| 1988 NPB season | |
|---|---|
| League | Nippon Professional Baseball |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Regular season | |
| Season MVP | CL: Genji Kaku (CHU) PL: Hiromitsu Kadota (NAN) |
| League postseason | |
| CL champions | Chunichi Dragons |
| CL runners-up | Yomiuri Giants |
| PL champions | Seibu Lions |
| PL runners-up | Kintetsu Buffaloes |
| Japan Series | |
| Champions | Seibu Lions |
| Runners-up | Chunichi Dragons |
| Finals MVP | Hiromichi Ishige (SEI) |
The 1988 Nippon Professional Baseball season was the 39th season of operation for the league.
| Central League [1] | G | W | L | T | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chunichi Dragons | 130 | 79 | 46 | 5 | .632 | -- |
| Yomiuri Giants | 130 | 68 | 59 | 3 | .535 | 12.0 |
| Hiroshima Toyo Carp | 130 | 65 | 62 | 3 | .512 | 15.0 |
| Yokohama Taiyo Whales | 130 | 59 | 67 | 4 | .468 | 20.5 |
| Yakult Swallows | 130 | 58 | 69 | 3 | .457 | 22.0 |
| Hanshin Tigers | 130 | 51 | 77 | 2 | .398 | 29.5 |
| Pacific League [2] | G | W | L | T | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seibu Lions | 130 | 73 | 51 | 6 | .589 | -- |
| Kintetsu Buffaloes | 130 | 74 | 52 | 4 | .587 | 0.0 |
| Nippon-Ham Fighters | 130 | 62 | 65 | 3 | .488 | 12.5 |
| Hankyu Braves | 130 | 60 | 68 | 2 | .469 | 15.0 |
| Nankai Hawks | 130 | 58 | 71 | 1 | .450 | 17.5 |
| Lotte Orions | 130 | 54 | 74 | 2 | .422 | 21.0 |
PL Seibu Lions (4) vs. CL Chunichi Dragons (1)
| Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | October 22 | Seibu Lions – 5, Chunichi Dragons – 1 | Nagoya Stadium | 3:03 | 28,963 [3] |
| 2 | October 23 | Seibu Lions – 3, Chunichi Dragons – 7 | Nagoya Stadium | 2:39 | 28,953 [3] |
| 3 | October 25 | Chunichi Dragons – 3, Seibu Lions – 4 | Seibu Dome | 2:30 | 32,081 [3] |
| 4 | October 26 | Chunichi Dragons – 0, Seibu Lions – 6 | Seibu Dome | 2:44 | 32,261 [3] |
| 5 | October 27 | Chunichi Dragons – 6, Seibu Lions – 7 | Seibu Dome | 4:09 | 32,304 [3] |