tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65617444620980584342024-03-14T01:59:55.178-07:00A Noboru Aota Fan's NotesBaseball in Japan, heroes, and the players of the past.ABhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00110721827199073259noreply@blogger.comBlogger71125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561744462098058434.post-76219732901080382822019-01-15T09:00:00.001-08:002019-01-15T09:00:59.821-08:002019 Hall of Fame ElectionThe Hall of Fame in Tokyo today <a href="http://i.baseball-museum.or.jp/baseball_hallo/news/halloffame2019_01.html" target="_blank">announced</a> that Kazuyoshi Tatsunami, Hiroshi Gondo and Haruo Wakimura were <a href="https://yakyudb.com/2019/01/16/1-15-2018-2019-hall-of-fame-class-tatsunami-gondo-wakimura/" target="_blank">elected</a> as the HOF class of 2019.<br />
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Just barely clearing the 75% threshold with 287 votes, Tatsunami made it into the Hall on his fifth try. He collected 2480 hits in his career, good enough to put him at 8th on the all-time list, just above Mr. Baseball himself, Shigeo Nagashima. 487 of those hits were doubles, making him the all time leader in that category.<br />
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After winning two Koshien tournaments, Tatsunami was selected by the Chunichi Dragons in the first round of the 1987 draft and went on to win Rookie of the Year honors. He would appear in five Japan Series with the Dragons, winning it all in 2007. Later in his career he set a record for most pinch hit appearances in a season, and finished his career with a .285/.366/408 slash, five gold gloves and 11 All Star selections. A member of the Meikyukai, he was also reputedly a notorious womanizer during his career.<br />
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Hiroshi Gondo garnered 102 votes to give him 76.7 percent of the 'Expert Division' vote after spending several years slowly gaining more and more votes on the ballot. Gondo was also a Rookie of the Year with Chunichi, when, as a phenom out of Tosu High School and the industrial leagues, he won 30 games in each of his first two seasons. During his Sawamura Award winning season of 1961, he posted a 0.91 WHIP and 1.70 ERA in 429 innings pitched.<br />
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Dragons manager Wataru Nonin, an old school former player who had worn a professional uniform in Japan since the formation of the first tournament in 1936, put Gondo out on the mound another 362 innings in '62, and by 1963 his arm was shot. After extending his career another five years as a utility infielder, Gondo became a coach, first with the Dragons, Buffalos and Hawks before landing a job with the Yokohama Bay Stars. After becoming the teams manager in 1998 he led them to a Japan Series title.<br />
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Haruo Wakimura was a star high school pitcher who won a Koshien, and went on to lead the Japan High School Baseball Federation for nearly a decade.<br />
<br />ABhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00110721827199073259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561744462098058434.post-75122693687924064162018-05-06T15:05:00.002-07:002018-05-06T15:05:47.303-07:00Takesue<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl9FQaiEL6pk4TmwMLM15bgw2Eynu0ITyflGltvcbs2s6ib6_Y7d3X6LO6hbxBo2g9HgCNsPz4G4snxGMs8BywMXsQVBLJMUU5a9g3n4syYvq0bc4M9QEGxhTYaFbEhHOzdkC8bHe5guc/s1600/Tak5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1109" data-original-width="794" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl9FQaiEL6pk4TmwMLM15bgw2Eynu0ITyflGltvcbs2s6ib6_Y7d3X6LO6hbxBo2g9HgCNsPz4G4snxGMs8BywMXsQVBLJMUU5a9g3n4syYvq0bc4M9QEGxhTYaFbEhHOzdkC8bHe5guc/s400/Tak5.jpg" width="285" /></a><br />
Summer, post-war Tokyo. The heat on the streets could be known to drain the energy from young and old alike, healthy and not, moral or immoral. The heat in dead summer was stifling, and its no surprise that it was expressed most poetically by Akira Kurosawa.<br />
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In his film Stray Dogs, the protagonists, two detectives, spend an extended amount of time seeking a gun on the melting streets of Tokyo. This investigation eventually brought the two cops to Korakuen Stadium, where a local dealer is confronted, the viewer can spot another duel in the sweltering heat, similar to that between criminal and crime fighter - that between pitcher and batter.<br />
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The batter is the God of Batting, Tetsuharu Kawakami. The pitcher, at least for that blistering summer of '49, was the master of the strikeout - Shissho Takesue.<br />
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Thirty years later, in the opening days of the 1970 season, crime once again entered the stadium where Takesue worked, infiltrating his pitching staff and forcing him from the game. Four pitchers were eventually banned for life after organized crime elements, known as bakuto, persuaded them to throw games for bribes, a scandal known as the Black Mist. Takesue took leave of his position as coach for the Nishitetsu Lions, who had won the Pacific League pennant in his second year as a coach.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiudlgskkxc0UtEG7EATU6iUCBFFu4xeI6f3nqswkS-W84_QbnZM5FsJcQSqqEzEzkq6LgyPhJw1Wa8KA-LaMBXaIRmPBgP8WReXMOIsSRzn_pdBPMvnIVxCYvk8Bykh3H56sgAOFez_-o/s1600/Tak1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1110" data-original-width="594" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiudlgskkxc0UtEG7EATU6iUCBFFu4xeI6f3nqswkS-W84_QbnZM5FsJcQSqqEzEzkq6LgyPhJw1Wa8KA-LaMBXaIRmPBgP8WReXMOIsSRzn_pdBPMvnIVxCYvk8Bykh3H56sgAOFez_-o/s200/Tak1.jpg" width="106" /></a><br />
