Interleague play in Nippon Professional Baseball begins Wednesday as Central and Pacific League clubs face off over the next three weeks in one of the most important stretches of the season. With teams only competing against the opposite league, a strong record can quickly reshape the standings while also serving as a measuring stick between the two leagues. This will also mark the final season of interleague play without the designated hitter in Central League parks, as NPB will adopt the universal DH in 2027.
Each team will play a three-game series against all six clubs from the opposite league, totaling 18 games from May 26 to June 14, with several make-up days scheduled afterward if necessary. The team with the best overall record will be crowned interleague champions. The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks enter as defending champions, while the Pacific League has collectively won interleague play in 15 of the 20 seasons since the format was introduced in 2005.
About a third of the way through the 2026 campaign, both leagues feature tight races. In the Central League, the Hanshin Tigers hold the best record in Japan at 28-17-1, just half a game ahead of the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, the biggest surprise team of the season after entering the year projected by many to finish near the bottom following the departure of superstar Munetaka Murakami. The Yomiuri Giants sit in third at 24-22, with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars close behind at 21-23-2. Meanwhile, the Hiroshima Toyo Carp and Chunichi Dragons have already fallen into significant holes in fifth and sixth place, respectively.
Over in the Pacific League, the Saitama Seibu Lions enter interleague play in first place for the first time since 2018 after a key series victory over the Orix Buffaloes pushed them to 27-20-1, leaving Orix half a game back in second. The defending Japan Series champion Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks have stumbled to a modest 23-22 start, though that position may not be cause for concern after a similarly slow first half preceded last year’s pennant-winning surge.
The Hokkaido Nipponham Fighters, widely viewed as a preseason pennant contender, sit in fourth at 23-26 after being swept over the weekend to fall to 0-8 in head-to-head games against SoftBank this season. The Chiba Lotte Marines and Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles round out the standings, though both remain within striking distance at just 5.5 and 7 games back, respectively, a tighter margin than the gap separating the bottom clubs in the Central.
The opening slate of interleague series this week features the Yokohama DeNA BayStars vs. Orix Buffaloes, Tokyo Yakult Swallows vs. Saitama Seibu Lions, Chunichi Dragons vs. Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, Hanshin Tigers vs. Hokkaido Nipponham Fighters, Hiroshima Toyo Carp vs. Chiba Lotte Marines, and Yomiuri Giants vs. Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, with all CL clubs serving as the home team.
Among the most intriguing matchups is Yakult vs. Seibu, a showdown between two clubs that entered 2026 with low expectations before emerging as legitimate contenders. Hanshin vs. Nipponham also stands out as a clash featuring reigning MVP Teruaki Sato and superstar Shota Morishita on one side against top sluggers Chusei Mannami and Franmil Reyes on the other. Meanwhile, Yomiuri vs. SoftBank pits together two of NPB’s biggest franchises, a matchup comparable to the Yankees facing the Dodgers.
Photo: Hanshin Tigers’ Teruaki Sato grounds out against the Chicago Cubs during the third inning of a spring training baseball game in Tokyo, Saturday, March 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
