| 1952 NPB season | |
| League: | Nippon Professional Baseball |
| Sport: | Baseball |
| Season2: | Central League Pennant |
| League Champs2: | Yomiuri Giants |
| Second Place2: | Osaka Tigers |
| Mvp2: | Takehiko Bessho (YOM) |
| Mvp Link2: | Nippon Professional Baseball Most Valuable Player Award |
| Season3: | Pacific League Pennant |
| League Champs3: | Nankai Hawks |
| Second Place3: | Mainichi Orions |
| Mvp3: | Susumu Yuki (NAN) |
| Mvp Link3: | Nippon Professional Baseball Most Valuable Player Award |
| Finals: | Japan Series |
| Finals Link: | 1952 Japan Series |
| Finals Champ: | Yomiuri Giants |
| Finals Runner-Up: | Nankai Hawks |
| Finals Mvp: | Takehiko Bessho (YOM) |
| Finals Mvp Link: | Japan Series MVP Award |
| Seasonslist: | List of Nippon Professional Baseball seasons |
| Seasonslistnames: | NPB |
| Prevseason Link: | 1951 Nippon Professional Baseball season |
| Prevseason Year: | 1951 |
| Nextseason Link: | 1953 Nippon Professional Baseball season |
| Nextseason Year: | 1953 |
The 1952 Nippon Professional Baseball season was the third season of operation of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
| G | W | L | T | GB | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yomiuri Giants | 120 | 83 | 37 | 0 | .692 | — | |
| Osaka Tigers | 120 | 79 | 40 | 1 | .664 | 3.5 | |
| Nagoya Dragons | 120 | 75 | 43 | 2 | .636 | 7.0 | |
| Taiyo Whales | 120 | 58 | 62 | 0 | .483 | 25.0 | |
| Kokutetsu Swallows | 120 | 50 | 70 | 0 | .417 | 33.0 | |
| Hiroshima Carp | 120 | 37 | 80 | 3 | .316 | 44.5 | |
| Shochiku Robins | 120 | 34 | 84 | 2 | .288 | 48.0 |
| G | W | L | T | GB | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nankai Hawks | 121 | 76 | 44 | 1 | .633 | — | |
| Mainichi Orions | 120 | 75 | 45 | 0 | .625 | 1.0 | |
| Nishitetsu Lions | 120 | 67 | 52 | 1 | .563 | 8.5 | |
| Daiei Stars | 121 | 55 | 65 | 1 | .458 | 21.0 | |
| Hankyu Braves | 108 | 49 | 58 | 1 | .458 | 20.5 | |
| Tokyu Flyers | 108 | 49 | 59 | 0 | .454 | 21.0 | |
| Kintetsu Pearls | 108 | 30 | 78 | 0 | .278 | 40.0 |
For the first time, the Pacific League implemented a type of end-of-season playoff system. After the 108-game regular season, the four teams with the best winning percentages played an extra twelve regular season games to determine the league's champion. After the 108th game, the standings were:
| Pos | Team | G | W | L | T | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nankai Hawks | 108 | 70 | 37 | 1 | ||
| 2 | Mainichi Orions | 108 | 65 | 43 | 0 | ||
| 3 | Nishitetsu Lions | 108 | 61 | 46 | 1 | ||
| 4 | Daiei Stars | 108 | 52 | 55 | 1 | ||
| 5 | Hankyu Braves | 108 | 49 | 58 | 1 | ||
| 6 | Tokyu Flyers | 108 | 49 | 59 | 0 | ||
| 7 | Kintetsu Pearls | 108 | 30 | 78 | 0 | ||
The four qualifying teams were the Nankai Hawks, the Mainichi Orions, the Nishitetsu Lions, and the Daiei Stars. These four teams proceeded to play in a twelve game "round-robin" stage, with three games versus each opponent, in late September and early October. The results of this stage were:
| Team | G | W | L | Pct. | vs. Mainichi | vs. Nishitetsu | vs. Nankai | vs. Daiei | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mainichi Orions | 12 | 10 | 2 | — | 3–1 | 3–1 | 4–0 | ||
| Nishitetsu Lions | 12 | 6 | 6 | 1–3 | — | 2–2 | 3–1 | ||
| Nankai Hawks | 12 | 5 | 7 | 1–3 | 2–2 | — | 2–2 | ||
| Daiei Stars | 12 | 3 | 9 | 0–4 | 1–3 | 2–2 | — |
The Mainichi Orions' won ten of the twelve extra games, which put them into a tie for the first place with the Nankai Hawks. Both teams had 75 wins, however the Hawks had one less loss than the Orions because of a game against the Daiei Stars that ended in a tie earlier in the season. Because of the impact the tie had on the pennant race, the Hawks and the Stars played an extra 121st game. The Hawks won the game, giving them sole claim to Pacific League title. After the season, this faux playoff system was scrapped because of criticism that it was unfair to the three non-qualifying teams that had their seasons truncated.
See main article: 1952 Japan Series.
| Player | Team | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batting average | .353 | |||
| Home runs | Nagoya Dragons | 27 | ||
| Runs batted in | Michio Nishizawa | Nagoya Dragons | 98 | |
| Runs | 104 | |||
| Hits | Wally Yonamine | Yomiuri Giants | 163 | |
| Stolen bases | 63 |
| Player | Team | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wins | 33 | |||
| Losses | 27 | |||
| Earned run average | 1.71 | |||
| Strikeouts | 269 | |||
| Innings pitched | Takehiko Bessho | Yomiuri Giants | 371 |
| Player | Team | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batting average | .336 | |||
| Home runs | 25 | |||
| Runs batted in | 86 | |||
| Runs | Tokuji Iida | Nankai Hawks | 100 | |
| Hits | Tokuji Iida | Nankai Hawks | 153 | |
| Stolen bases | Chusuke Kizuka | Nankai Hawks | 55 |
| Player | Team | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wins | 23 | |||
| Losses | 22 | |||
| Earned run average | 1.91 | |||
| Strikeouts | Susumu Yuki | Nankai Hawks | 104 | |
| Innings pitched | 269 |
| Player | Team | |
|---|---|---|
| Pitcher | Yomiuri Giants | |
| Catcher | Nagoya Dragons | |
| First baseman | Nagoya Dragons | |
| Second baseman | Yomiuri Giants | |
| Third baseman | Osaka Tigers | |
| Shortstop | Yomiuri Giants | |
| Outfielder | Yomiuri Giants | |
| Nagoya Dragons | ||
| Yomiuri Giants |
| Player | Team | |
|---|---|---|
| Pitcher | Nankai Hawks | |
| Catcher | Mainichi Orions | |
| First baseman | Nankai Hawks | |
| Second baseman | Nankai Hawks | |
| Third baseman | Nankai Hawks | |
| Shortstop | Nankai Hawks | |
| Outfielder | Mainichi Orions | |
| Tokyu Flyers | ||
| Daiei Stars |