In between, Shissho Takesue led a life of relative harmony, devoid of much drama or crime, fulfilling a dream of playing professional baseball. Yet, like those fictional protagonists melting on the streets of Tokyo, he burned out in a flash.<br />
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His success as a coach can be traced 30 years prior, to that summer of 1949, the final year of the old one league system, when Takesue had erupted onto the scene with a wicked sidearm delivery that propelled him from the industrial leagues to one of the best pitchers in Japan.<br />
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Takesue's unique delivery, a sidearm so low it was almost underhanded, contributed to his success in 1949. He had developed his delivery only because of a shoulder injury incurred during WWII.<br />
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He had pitched in school in Fukuoka before traveling to Manchuria to play for the Dalian High Commercial School. After returning to Japan he played for industrial teams prior to the start of the war, but success had eluded him. That was, until his injury forced him to adopt a sidearm delivery that added velocity and created a rise in the ball that fooled batters.<br />
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Takesue then found a spot in the post-war industrial leagues, pitching in 1948 for the Nishinihon Railroad team. The team was stocked with future professionals and ran deep into the playoffs. Despite suffering from a gallbladder infection Takesue pitched admirably, winning all of his games and gaining national recognition.<br />
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Soon, Japan's professional league came calling. The league had grown exponentially in popularity during the post-war years, as well as interest from investors seeking to profit off of the large fan turnout. The Nankai Hawks, managed at that time by future Hall of Famer Kazuto Tsuruoka (Yamamoto), competed with the Hanshin Tigers for his services. After some confusion over contracts, Takesue was persuaded to sign on with Tsuruoka and the Hawks. It proved to be a good match.<br />
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The sidearm delivery that had proven so effective in the industrial leagues baffled hitters at Japanese baseball's highest level. Because this was the final year of the single league system, Takesue faced all of the top professional hitters of the day, including Tetsuharu Kawakami, Makoto Kozuro, Karao Betto, Hiroshi Oshita, and Noboru Aota. Though the Hawks finished fourth in the league, he dominated hitters and along with Tokuji Iida and Chisuke <a href="http://noboruaota.blogspot.com/2009/02/" target="_blank">Kizuka</a> was the star of the team. He finished the season among the league leaders in ERA, wins, and innings pitched, while leading the league in strikeouts with 183. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Drqx1f41RuR8dN7a4xiCAhrLBlVfKLkjhh_Viu8_U1i-nBZs3LQBjeJqKLXupttkNj_tlnjJVa7qDMs95C_MbHIgbN82eHqxv5KZ5xcRVUWuC5zX-nlonNZAeSAVWVIsk2jUOAAGvOY/s1600/Tak4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1007" data-original-width="739" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Drqx1f41RuR8dN7a4xiCAhrLBlVfKLkjhh_Viu8_U1i-nBZs3LQBjeJqKLXupttkNj_tlnjJVa7qDMs95C_MbHIgbN82eHqxv5KZ5xcRVUWuC5zX-nlonNZAeSAVWVIsk2jUOAAGvOY/s200/Tak4.jpg" width="146" /></a>He was also one of the few <a href="http://noboruaota.blogspot.com/2009/06/" target="_blank">bespectacled</a> pitchers in pro baseball on either side of the Pacific. He and fellow glasses-wearing pro Kaoru Betto would be the stars of the 1949 season, giving hope to all those prospective ballplayers just short of 20/20 vision. <br />
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Though there was no post-season in '49, Takesue would find a place on what can be described as a combination playoff and All-star pitching staff. At the close of the season, as the league executives brokered <a href="http://noboruaota.blogspot.com/2016/05/1950-shake-up-part-1-1949.html" target="_blank">expansion details</a>, US occupation leaders embraced the leagues popularity in turn and orchestrated the first visit of professional ballplayers from the states since 1934. <br />
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The San Francisco Seals arrived after season's end and played a series of games against various teams as well as an All Star team comprised of the best of the '49 Season. In a game against the Seals on October 29, 1949, Takesue pitched in relief of Victor Starffin before 70,000 rabid fans. It was still scoreless when he found himself with the bases loaded and two outs in the 7th. With the fans roaring the loudest they had all day, he was able to get Leroy Jarvis to hit into an inning ending
ground out. Later, catcher Jarvis complimented the submarine pitcher
and rated him as good as any PCL pitcher. Unfortunately, one of only two hits that day given up by Takesue and Starrfin was a home run by Dick Steinhauer in the ninth to give the Seals a slim 1-0 victory.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcy0BWWZkjleCFv8NHeDRRkScMaFeub1TfpLSiRITFT2_GTqgC1uq6d4rIgmdPWbpZPrhoOGyIQ9rQX8AQD4axY-UJ9UWSJ34yXmBoSHmSHWRaTKEnXj2QXx8wPB29PjyBqLKChOXMtv4/s1600/Tak3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1135" data-original-width="598" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcy0BWWZkjleCFv8NHeDRRkScMaFeub1TfpLSiRITFT2_GTqgC1uq6d4rIgmdPWbpZPrhoOGyIQ9rQX8AQD4axY-UJ9UWSJ34yXmBoSHmSHWRaTKEnXj2QXx8wPB29PjyBqLKChOXMtv4/s320/Tak3.jpg" width="168" /></a>By the beginning of the 1950 season, professional baseball in Japan had officially split into a Central League and a Pacific League, nearly doubling the number of teams and, in turn, the number of opportunities for ballplayers across the country.<br />
