The Central League (セントラル・リーグ, Sentoraru Rīgu?) or Ce League (セリーグ, Se Rīgu?) is one the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League in the annual Japan Series. It currently consists of six teams from around the country.
The Central League was founded in 1949 with eight teams. Unlike the Pacific League, designated hitters are not used during Central League home games.
In 2007 a new Climax Series was introduced. This is a playoff series inspired by the stepladder playoff used in Pacific League for the top three teams of the league to determine who progresses to the Japan Series. Under the previous system, there was no post-season playoff and the winner of the pennant automatically qualified for the Japan Series.
Read more about Central League: Current Teams, Central League Pennant Winners, Central League Climax Series Winners, Central League Statistics, Most Valuable Pitcher
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