Nippon Professional Baseball’s annual All-Star Series is set to take place in Osaka and Yokohama this summer, with two games scheduled for July 23 and 24.
Game 1 will be held at Kyocera Dome Osaka, marking its first time hosting since 2018. Game 2 will follow at Yokohama Stadium, which last held the event in 2016. Both games are slated to begin at 6:30 p.m. JST (5:30 a.m. EST). The Home Run Derby will also be split between the two days.
While the NPB All-Star series was historically a three-game affair, the current two-game format, played on back-to-back days, has been the standard since 2002. Because it features multiple games, it is customary for position players to remain in the game for the full nine innings, unlike Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game, which involves frequent substitutions. Pitchers will typically throw one or two innings.
Fan voting is currently underway and will remain open until June 22. Fans can cast their ballots by creating an account on NPB’s official website. Fans can vote for a starting pitcher, relief pitcher, closer, catcher, first baseman, second baseman, third baseman, shortstop, three outfielders, and, for the Pacific League only, a designated hitter.
With over 21 million votes cast so far, the top vote-getters in each league are Hanshin Tigers outfielder Shota Morishita (473,199) and Nippon-Ham Fighters outfielder Chusei Mannami (437,020). Other popular players include Teruaki Sato, Ryo Ohta, Franmil Reyes, and Koji Chikamoto.
Once voting concludes, NPB will announce the All-Star selections from both the fan and players’ votes. A special “Plus One” vote will follow, giving fans the chance to select one final player for each league.
In addition to hosting Game 2, Yokohama Stadium will feature a public viewing of Game 1, with large screens and fan events set up in Yokohama Park and along Nihon-Odori Street to enhance the experience. For those at home, last year’s games were streamed live on ABEMA TV, which can be accessed overseas via VPN.
The Pacific League has dominated recent editions of the series, going 11-3 over the Central League since 2017. Historically, the PL holds the overall edge with a 92-82-11 record since NPB’s inaugural 1950 campaign.
Here are the current top vote-getters at each position so far (as of June 11):
Central League Starting Pitcher
1. Shoki Murakami (Hanshin Tigers)
2. Iori Yamasaki (Yomiuri Giants)
3. Hiroto Saiki (Hanshin Tigers)
Central League Relief Pitcher
1. Taisei (Yomiuri Giants)
2. Daichi Ishii (Hanshin Tigers)
3. Tatsuya Shimizu (Chunichi Dragons)
Central League Closer
1. Shinya Matsuyama (Chunichi Dragons)
2. Raidel Martinez (Yomiuri Giants)
3. Suguru Iwazaki (Hanshin Tigers)
Central League Catcher
1. Takuya Kai (Yomiuri Giants)
2. Seishiro Sakamoto (Hanshin Tigers)
3. Yuudai Yamamoto (DeNA BayStars)
Pacific League Catcher
1. Kenya Wakatsuki (Orix Buffaloes)
2. Yua Tamiya (Nippon-Ham Fighters)
3. Yuto Koga (Seibu Lions)
Photo: Kyocera Dome Osaka will host the first game of the 2025 NPB All-Star Series. (Photo by Kenta Harada/Getty Images)