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One of those teams, owned by the Nishi-Nippon Railroad Company, or Nishtetsu, had evolved out of their club team and was called the Nishitetsu Clippers As the Clippers player-manager, Kaname Miyazake led a mismatched team that included several former Hawks, including Takesue, and many players taking advantage of the expansion rosters.<br />
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Though he was among the league leaders in ERA and finished with a record of 12-6, Takesue pitched in nearly half the innings he had pitched the previous season, a sign that his sidearm approach, born of an already injured shoulder, had already begun to wear out in it's own right. The Clippers did not fare much better, finishing only a few wins out of the cellar of the Pacific League and leading the league as a team in errors and fielding the second worst team ERA.<br />
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In 1951 the Clippers merged with the Pirates to become the Nishitetsu Lions, and Takesue was once again paired with a Hall of Fame manager. Osamu Mihara had managed the Yomiuri Giants from 1947 through the end of the 1949 season. As the Giants entered the Central League in 1950 Mihara was replaced with his former Giants teammate and rival Shigeru Mizuhara. Though Mihara would go on to lead the Lions to several Japan Series titles later in the 50's, he could only lead them to a second place finish behind Takesue's old team the Hawks. Though his stats were fading, the submarine pitcher still had a decent year. He finished 11-7 and was selected to represent the Pacific League in the first All Star series in NPB history.<br />
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The following season was not as rosy. Despite a modest 3.64 ERA he finished with a 2-8 record having pitched just over 100 innings. The Lions fared much better under Mihara's leadership but were still a few years away from their first Japan Series appearance. Unfortunately, Takesue would not be a part of those championship teams. He only pitched 30 innings in 1953, posting a 7.55 ERA that must have disappointed Mihara, who let him go at seasons' end.<br />
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Shissho Takesue began the 1954 season with the Takahashi Unions. Though he was not the workhorse he had been in '49, he combined with future hall of famer Victor Starffin to fill out the Unions' rotation, posting a respectable 2.95 ERA over 125 innings pitched. Unfortunately, the expansion Unions had the second worst offense in the Pacific League and committed more errors than any other team. Takesue finished with an abysmal 3-4 record pitching, once again, for a team just barely out of the cellar.<br />
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He would only pitch 6 innings over 14 games in 1955, giving up 14 runs on his way to an ugly 19.50 ERA. His arm no longer able to toss either overhead or submarine, Takesue decided to announce his retirement at the age of 32. The only bright spot from the '55 season was witnessing his teammate Starffin become the first 300 game winner in the history of the sport in Japan.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxFORqBoBCPBDEjuBG5QxdjVkB7RcTO0KWUKfBI9R3bx8EjNQy5r50ikHFtZjE-3gBaNxVxT7K-nttonPoPJQ_RGMdY93sZqIY00eL-_xmhlM50S89euclSpmgADm43QMPArcdOpO_UxU/s1600/Tak6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1156" data-original-width="625" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxFORqBoBCPBDEjuBG5QxdjVkB7RcTO0KWUKfBI9R3bx8EjNQy5r50ikHFtZjE-3gBaNxVxT7K-nttonPoPJQ_RGMdY93sZqIY00eL-_xmhlM50S89euclSpmgADm43QMPArcdOpO_UxU/s320/Tak6.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="169" /></a>It's possible that, without developing his sidearm delivery, Shissho Takesue would never had made it in pro ball to begin with. Nonetheless, the rapid decline of his skills must have been bittersweet enough to convince Takesue to continue his charmed involvement in pro ball. After spending time as a broadcaster, he accepted the position as pitching coach during the 1962 season for his former team the Lions. In his first year as a coach the Lions reached the post season. They finished the season in 3rd place, but the following season, in part thanks to a 2.69 team ERA, the Lions won the pennant. <br />
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Takesue would continue as pitching coach for the rest of the decade, managing some of the best arms in the game, until the fateful decision by Masayaki Nagayasu, along with a handful of other NPB ballplayers, to accept money from organized criminals to fix games. Though Takesue was, as he had been in the background of Kurosawa's film, simply an extra in the narrative of the scandal, he would retire from his role in uniform and move to the background, taking work as a scout.<br />
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Shissho Takesue died at the age of 75 in June of 1998. He would never have fathomed, as the cameras rolled during that magical 1949 season that he would finally hang up his uniform as a result of a similar act of crime, real, this time, instead of fictional. Never the less, he could be proud of a career that defied expectations and helped usher in the modern era of pro ball in Japan.<br />
