2008 Nippon Professional Baseball season

Format

Both League

• Season format
  • Regular season
  • Climax Series 1st stage: Regular season 2nd place vs. regular season 3rd place – Best of 3
  • Climax Series 2nd stage: Regular season 1st place vs. Climax Series 1st stage winner – Best of 7 (regular-season 1st place take a one-win advantage)
• Regular season 1st place is the champion

Japan Series

• Central League Climax Series 2nd stage winner vs. Pacific League Climax Series 2nd stage winner – Best of 7

Changes

The Seibu Lions added the prefecture name "Saitama" in front of the team name starting with this season.

As to reduce the interference to teams whose main players would play in the Olympic Games, this year's trade and new foreign players deadlines were pushed to the end of July, instead of the end of June. Also, teams having more than three players selected by National teams were given an extra quota of foreign player limit during the Olympic Games.

The postseason playoff ("Climax Series") regulations have changed to give more advantages to League Champions, now the second stage series will play for 6 games, while the League Champion will have a one-win advantage.

In late June, the Free Agency regulation was amended after negotiation between the players committee and owners. Players are now eligible for free agency after 8 years of service to a team (1 playing year = 145 days on the active roster), players drafted before 2007 are shortened to 7 (University/Company/Independent League) to 8 (High School) years. However, oversea FA right which allow them to play in the Major League Baseball still needs 9 playing years. This amendment is also effective on non-Japanese players. Alex Ramírez, who served 8 playing years in Japan, became a "local player" after the season.

Standings

Central League

Regular season

Climax Series 1st stage

Hanshin Tigers (1) vs. Chunichi Dragons (2)

Climax Series 2nd stage

Yomiuri Giants (3) vs. Chunichi Dragons (1) The Giants have a one-game advantage.

Pacific League

Regular season

Climax Series 1st stage

Orix Buffaloes (0) vs. Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters (2)

Climax Series 2nd stage

Saitama Seibu Lions (4) vs. Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters (2) The Lions have a one-game advantage.

Interleague Games

Climax Series

Main article: 2008 Central League Climax Series, 2008 Pacific League Climax Series

Note: All of the games that are played in the first two rounds of the Climax Series are held at the higher seed's home stadium. The team with the higher regular-season standing also advances if the round ends in a tie. |team-width=200

|RD1-text1= |RD1-text2=

| RD1-seed1=2 | RD1-team1=Hanshin Tigers | RD1-score1=1 | RD1-seed2=3 | RD1-team2=Chunichi Dragons | RD1-score2=2 | RD1-seed3=2 | RD1-team3=Orix Buffaloes | RD1-score3=0 | RD1-seed4=3 | RD1-team4=Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters | RD1-score4=2

| RD2-seed1=1 | RD2-team1=Yomiuri Giants | RD2-score1=3 | RD2-seed2=3 | RD2-team2=Chunichi Dragons | RD2-score2=1

| RD2-seed3=1 | RD2-team3=Saitama Seibu Lions | RD2-score3=4 | RD2-seed4=3 | RD2-team4=Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters | RD2-score4=2

| RD3-seed1=CL1 | RD3-team1=Yomiuri Giants | RD3-score1=3 | RD3-seed2=PL1 | RD3-team2=Saitama Seibu Lions | RD3-score2=4

Japan Series

Saitama Seibu Lions (4) vs. Yomiuri Giants (3)

References

• Central League standings
• Pacific League standings

References

1. In NPB, no team can have more than 4 "non-local" players in their active roster, and they cannot be all pitchers or all fielders, non-Japanese players who entered NPB by draft, or obtained the FA right are not bounded with this restriction.
2. "2008 CL Climax Series 1st Stage Game 1".
3. "2008 CL Climax Series 1st Stage Game 2".
4. "2008 CL Climax Series 1st Stage Game 3".
5. "2008 CL Climax Series 2nd Stage Game 1".
6. "2008 CL Climax Series 2nd Stage Game 2".
7. "2008 CL Climax Series 2nd Stage Game 3".
8. "2008 CL Climax Series 2nd Stage Game 4".
9. "2008 Pacific League Standings". [[Nippon Professional Baseball]].
10. "2008 PL Climax Series 1st Stage Game 1".
11. "2008 PL Climax Series 1st Stage Game 2".
12. "2008 PL Climax Series 2nd Stage Game 1".
13. "2008 PL Climax Series 2nd Stage Game 2".
14. "2008 PL Climax Series 2nd Stage Game 3".
15. "2008 PL Climax Series 2nd Stage Game 4".
16. "2008 PL Climax Series 2nd Stage Game 5".
17. "2008年度 交流戦". [[Nippon Professional Baseball]].
18. "2008 Japan Series Game 1".
19. "2008 Japan Series Game 2".
20. "2008 Japan Series Game 3".
21. "2008 Japan Series Game 4".
22. "2008 Japan Series Game 5".
23. "2008 Japan Series Game 6".
24. "2008 Japan Series Game 7".