Current magic numbers
Hanshin have clinched the pennant.
SoftBank have clinched the pennant.
Magic numbers by league? Central League magic number Pacific League magic number
Magic numbers
The smallest number of remaining wins that clinches the pennant regardless of what rivals do. If percentages finish level, the order is settled by head-to-head records and the other league criteria. This is a different number from the "X more wins" on the pennant line chart, which is an estimated guide to reaching the line.
Central League
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| Team | Magic | Status | Left | Controls pennant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hanshin | Clinched | 0 | Yes | |
| Yomiuri | Eliminated from the pennant race | 0 | No | |
| DeNA | Eliminated from the pennant race | 0 | No | |
| Hiroshima | Eliminated from the pennant race | 0 | No | |
| Yakult | Eliminated from the pennant race | 0 | No | |
| Chunichi | Eliminated from the pennant race | 0 | No |
On Sat, Aug 29, the magic number lit for Hanshin at 23.
Pacific League
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| Team | Magic | Status | Left | Controls pennant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SoftBank | Clinched | 0 | Yes | |
| Seibu | Eliminated from the pennant race | 0 | No | |
| Nippon-Ham | Eliminated from the pennant race | 0 | No | |
| ORIX | Eliminated from the pennant race | 0 | No | |
| Lotte | Eliminated from the pennant race | 0 | No | |
| Rakuten | Eliminated from the pennant race | 0 | No |
On Wed, Aug 5, the magic number lit for SoftBank at 37.
The bar in the magic column shows the magic number as a share of remaining games. The longer the bar, the more of the remaining schedule must be won - the smaller the cushion.
Per-rival breakdown (who sets the magic number)
'Wins needed' is the number of wins required to finish ahead of that rival even if it wins all its remaining games. The largest of these is the magic number, and the rival that sets it is the 'target club'.
Breakdown from Hanshin's standpoint
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| Rival | Wins needed | Head-to-head left |
|---|---|---|
| Yomiuri | 0 | 0 |
| DeNA | 0 | 0 |
| Hiroshima | 0 | 0 |
| Yakult | 0 | 0 |
| Chunichi | 0 | 0 |
Breakdown from SoftBank's standpoint
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| Rival | Wins needed | Head-to-head left |
|---|---|---|
| Seibu | 0 | 0 |
| Nippon-Ham | 0 | 0 |
| ORIX | 0 | 0 |
| Lotte | 0 | 0 |
| Rakuten | 0 | 0 |
This season's magic number history (lit, dark, self-control lost and regained)
A day-by-day history of the magic number.
Central League
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| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Fri, Jul 3 | Chunichi regain the ability to clinch on their own |
| Sun, Jul 5 | Chunichi lose the ability to clinch on their own |
| Mon (hol), Jul 20 | Hiroshima lose the ability to clinch on their own |
| Fri, Jul 31 | DeNA lose the ability to clinch on their own |
| Tue, Aug 4 | DeNA regain the ability to clinch on their own |
| Wed, Aug 5 | Yakult lose the ability to clinch on their own |
| Thu, Aug 6 | DeNA lose the ability to clinch on their own |
| Sat, Aug 8 | DeNA regain the ability to clinch on their own |
| Tue (hol), Aug 11 | DeNA lose the ability to clinch on their own |
| Sat, Aug 29 | Yomiuri lose the ability to clinch on their own |
| Sat, Aug 29 | Hanshin light up a magic number of 23 |
| Sat, Oct 3 | Hanshin clinch the pennant (M0) |
Full season log
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| Tue, Jun 30 | Chunichi lose the ability to clinch on their own |
|---|---|
| Fri, Jul 3 | Chunichi regain the ability to clinch on their own |
| Sun, Jul 5 | Chunichi lose the ability to clinch on their own |
| Mon (hol), Jul 20 | Hiroshima lose the ability to clinch on their own |
| Fri, Jul 31 | DeNA lose the ability to clinch on their own |
| Tue, Aug 4 | DeNA regain the ability to clinch on their own |
| Wed, Aug 5 | Yakult lose the ability to clinch on their own |
| Thu, Aug 6 | DeNA lose the ability to clinch on their own |