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<br />ABhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00110721827199073259noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561744462098058434.post-3690557707257996652018-04-01T19:45:00.000-07:002018-04-01T19:45:27.668-07:00Ohtani<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Shohei Ohtani won his major league debut as a pitcher today, only a few days after his Opening Day debut in MLB as a designated hitter. It remains to be seen if he can continue in his duel role with the Angels, one he played so well with the Nippon-Ham Fighters. But after his first few days in a California uniform it seems probable that he may become the first two-way player the majors have seen in quite a while.<br />
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Sadaharu Oh (right) knows all too well how difficult such a role can be to pull off. A star on the mound and in the batters box in high school, Oh came to the Giants in 1959 with the potential to dazzle with both arm and bat. However, the Giants, seeing the power in his swing as far superior to his arm, moved him to 1st base and instructed him to focus all of his energy on hitting. Though not an immediate success, he would go on to set the all time home run record and become an international phenomenon. <br />
Coming up next: Takesue!ABhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00110721827199073259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561744462098058434.post-24500404744057070892018-03-07T19:17:00.001-08:002018-03-07T19:17:37.503-08:00Arky Vaughan<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRS8zEac-yidOO07yymnDzzTHnczzvDCSBo0ePwdW7KGGc_fwInkq8oKm9jaGJZdU15XcFnLIatX_G3GLYZvCYaNFfWKNCMnEsseFdZ_GvcrZK11QeeUGqRqXWSNhY7nNKatzkPriWayY/s1600/%255BUntitled%255D+%252810%2529.tif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="516" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRS8zEac-yidOO07yymnDzzTHnczzvDCSBo0ePwdW7KGGc_fwInkq8oKm9jaGJZdU15XcFnLIatX_G3GLYZvCYaNFfWKNCMnEsseFdZ_GvcrZK11QeeUGqRqXWSNhY7nNKatzkPriWayY/s320/%255BUntitled%255D+%252810%2529.tif" width="203" /></a>After Arky Vaughan died in a freak fishing accident in the summer of 1952 he was rightfully remembered as an All-Star infielder and batting champion for the Pirates and Dodgers. As the years passed his career was lauded as worthy of the Hall of Fame, and he was eventually enshrined there. Missing from that narrative was Vaughan's role in the 1949 San Francisco Seals tour of Japan.<br />
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Arky (real name Joseph Floyd) never even made it to Japan, even if his fame preceded him.<br />
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After three years off from baseball, he had come back to the Dodgers in 1947, where he would get to play in the only World Series of his career. Despite a resurgent spring that left him with a .325 average at the end of '47, he spent a less than stellar two year stint with Brooklyn. At the close of the 1948 season, he was seemingly at the point of ending a stellar career. Thought a star in his day, modern metrics reveal a career even more valuable than most contemporaries considered. He never won an MVP, but was a consistent leader in OPS and, as measured today, WAR, finishing his career with 72.9 according to Baseball Reference.<br />
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At the start of 1949 Vaughan decided to play one more season in the sun, but this time closer to home. He signed on with the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League and would eventually play in 97 games, roughly half of the teams games that season. Though he hit .288 with 6 triples, he was already set to hang up his spikes by July, telling reporters "when this season is over I'm going back to my home in Uklah (120 miles north of San Francisco) and buying another cattle ranch." He sat out almost the entire month of August before hanging it up officially on September 3, citing a gall bladder issue. He would be comfortably resting in Northern California when the Seals were welcomed by thousands of fans in a parade through Tokyo on October 12.<br />
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The Seals won 10 games and lost 1 during their trip through Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka and Kobe. They faced an All-Star team composed of the stars of Japan in 1949, including Makoto Kozuru, Kaoru Betto, Tetsuharu Kawakami and Noboru Aota, as well as the Yomiuri Giants and Army/Navy/Air Force squads. Almost every game sold out, with some games drawing nearly 60,000 fans who waited in overnight lines to obtain tickets.<br />
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Several sets of menko cards were produced in the time leading up to and during the Seals tour of Japan, including the set cataloged as JCM 50, which features the card pictured above of Vaughan. This was not the only set featuring Vaughan, though most known sets included only the players who played in Japan, such as Al Lein, Con Dempsey and Dino Rostelli, as well as Lefty O'Doul.<br />
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If he had made the trip, he would have been the most famous player, and, next to O'Doul, the most well known American baseball figure to have visited Japan since the 1934 tour featuring the likes of Ruth, Gehrig, Foxx and company. So it makes sense that, even with his absence, his likeness would make the trip. <br />
