Climax Series odds board
'Controls top 3' asks whether the club would finish top three by winning all remaining games, regardless of rivals (shown as Yes only when mathematically certain). 'GB (3rd)' is the gap in games behind the third-place club; clubs currently in the top three show '—' (this differs from the leader-based GB on the overview board).
Central League
Scroll right for W-L, PCT and more
| Rank | Team | Climax Series odds |
Controls top 3 |
W - L (T) | PCT | GB (3rd) | Left |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hanshin | Yes | 79 - 62 (2) | .560 | — | 0 | |
| 2 | Yomiuri | Yes | 76 - 64 (3) | .543 | — | 0 | |
| 3 | DeNA | Yes | 71 - 69 (3) | .507 | — | 0 | |
| 4 | Hiroshima | No | 61 - 78 (4) | .439 | 9.5 | 0 | |
| 5 | Yakult | No | 61 - 80 (2) | .433 | 10.5 | 0 | |
| 6 | Chunichi | No | 60 - 81 (2) | .426 | 11.5 | 0 |
Pacific League
Scroll right for W-L, PCT and more
| Rank | Team | Climax Series odds |
Controls top 3 |
W - L (T) | PCT | GB (3rd) | Left |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SoftBank | Yes | 91 - 49 (3) | .650 | — | 0 | |
| 2 | Seibu | Yes | 79 - 60 (4) | .568 | — | 0 | |
| 3 | Nippon-Ham | Yes | 78 - 62 (3) | .557 | — | 0 | |
| 4 | ORIX | No | 65 - 76 (2) | .461 | 13.5 | 0 | |
| 5 | Lotte | No | 63 - 77 (3) | .450 | 15.0 | 0 | |
| 6 | Rakuten | No | 58 - 84 (1) | .408 | 21.0 | 0 |
How many wins to the CS line? CS line table
When will CS berths be clinched? CS clinch dates
Odds of coming through the CS and reaching the Japan Series? Climax Series survival odds
Climax Series odds over time
Scroll right to see the full chart
Scroll right to see the full chart
Impact of the next game
Shows how each team's Climax Series odds would change after a win or a loss in its next game on the published schedule. Teams whose schedule is not yet published are marked (schedule TBA).
Climax Series what-if tool
Pick one club and adjust how many of its remaining games it wins; the Climax Series odds recalculate instantly. Everything runs in your browser; nothing you enter is sent anywhere.
Pick a club to see how its Climax Series odds change with a different rest-of-season record.
Scroll right for more
| Team | Climax Series odds |
|---|---|
| Hanshin | 100% |
| Yomiuri | 100% |
| DeNA | 100% |
| Hiroshima | 0% |
| Yakult | 0% |
| Chunichi | 0% |
Scroll right for more
| Team | Climax Series odds |
|---|---|
| SoftBank | 100% |
| Seibu | 100% |
| Nippon-Ham | 100% |
| ORIX | 0% |
| Lotte | 0% |
| Rakuten | 0% |
Estimates for the case where the selected club's remaining games end with the chosen record. Left of the arrow is the current estimate; right is the estimate under the chosen record.
How accurate are these forecasts? Track record of this forecast
The estimated figures are worked out by this site and are not official announcements.
Climax Series qualification: finish in the top three
The top three clubs in each league reach the Climax Series. Second and third place meet in the First Stage (best of three), and the winner faces the pennant winner in the Final Stage (a six-game format in which the league champion receives an advantage; the exact form is set in each year's tournament outline). The Final Stage winner advances to the Nippon Series.
Even for clubs whose pennant hopes have faded, a top-three finish keeps a route to the Nippon Series open - which is why the race for third stays meaningful deep into the season.
Reading the Climax Series odds board
The board lists clubs in standings order with their Climax Series odds, top-three control, record, winning percentage, games behind third place, and games remaining. 'Controls top 3' is a mathematical test - whether winning all remaining games would guarantee a top-three finish regardless of rivals - shown as Yes only when mathematically certain (a safe-side call).
'GB (3rd)' measures the gap to the third-place club, the distance to the Climax Series zone - a different baseline from the leader-based GB on the overview board. Clubs currently in the top three show '—'.
Reading the odds-over-time chart
Sharp swings often line up with head-to-head series or winning and losing streaks, and the race can shift before the standings do.
A displayed 100% or 0% is the result of rounding to one decimal place and does not necessarily mean mathematical certainty or elimination. The mathematical state - clinched status and CS berth magic numbers - lives on the CS clinch-date page, the Central League CS clinch numbers and the Pacific League CS clinch numbers.
The same calculation as the odds board
The computation uses the same calculation as the pennant race odds board. Each projected season is ranked with the official standings rules, tiebreakers included. The numbers are this site's own estimates, not official announcements.
Frequently asked questions
Which clubs qualify for the Climax Series?
The top three clubs in each league (third place or better).
What is the Climax Series?
It is NPB's postseason format in which the top three clubs of each league play for the right to reach the Japan Series, held in both leagues since 2007.