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The top spot in the Japan League in 1959 went to Hiroshima, who’s only other South Division title came back when they won it all in 1939. The Hammerheads finished at 102-60, topping second place Kobe by seven games. Defending league champ Osaka fell to a disappointing fifth place at 79-83. Saitama made it back-to-back North Division titles with a 99-63 finish. Sapporo was their only challenger, finishing five back at 94-68.

Two-way star Tadasumi Tanabe led the Sting again and won his fourth consecutive MVP and third straight Pitcher of the Year. Sadly, it would be the last great season for Tanabe, who required elbow ligament reconstruction surgery in September. This caused him to miss the postseason and ultimately started a very injury-plagued second half of his career. On the mound, the 28-year old was the leader in wins with a 20-6 record over 261.1 innings, posting a 2.31 ERA with 261 strikeouts and 6.5 WAR. In the outfield, Tanabe put up 6.9 WAR with a .356 average, 152 hits, 82 runs, 23 home runs, and 71 RBI.



Defending East Asian Champion Hamhung won a fifth consecutive Korea League North Division title in 1959. The Heat finished 99-63, 11 games better than second place Suwon. The best overall record in Korea belonged to Changwon, well atop the South Division at 106-56. For the Crabs, it is now three straight division titles and it also matches a franchise record for wins in a season, a mark they also hit in 1923.

Pyongyang 1B Chu Park had a historic season, getting his first MVP at age 25. The left-handed slugger became the new single-season home run king with 67, topping the previous record of 64. It’s the second most in any pro league to this point, only behind Orion McIntyre’s 68 in the 1951 European Baseball Federation season. Park also led the league with 151 RBI and .752 slugging, while posting a .342 average and 11.1 WAR.

Pitcher of the Year went to Changwon’s Dan Dudamel for the second time in three years. He was the league leader in wins (20-12), innings (289.2), and strikeouts (297), adding a 2.55 ERA and 7.2 WAR. He also won his third straight Gold Glove. The Crabs also saw Chang-Hee Lee win his third straight Reliever of the Year. Lee had a 0.81 ERA over 77.1 innings with 32 saves, 123 strikeouts, and 4.5 WAR.

The Japan League Championship Series saw Hiroshima defeat Saitama in six games, giving the Hammerheads their second league title After falling to Hamhung in the prior two years, Changwon claimed the Korea League Championship Series in six games, denying the Heat’s three-peat. For the Crabs, it is their third league title, joining the 1945 and 1923 campaigns. The East Asian Championship was a seven game battle that saw Hiroshima prevail 4-3 for their second overall title. This also breaks up what was a six-year title streak for Korean teams, sending the trophy back to Japan.





Other notes: Fukuoka slugger Takashi Ishihara became the second player to reach 700 career home runs. In his final season, he finished with 703, retiring second to Byung-Oh Tan’s 718 dingers. Dong Ju-Hahn of Ulsan hit 57 doubles, beating his own single-season record of 55 set the prior year. 57 would hold as the record until 2005. On June 1, Kawasaki’s Okahito Kuroda threw a perfect game with eight strikeouts against Fukuoka.