| 1972 NPB season | |
|---|---|
| League | Nippon Professional Baseball | 
| Sport | Baseball | 
| Central League pennant | |
| League champions | Yomiuri Giants | 
| Runners-up | Hanshin Tigers | 
| Season MVP | Tsuneo Horiuchi (YOM) | 
| Pacific League pennant | |
| League champions | Hankyu Braves | 
| Runners-up | Kintetsu Buffaloes | 
| Season MVP | Yutaka Fukumoto (HAU) | 
| Japan Series | |
| Champions | Yomiuri Giants | 
| Runners-up | Hankyu Braves | 
| Finals MVP | Tsuneo Horiuchi (YOM) | 
The 1972 Nippon Professional Baseball season was the 23rd season of operation of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
| Pos | Team | G | W | L | T | Pct. | GB | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yomiuri Giants | 130 | 74 | 52 | 4 | .587 | — | 
| 2 | Hanshin Tigers | 130 | 71 | 56 | 3 | .559 | 3.5 | 
| 3 | Chunichi Dragons | 130 | 67 | 59 | 4 | .532 | 7.0 | 
| 4 | Yakult Atoms | 130 | 60 | 67 | 3 | .472 | 14.5 | 
| 5 | Taiyo Whales | 130 | 57 | 69 | 4 | .452 | 17.0 | 
| 6 | Hiroshima Toyo Carp | 130 | 49 | 75 | 6 | .395 | 24.0 | 
| Pos | Team | G | W | L | T | Pct. | GB | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hankyu Braves | 130 | 80 | 48 | 2 | .625 | — | 
| 2 | Kintetsu Buffaloes | 130 | 64 | 60 | 6 | .5161 | 14.0 | 
| 3 | Nankai Hawks | 130 | 65 | 61 | 4 | .5158 | 14.0 | 
| 4 | Toei Flyers | 130 | 63 | 61 | 6 | .508 | 15.0 | 
| 5 | Lotte Orions | 130 | 59 | 68 | 3 | .465 | 20.5 | 
| 6 | Nishitetsu Lions | 130 | 47 | 80 | 3 | .370 | 32.5 | 
Yomiuri Giants won the series 4-1.
| Game | Score | Date | Location | Attendance | 
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Giants – 5, Braves – 3 | October 21 | Korakuen Stadium | 38,010 [3] | 
| 2 | Giants – 6, Braves – 4 | October 23 | Korakuen Stadium | 39,666 [3] | 
| 3 | Braves – 5, Giants – 3 | October 25 | Hankyu Nishinomiya Stadium | 34,582 [3] | 
| 4 | Braves – 1, Giants – 3 | October 26 | Hankyu Nishinomiya Stadium | 31,129 [3] | 
| 5 | Braves – 3, Giants – 8 | October 28 | Hankyu Nishinomiya Stadium | 27,269 [3] |