushoku		Kokushikan	Tokyo Agriculture	Nihon
Fall	1	Aoyama Gakuin	Komazawa	Asia	Senshu	Chuo	Toyo
	2	Kokugakuin	Nihon	Kokushikan	Takushoku	Tokyo Agriculture	Rissho

Kansai 6 University Baseball League

Season	First	Second	Third	Fourth	Fifth	Sixth
Spring	Kinki	Ritsumeikan	Kwansei Gakuin	Kansai	Doshisha	Kyoto
Fall	Kinki	Doshisha	Ritsumeikan	Kwansei Gakuin	Kansai	Kyoto

International Baseball

The Major League All-Stars toured Japan in the fall of 1988. The touring team went 3 - 2 - 2 against Japanese competition.

At the Olympic baseball demonstration event in Seoul, South Korea, the Japanese national baseball team placed second. At the thirtieth Baseball World Cup in Italy, the Japanese national baseball team placed fourth.

Japanese Players in Other Countries

Italics indicate a Major League appearance

• Yasuharu Fujio: GCL Dodgers, GCL (LAD-R); Salem Dodgers, Northwest (LAD-A)
• Kazuo Hamada: Taepyungyang Dolphins, Korea Baseball Organization
• Shuji Inagaki: Miami Marlins, Florida State (A-Adv)
• Daijiro Johdo: San Jose Giants, California (SFG-A-Adv)
• Masayoshi Kanai: Lotte Giants, Korea Baseball Organization
• Seikichi Kanamoto: Samsung Lions, Korea Baseball Organization
• Nobuo Kaneshiro: Taepyungyang Dolphins, Korea Baseball Organization
• Masao Kida: Miami Marlins, Florida State (A-Adv)
• Kazuyoshi Koyama: GCL Dodgers, GCL (LAD-R)
• Hiroyuki Maebara: Salem Dodgers, Northwest (LAD-A)
• Koji Maeda: San Jose Giants, California (SFG-A-Adv)
• Katsumi Manabe: Fresno Suns, California League (A-Adv)
• Hiroaki Miyagi: Binggrae Eagles, Korea Baseball Organization
• Hector Miyauchi: Fresno Suns, California League (A-Adv)
• Hidetsugu Nishimura: Vero Beach Dodgers, Florida State (LAD-A-Adv)
• Mitsuru Ogihara: Miami Marlins, Florida State (A-Adv)
• Tatsuo Ota: Samsung Lions, Korea Baseball Organization
• Motokuni Sano: Miami Marlins, Florida State (A-Adv)
• Kenichi Shiozaki: Butte Copper Kings, Pioneer (TEX-R)
• Ken Suzuki: San Jose Giants, California League (SFG-A-Adv)
• Atsushi Tagi: Fresno Suns, California League (A-Adv)
• Kanenori Tarumi: Miami Marlins, Florida State (A-Adv)
• Fumimune Tokuyama: Lotte Giants, Korea Baseball Organization
• Denney Tomori: Butte Copper Kings, Pioneer (TEX-R)
• Hiroshi Yagi: Fresno Suns, California League (A-Adv)
• Masahiro Yamamoto: Vero Beach Dodgers, Florida State (LAD-A-Adv)
• Masanori Yamamoto: San Jose Giants, California (SFG-A-Adv)
• Takao Yanagisawa: MBC Blue Dragons, Korea Baseball Organization
• Hiroshi Yoshimoto: OB Bears, Korea Baseball Organization
• Motomi Yoshimura: Binggrae Eagles, Korea Baseball Organization

Hall of Fame

The following people were elected to the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame:

• Takeo Akuta, by Special Committee
• Kaoru Betto, by Sportswriters Committee
• Masaichi Kaneda, by Sportswriters Committee
• Shigeo Nagashima, by Sportswriters Committee
• Masaichi Nagata, by Special Committee
• Yukio Nishimoto, by Sportswriters Committee
• Saburo Yokozawa, by Special Committee