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More on the '49 tour to come, as well as part 2 of the history of the Two League system. ABhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00110721827199073259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561744462098058434.post-79300659278957465792018-01-19T05:09:00.000-08:002018-01-24T05:16:37.891-08:00Hall of Fame Class 2018 Though Hideki Matsui will most likely not be elected to the US Hall of Fame in 2018, Matsui, along with Tomoaki Kanemoto, Tatsunori Hara and Masao Taki were <a href="http://english.baseball-museum.or.jp/baseball_hallo/news/halloffame2018.pdf" target="_blank">elected</a> to the Hall of Fame in Tokyo on Monday, Jan. 15. The <a href="http://yakyudb.com/2018/01/16/1-15-2018-matsui-kanemoto-hara-make-hall-fame/" target="_blank">results</a> of the Players Division show Matsui earning 91.3% of the vote and Kanemoto 75.5%, while Hara earned 78.7% of the Expert Division vote and Taki over 75% of the Special Division vote. Kazuyoshi Tatsunami and Hiroshi Gondo were within 10% of the vote of being elected. All four will be inducted this summer.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRcXRxSvZ-rWkZF4OSjrP66fu9QbLVdGdnAfztMSrOSd0YCwyY4brPuhpx-R4u2c7F02jpeNrXT89_Vv6WiwhCZM7JRp4E4N6FXTNwzyhIhdPGtMw_lZGXL7FMFRz0PwQ2l-janpq5v18/s1600/hara4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1372" data-original-width="997" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRcXRxSvZ-rWkZF4OSjrP66fu9QbLVdGdnAfztMSrOSd0YCwyY4brPuhpx-R4u2c7F02jpeNrXT89_Vv6WiwhCZM7JRp4E4N6FXTNwzyhIhdPGtMw_lZGXL7FMFRz0PwQ2l-janpq5v18/s200/hara4.jpg" width="145" /></a> Hideki Matsui becomes the first position player to be elected the Hall of Fame who spent a large portion of his career in the US. Hideo Nomo was the first pitcher, and Lefty O'Doul the first contributor. Before a stellar career in MLB, Matsui won 3 MVPs while hitting 332 home runs, including 4 in the Koshien tournaments (one of which earned him the moniker 'Godzilla'), four Japan Series home runs, and eight All Star homers to go along with his 332 career regular season homers.<br />
He went on to help the Yankees win two pennants and a Series, winning a Series MVP in the process, and hit enough dingers in MLB to end up with over 500 for his career between the two leagues. <br />
In <i>You Gotta Have Wa</i>, Robert Whiting wrote that "the traditional Japanese ideal is a humble, uncomplaining, obedient soul like Giants star Tatsunori Hara, who was once chosen in a poll as the 'male symbol of Japan'."<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0GLNEdXIU1_FWYHiEZHs6YJd74GNQXksci0Zwhdr36tNleA6rVncFc952FiAdcG_NZoItgtbYdXfKZ4HPW8GPtnIDMKN0T1fitbXCGoKrkMtAQHJGuPa-9S_DnwffTxwvLEWjLhKLHDA/s1600/hara1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1059" data-original-width="820" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0GLNEdXIU1_FWYHiEZHs6YJd74GNQXksci0Zwhdr36tNleA6rVncFc952FiAdcG_NZoItgtbYdXfKZ4HPW8GPtnIDMKN0T1fitbXCGoKrkMtAQHJGuPa-9S_DnwffTxwvLEWjLhKLHDA/s200/hara1.jpg" width="154" /></a> Whiting continued "Hara went on to have many fine seasons", winning an MVP in 1983 "while helping the Giants win the pennant. But fans, commentators, and coaches were never satisfied. They complained that he struck out too often in key situations, that he couldn't hit a decent forkball, that he couldn't hit the 40-homer mark. He did not have the mark of greatness of an Oh or Nagashima."<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJcWU-Y858lVehp6JAs__2j_xjPUP5GIY7iy_1Ttk-Pr5KK4U-OMHr1dGDzp5s46ncb1xt9AsLFTfQgQ31IIQNCvXFZM2152OAuZBthblksSqlPCYieXsk6sQXraF69TuF3zRek_TjaqU/s1600/hara2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1413" data-original-width="1029" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJcWU-Y858lVehp6JAs__2j_xjPUP5GIY7iy_1Ttk-Pr5KK4U-OMHr1dGDzp5s46ncb1xt9AsLFTfQgQ31IIQNCvXFZM2152OAuZBthblksSqlPCYieXsk6sQXraF69TuF3zRek_TjaqU/s200/hara2.jpg" width="145" /></a> Yet he set a record slamming 20 or more homers in each of his first 12 seasons, and finished his career sporting a .279/.355/.523 line with 382 homers and 11 All Star Appearances. <br />
However, he enters the Hall as a manager, and not as a player (though he came close in his last election as one), bringing 7 pennants and 3 Japan Series titles to the same Giants team for which he hit cleanup for so many years.<br />
The criticism Hara received while a player, that he was "not tough enough", led to all sorts of remedies taken by coaches, including being sent on a spiritual mountain retreat ["yamagomori"] and "minute of analyses of Hara's batting form", that furthered notions he was "overcoached". This experience may have influenced his managing philosophy, and led to his success in the dugout. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3WrCDXPQzffw7bLS5P05bKi7pxx-MKEpJ5dY86x217s1nSneSrdSYx6B818iLExj2jsQS55gQlNfhP1PVOmD2ZYx21fVmHC1qvLjC5ZSQjDHEJqOJpj53FfsBCh-hkgjL8U71ztP8B64/s1600/hara3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1429" data-original-width="994" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3WrCDXPQzffw7bLS5P05bKi7pxx-MKEpJ5dY86x217s1nSneSrdSYx6B818iLExj2jsQS55gQlNfhP1PVOmD2ZYx21fVmHC1qvLjC5ZSQjDHEJqOJpj53FfsBCh-hkgjL8U71ztP8B64/s200/hara3.jpg" width="138" /></a> The election of Tomoaki Kanemoto is no surprise. He finished a stellar career with Hiroshima and Hanshin among the all time leaders in hits, homers, and RBIs, as well as setting records for consecutive innings and games played. Like Matsui, he has four Japan Series homers. He hit for the cycle in 1999 and added the 2005 MVP to his seven Best Nine selections.<br />