| Sat, Aug 8 | DeNA regain the ability to clinch on their own |
| Tue (hol), Aug 11 | DeNA lose the ability to clinch on their own |
| Sat, Aug 29 | Yomiuri lose the ability to clinch on their own |
| Sat, Aug 29 | Hanshin light up a magic number of 23 |
| Sat, Oct 3 | Hanshin clinch the pennant (M0) |
Scroll right to see the full chart
Pacific League
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| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Wed, Jun 10 | Rakuten lose the ability to clinch on their own |
| Fri, Jun 12 | Rakuten regain the ability to clinch on their own |
| Sat, Jun 13 | Rakuten lose the ability to clinch on their own |
| Mon (hol), Jul 20 | Lotte lose the ability to clinch on their own |
| Tue, Jul 21 | Lotte regain the ability to clinch on their own |
| Wed, Jul 22 | ORIX lose the ability to clinch on their own |
| Thu, Jul 23 | Lotte lose the ability to clinch on their own |
| Tue, Aug 4 | Seibu lose the ability to clinch on their own |
| Wed, Aug 5 | Nippon-Ham lose the ability to clinch on their own |
| Wed, Aug 5 | SoftBank light up a magic number of 37 |
| Thu, Sep 17 | SoftBank clinch the pennant (M0) |
Scroll right to see the full chart
The estimated figures are worked out by this site and are not official announcements.
Magic numbers, formally: lighting, M0, going dark and relighting
The magic number M is the smallest number of remaining wins that clinches the pennant regardless of what rivals do. The day M reaches 0 is the clinch date.
By convention the magic number 'lights up' when every other club has lost the ability to clinch on its own. It can go dark again after a losing stretch (a rival's self-control can revive), so a lit number is not a clinched pennant. A dark number can relight later, and the lit club can even change. The season-history section of this page lists every lighting, unlighting and relighting with its date.
The target club: the rival that sets the number
The 'target club' is the rival that sets the magic number. When the target club loses, M can drop without the leader even playing.
The target is not fixed. If the target club keeps losing and its requirement falls, the next rival becomes the new target. The per-rival breakdown table on this page shows which club currently sets M, how many wins are needed against each rival, and how many head-to-head games remain.
Lighting conditions and self-control: elimination it is not
The lighting condition is that exactly one club in the league still controls its own fate. Controlling your own fate means winning out would clinch the pennant regardless of other results. In other words, a magic number lights up not when a club achieves something, but at the moment every other club's self-control disappears.
Losing self-control is not elimination: depending on rivals, both the pennant and renewed control remain possible. Current winning percentages and games behind are on the NPB standings.
How M falls: sometimes by 2 or more at once
The basic pattern is 'your win takes 1 off; a target-club loss takes 1 off'. Beating the target club head-to-head does both at once, and if the target changes at the same time, the number can move even further. Conversely, your own loss never increases M (it just fails to shrink) - but if a rival regains self-control, the number goes dark.
Frequently asked questions
What is a magic number?
The smallest number of remaining wins that clinches the pennant regardless of rivals. It 'lights up' when every other club loses the ability to clinch on its own, and the day it reaches 0 is the clinch date.
What is the magic number's 'target club'?
Among the per-rival wins-needed values, the rival that produces the largest one. Since the magic number equals that maximum, a target-club loss can shrink M even on the leader's day off. The target changes as the standings evolve.
Can a lit magic number disappear?
Yes. A lit number means every other club has lost self-control, so a losing stretch that revives any rival's self-control puts the number out. It relights when the condition holds again. This page's season history lists each lighting, unlighting and relighting with dates.