This juiced up baseball allowed more home runs to be scored, leading to Tokyo Yakult Swallows outfielder Wladimir Balentien to break the 55 single season home run record set by Sadaharu Oh and later tied by Tuffy Rhodes and Alex Cabrera.
[1] This caused three-term NPB commissioner Ryozo Kato resigning, though he claimed that he did not know about these juiced baseballs.
[2] 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 regular season league champions, the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles (PL) and the Yomiuri Giants (CL), received byes to the championship round.
Hiroshima Toyo Carp (2) vs. Hanshin Tigers (0) Chiba Lotte Marines (2) vs. Saitama Seibu Lions (1) The regular season league champions, the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles (PL) and the Yomiuri Giants (CL), received a one-game advantage.