Masao Taki, elected by the Special Selection Committee, spent his career playing and coaching university and high school level baseball, appearing at many Spring and Summer Koshien's..<br />
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<br />ABhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00110721827199073259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561744462098058434.post-60820408033319371722017-01-16T09:36:00.001-08:002017-01-16T09:36:25.998-08:00Hall of Fame Class of 2017<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgipC7Dpw7TCeL2teLyrFl-hqN1X7UjPD6JqmSs-KuOjcUYLmr6ROakCcfkuUkpXOqm05vM537ad12joAu3FpDb2l_MbbbR3CjdiHGXvW0Ezcxcg5rpm3kdLqaDmNjg-IF0f-EHAOGMlqw/s1600/0116171101-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgipC7Dpw7TCeL2teLyrFl-hqN1X7UjPD6JqmSs-KuOjcUYLmr6ROakCcfkuUkpXOqm05vM537ad12joAu3FpDb2l_MbbbR3CjdiHGXvW0Ezcxcg5rpm3kdLqaDmNjg-IF0f-EHAOGMlqw/s320/0116171101-1.jpg" width="153" /></a>Today the Hall of Fame in Tokyo <a href="http://english.baseball-museum.or.jp/baseball_hallo/news/halloffame2017.pdf" target="_blank">announced</a> that Senichi Hoshino (right), Masaji Hiromatsu, Tsutomu Itoh, Hiroshi Goshi and Merie Suzuki were <a href="http://yakyudb.com/2017/01/16/1162017-five-elected-into-the-hall-of-fame/" target="_blank">elected</a> as the 2017 Hall of Fame Class. Itoh had <a href="http://yakyudb.com/2016/12/02/1222016-2017-hall-of-fame-candidates/" target="_blank">received</a> the most votes last year of all candidates not elected in the Players Division. Similarly, Hoshino and Hiromatsu were the leading vote getters among the Expert Division class not elected last year.<br />
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Senichi Hoshino (left) played shortstop for Korashiki High School before taking the mound at Meiji University, where he pitched a no-hitter against rival Rikkio University. Drafted by Chuinichi in 1968, he was a six time all star, who led the league in saves while also posting a 15-9 record in 1974 to win the Sawamura Award. After retiring he was a commentator for NHK before going on to manage the Dragons, Tigers and Golden Eagles, accumulating 4 pennants and one Japan Series title.<br />
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Masaji Hiramatsu (right, and at bottom) won a Koshien Tournement before going on to win a Sawamura award for the Whales. An eight time all star, he would go on to win just over 200 games, while also setting a Central League record for hit batsmen. Hiramatsu was also solid at the plate, hitting 25 career home runs. He became a television analyst after retiring in 1984.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0DpcYTRgpJvxAeOALzOSd1hysQVjpvyr5ncoTYf8EgyTNX7DJNczAJkw2VgCEa1caypKHfVt1E54HriCtgKlr5OR-gh-Y5vu6mQYY2gqfRQnK5OhMzx67DufxblUcgjOUkDG7a9lgjow/s1600/0116171059a-1-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0DpcYTRgpJvxAeOALzOSd1hysQVjpvyr5ncoTYf8EgyTNX7DJNczAJkw2VgCEa1caypKHfVt1E54HriCtgKlr5OR-gh-Y5vu6mQYY2gqfRQnK5OhMzx67DufxblUcgjOUkDG7a9lgjow/s200/0116171059a-1-1.jpg" width="141" /></a>Drafted out of High School, Tsutomu Itoh (left) would go on to lead the great Lions teams of the late 1980s and early 1990s as a superb handlers of pitchers. In addition to his pitch handling, Itoh was the best fielding catcher of his day, setting multiple records for errorless chances and fielding percentage. He was also good with a bat, hitting 156 lifetime home runs while setting a record for sacrifice bunts. He <a href="http://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2017/01/16/baseball/japanese-baseball/ito-hoshino-hiramatsu-inducted-hall-fame/#.WH0DQDYizVI" target="_blank">acknowledged</a> Wally Yonamine, as well as Tetsuharu Kawakami and Tatsro Hirooka, in his remarks after learning of his election.<br />
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Hiroshi Goshi was a longtime Koshien Tournament umpire, and Mirei Suzuki contributed to the improvement and understanding of baseball rules. For more see the Japan Hall of Fame <a href="http://english.baseball-museum.or.jp/" target="_blank">website</a>.<br />
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ABhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00110721827199073259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561744462098058434.post-51687615757317429602017-01-08T12:13:00.003-08:002017-01-08T12:13:51.793-08:00Daryl Spencer<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO-pLmaq450dM-GwnxRRi2opvMycTt7coJQ962lqq_yYaN7sfaCyRN9X5y866zbF5dKbqPMRG52BINFUA-H2AesVQKKtM2vouWir_ZMQn0C_afEtg5KLPOTiIBVSMQTp4qXd_sm5Ut8Yg/s1600/0107171617b-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO-pLmaq450dM-GwnxRRi2opvMycTt7coJQ962lqq_yYaN7sfaCyRN9X5y866zbF5dKbqPMRG52BINFUA-H2AesVQKKtM2vouWir_ZMQn0C_afEtg5KLPOTiIBVSMQTp4qXd_sm5Ut8Yg/s320/0107171617b-1.jpg" width="193" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO-pLmaq450dM-GwnxRRi2opvMycTt7coJQ962lqq_yYaN7sfaCyRN9X5y866zbF5dKbqPMRG52BINFUA-H2AesVQKKtM2vouWir_ZMQn0C_afEtg5KLPOTiIBVSMQTp4qXd_sm5Ut8Yg/s1600/0107171617b-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>Daryl Spencer, who played for the Giants, Cardinals, Dodgers and Reds before leading the Hankyu Braves to their first ever pennant in 1967, died last week. He was 88. Though the Braves lost the 1967 Japan Series to the V-9 Giants, Spencer hit 3 home runs in the 6 game series, and would go on to lead the Braves to three more post-season births.<br />
