The Central League(セントラル・リーグ,Sentoraru Rīgu?) or Se League(セリーグ,Se Rīgu?) is one of Japan's two major professional baseball leagues, the winner of which plays the Japan Series against the winner of the other league, the Pacific League. The Central League was founded in 1949 with eight teams. Designated hitters are not used during Central League home games. In 2007 a new Climax Series was introduced. This is a play off 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.
