| 1996 NPB season | |
|---|---|
| League | Nippon Professional Baseball |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Regular season | |
| Season MVP | CL: Hideki Matsui (YOM) PL: Ichiro Suzuki (ORI) |
| League postseason | |
| CL champions | Yomiuri Giants |
| CL runners-up | Chunichi Dragons |
| PL champions | Orix BlueWave |
| PL runners-up | Nippon-Ham Fighters |
| Japan Series | |
| Champions | Orix BlueWave |
| Runners-up | Yomiuri Giants |
| Finals MVP | Troy Neel (ORI) |
The 1996 Nippon Professional Baseball season was the 47th season of operation for the league.
| Central League [1] | G | W | L | T | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yomiuri Giants | 130 | 77 | 53 | 0 | .592 | -- |
| Chunichi Dragons | 130 | 72 | 58 | 0 | .554 | 5.0 |
| Hiroshima Toyo Carp | 130 | 71 | 59 | 0 | .546 | 6.0 |
| Yakult Swallows | 130 | 61 | 69 | 0 | .469 | 16.0 |
| Yokohama BayStars | 130 | 55 | 75 | 0 | .423 | 22.0 |
| Hanshin Tigers | 130 | 54 | 76 | 0 | .415 | 23.0 |
| Pacific League [2] | G | W | L | T | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orix BlueWave | 130 | 74 | 50 | 6 | .597 | -- |
| Nippon-Ham Fighters | 130 | 68 | 58 | 4 | .540 | 7.0 |
| Seibu Lions | 130 | 62 | 64 | 4 | .492 | 13.0 |
| Kintetsu Buffaloes | 130 | 62 | 67 | 1 | .481 | 14.5 |
| Chiba Lotte Marines | 130 | 60 | 67 | 3 | .472 | 15.5 |
| Fukuoka Daiei Hawks | 130 | 54 | 74 | 2 | .422 | 22.0 |
PL Orix BlueWave (4) vs. CL Yomiuri Giants (1)
| Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | October 19 | Orix BlueWave – 4, Yomiuri Giants – 3 | Tokyo Dome | 3:42 | 45,121 [3] |
| 2 | October 20 | Orix BlueWave – 2, Yomiuri Giants – 0 | Tokyo Dome | 2:56 | 45,086 [3] |
| 3 | October 22 | Yomiuri Giants – 2, Orix BlueWave – 5 | Green Stadium Kobe | 2:56 | 33,026 [3] |
| 4 | October 23 | Yomiuri Giants – 5, Orix BlueWave – 1 | Green Stadium Kobe | 3:25 | 33,070 [3] |
| 5 | October 24 | Yomiuri Giants – 2, Orix BlueWave – 5 | Green Stadium Kobe | 3:26 | 33,222 [3] |