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Spencer hit over 100 home runs in a military-service interrupted MLB career, including the first major league home run on the West Coast, for the Giants in 1958. That he hit it in Seals Stadium, home to the team that, a decade prior, had helped usher in a new era in Japanese Professional Baseball with a triumphant tour that spurned on the two league system, proved somewhat prescient. <br />
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After being released from the Reds in 1963, he received several offers from NPB, including one from the Hawks. He settled with the Braves, and quickly regretted not taking up the Hawks offer after witnessing the close fences at their home park. Though he may have challenged Sadaharu Oh for some home run crowns with the Hawks, he still hit 36 to come in second in the Pacific League in 1964, 5 behind legendary slugger Katsuya Nomura. <br />
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Credited with introducing the hard slide to the Japanese professional ranks, his skill and leadership, along with some fine pitching from Takao Kajimoto and Tetsuya Yoneda, helped turn the Braves from perennial cellar dwellers into champions. Having never appeared in the post season in the US, Spencer helped the Braves to consecutive pennants in '67-'68. He was awarded the 'Outstanding Player' award for the '67 Series and the 'Leading Hitter' award in '68. The Braves would return again in 1969 as well, though by then Spencer was back in Wichita.<br />
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The team invited him back as a coach in 1971, and, though he showed up overweight with no intention of playing, his coaching duties quickly improved his physique to the point where the team asked him to become a player-coach. The Braves would go on to another back-to-back pennant run with player-coach Spencer , though they could never clinch a Series victory against the powerful Yomiuri Giants.<br />
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<br />ABhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00110721827199073259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561744462098058434.post-50299108115382186522016-10-29T08:14:00.000-07:002016-10-29T13:32:54.135-07:00Diamond Diplomacy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A new documentary now in production called <i><a href="http://www.diamonddiplomacy.com/#home" target="_blank">Diamond Diplomacy</a>: U.S. Japan Relations Through A Shared Love</i> <i>Of Baseball</i> needs your <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bestrong/diamond-diplomacy" target="_blank">support</a>!<br />
<br />
<br />
Go over and see what <a href="http://www.indiewire.com/2016/10/vote-project-of-the-week-diamond-diplomacy-what-happened-to-amos-an-impossible-project-hustle-1201741191/" target="_blank">IndieWire</a> and <a href="http://www.rafu.com/2016/10/a-shared-love-of-the-game/" target="_blank">Rafu Shimpo</a> have to say and then please donate....ABhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00110721827199073259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561744462098058434.post-78892182157798994732016-05-22T06:11:00.001-07:002016-05-22T06:11:05.126-07:001950 Shake Up Part 1: 1949<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0pJiQrAYq9cJ3dOpBgH_NWtqyCP8ss3kRxuclHK1_Zwhdzmbjpbzl-ShcaHj8UDreiOwVu4kTU4TSp5tg5ZXXiCfwhv_iHfI0wTqNFmbIfzFwj9wz_Y3Jai_Vpkc6ikEwgoNyYX6mDdw/s1600/A_8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0pJiQrAYq9cJ3dOpBgH_NWtqyCP8ss3kRxuclHK1_Zwhdzmbjpbzl-ShcaHj8UDreiOwVu4kTU4TSp5tg5ZXXiCfwhv_iHfI0wTqNFmbIfzFwj9wz_Y3Jai_Vpkc6ikEwgoNyYX6mDdw/s320/A_8.jpg" width="282" /></a></div>
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The 2016 Japan Series is still a whole season away, but the 2015 Series, between the Swallows and the Hawks, ended last fall after 5 games and the Hawks Victorious. The Hawks were part of the original post war league, while the Swallows began life as an expansion team when the two league system of Central and Pacific Leagues was born in 1950. Some great comments from <a href="http://japanesebaseballcards.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">NPB Card Guy</a> on a post last year led me to investigate a little more thoroughly the development of the two league system in Japan, taking us back 65 years... <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcxvl04HufdKR6IZ5w2S9Kl3W5WOYUrde1pwaeh46iIF3C0gz8-v_XEyRGCKNwJQkXO8ifoc7k6VzdBUcrirPFAsJm3GnuyEWNctwGm5U5bc-LXLM-thmDUDDc6TuXP-fxpCF_A5xRlhQ/s1600/sc00170065.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcxvl04HufdKR6IZ5w2S9Kl3W5WOYUrde1pwaeh46iIF3C0gz8-v_XEyRGCKNwJQkXO8ifoc7k6VzdBUcrirPFAsJm3GnuyEWNctwGm5U5bc-LXLM-thmDUDDc6TuXP-fxpCF_A5xRlhQ/s1600/sc00170065.jpg" width="99" /></a>Yuasa Sadao, nearly 50 years old, as old as the 20th century itself, pitched a throwaway game in November of 1950 against another half-centenarian, Shinji Hamasaki (right), as the rest of his teammates prepared for the first Japan Series. His team, the Orions, were an expansion team who, the previous year, had been a semi-pro team on which Sadao had been involved ever since his days as a star at Meiji University. The game against Hamasaki and the Braves on the last day of the season represented the end of the first century, setting the stage for the second half, in which the gestation period of baseball in Japan gave way to the complete professional and consumer entity it had already become in the West. It would be Sadao's only inning of professional pitching, and, though he and Hamazaki would meet again two years later on the field (as coaches) during the Heiwadai incident, his brief role in professional baseball serves as a perfect bookend.<br />
