Qualifying plate appearances: how they are calculated (team games x 3.1, rounded)
Rate stats such as batting average, on-base percentage and slugging can swing wildly for players with few appearances, so NPB sets a qualification line: only batters with enough plate appearances enter the league lists for those stats and are eligible for titles such as the batting championship.
The line is team games x 3.1, rounded to the nearest integer. In 2025, every club played 143 official games, so the full-season line was 143 x 3.1 = 443.3, rounded to 443 plate appearances.
Qualifying innings: how they are calculated (team games x 1.0)
For pitchers the line is qualifying innings: team games x 1.0, i.e. as many innings as the team has played. In a 143-game season that means 143 innings; only pitchers at or above the line enter the league ERA list and are eligible for the ERA title.
It works out to an average of one inning per team game, so in practice only pitchers who hold a rotation spot all season get there; relievers rarely reach the line in the modern game.
Mid-season thresholds differ by team: how to read the table
Because the thresholds are computed from each team's games played, mid-season lines differ from team to team on the same day - rainouts and scheduling spread the pace. A team with 94 games played, for example, has a batting line of 94 x 3.1 = 291.4, rounded to 291 plate appearances, and a pitching line of 94 innings.
The reference table below is a quick view of each team's current lines. The player boards - who has reached the line or sits near it, and how much remains - are split into separate Central League and Pacific League pages because of their volume. Stats split across teams by a mid-season transfer are not combined.
Why reaching the line matters
The 3.1-per-game coefficient roughly corresponds to starting nearly every game in the top or middle of the order. Miss time through injury or a slump and the line quickly slips away - reaching it is itself proof of a full season as a regular.
The same goes for qualifying innings: with today's once-a-week starting rotations, a pitcher needs to sustain both his starts and his innings per start to get there. That is why the batting and ERA titles are awarded on rates built on top of the qualification line.
Qualification and titles: races are league by league
The batting title (batting average) and the on-base percentage title are chosen from batters who have reached the qualifying plate appearances, and the ERA title from pitchers who have reached the qualifying innings - each within its own league. The league order for average and ERA likewise covers only qualified players. Counting titles such as home runs, RBIs, wins and strikeouts do not require qualification.
Among rate titles, the winning-percentage title is the exception: its requirement is 13 or more wins, not qualifying innings (the standard unified across both leagues since 2013). For the batting and on-base titles there is also a special provision - if a batter would still rank first after all his missing plate appearances were counted as outs, the title is awarded - but it has never been applied to the top-level batting or on-base titles (as of 2026).
Reference data
The table below is reference data compiled by this site, not an official announcement.
Data as of
Qualification thresholds by team
Central League
- Hiroshima 143 of 143 games 0 games left Required PA443 Required IP143
- Chunichi 143 of 143 games 0 games left Required PA443 Required IP143
- DeNA 143 of 143 games 0 games left Required PA443 Required IP143
- Yomiuri 143 of 143 games 0 games left Required PA443 Required IP143
- Yakult 142 of 143 games 1 games left Required PA440 Required IP142
- Hanshin 142 of 143 games 1 games left Required PA440 Required IP142
Pacific League
- ORIX 143 of 143 games 0 games left Required PA443 Required IP143
- Rakuten 143 of 143 games 0 games left Required PA443 Required IP143
- Nippon-Ham 143 of 143 games 0 games left Required PA443 Required IP143
- SoftBank 143 of 143 games 0 games left Required PA443 Required IP143
- Seibu 143 of 143 games 0 games left Required PA443 Required IP143
- Lotte 143 of 143 games 0 games left Required PA443 Required IP143
Frequently asked questions
How many plate appearances are required to qualify?
Team games x 3.1, rounded to the nearest integer. In a 143-game season that is 443 (143 x 3.1 = 443.3). Mid-season it is computed from the team's games played, so it changes daily.
How many innings are required to qualify?
Team games x 1.0 - the same number of innings as games the team has played. In a 143-game season, 143 innings.
Are the farm-league thresholds different?
Yes. On the farm, qualifying PA are team games x 2.7 (rounded) and qualifying innings are team games x 0.8 (rounded to the nearest third of an inning) - lower than the top level.
What is the difference between plate appearances and at-bats?
A plate appearance is every trip to the plate; an at-bat excludes walks, hit-by-pitches, sacrifice bunts and sacrifice flies. Batting average is hits divided by at-bats, but the qualification line counts plate appearances.