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The 1950 Japan Series was to be the final contest of the first season of two-league competition in the history of Japanese professional baseball, The Orions were set to face the Shochiku Robins, another expansion team, in a very late, cold Japan Series that was to be the culmination of two years of wrangling, discussion, debate, shenanigans, wheeling, dealing, compromise and success in forming the system that exists to this day in Japanese baseball.<br />
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In the beginning, there was tournament style play. Between the founding of the league in 1936, and the final season in 1944 before the short hiatus brought upon by the final stages of the war, the single league system sufficed for the Japanese baseball loving public, the owners, players, and stakeholders.<br />
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That system had been founded after the development of the Yomiuri Giants from an all star team facing the 1934 touring Americans, to a barnstorming team traveling across North America, and into one of the founding seven teams of Japanese Professional Baseball.<br />
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Occupied Japan in 1946 was a place of hardship, rebuilding, sorrow and, in many places even starvation. However, baseball returned in both amateur and professional form, with the new spring. That same pre-war league, now slightly modified, sanctioned and encouraged by the US Occupation leadership, saw a slow return to pre-war form, with additional support from the occupation forces and American influence.<br />
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As the seasons became longer and the Japanese fans slowly shed the hardships of the post-war landscape, the league became more and more profitable. In addition, the occupation army was hungry for anything that tasted of home, and, though they could at times be rowdy and disrespectful, American servicemen attended in droves. The growing Japanese industry took notice.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDPH_3OmXsP2_fZIXLJsR9kvfNrB_g9eDuSQC-9QBk66oSLhtDrxWrxWRsppoS50VPM8_tQDEoD-xj2-HQAM4ejqox_FU0hYsCfgTAQTWej3OQ2yZ26uqFX8bK-nYfADMlg3pndl9xOj4/s1600/A_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDPH_3OmXsP2_fZIXLJsR9kvfNrB_g9eDuSQC-9QBk66oSLhtDrxWrxWRsppoS50VPM8_tQDEoD-xj2-HQAM4ejqox_FU0hYsCfgTAQTWej3OQ2yZ26uqFX8bK-nYfADMlg3pndl9xOj4/s320/A_3.jpg" width="165" /></a>Additionally, the post-war talent became stronger. Those who survived the war returned from foreign battlefields. POW camp and work camp survivors joined any of those who had stayed at home, or those whose kamikaze number had yet to be selected by August of 1945. As normalcy crept back into their lives, these men gravitated back to the ball field stronger and more determined than ever to succeed. <br />
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There was the emergence of popular players and rivalries, such as that of Tetsuharu Kawakami, the God of Batting, with his"red bat", and Hiroshi Oshita with his"blue bat" (right). They added color to one of the few forms of entertainment that those stricken with the hardships of post-war life could enjoy. The game's popularity was was soaring.<br />
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So much so that several businessmen sought to capitalize on that popularity by introducing some competition in the vein of the Federal League in 1914. The new league opened for business in March of 1947 with four teams. The minimal team number, dearth of post-war attendance, and lack of recognition by the main professional league, led to it's dissolution less than a year later.<br />
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Though the immediate post-war environment couldn't yet support two leagues, by the second half of the 1948 season, the profitability of professional baseball had become more than apparent. Several national companies, including the Mainichi Shimbun, which had fielded semi-pro industrial league teams in the post war years, now wanted to field pro teams and share in the profits. The desire among Japanese companies was growing. Despite the Admission Tax, which was a 60% tax paid to the occupation government, entry into the league<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>was sure to bring in as much money available in occupied Japan.</div>
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Enter Matsutaro Shoriki. Shoriki had been the owner of the Yomiuri Shimbum and had organized the Japanese All Star team that played against Ruth and company in 1934 tour. The core of that team would go on, under the ownership of Shoriki, to become the Yomiuri Giants.<br />
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Before the beginning of the 1949 season, negotiations had already begun to include all of the companies clamoring to get in on the profits that would, eventually, roll in. By February of '49, Shoriki, recently cleared as a war criminal by the occupation government, was appointed honorary president of the federation that would become the professional league in place today.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEcTKR6kMdT1WCjxdvFzZeEcWn-W-ZtVqsIEUkLV7PN1I7GaHllKpPKNhwTv2KwhIHvt3ko3-xK3chlpWTFRtijWFYR0OxYEu1u0-rc7TAHXB0V7kOhndJFkq66D5wBqXLbfq5BqTq_KA/s1600/A_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEcTKR6kMdT1WCjxdvFzZeEcWn-W-ZtVqsIEUkLV7PN1I7GaHllKpPKNhwTv2KwhIHvt3ko3-xK3chlpWTFRtijWFYR0OxYEu1u0-rc7TAHXB0V7kOhndJFkq66D5wBqXLbfq5BqTq_KA/s200/A_1.jpg" width="150" /></a><br />
As the 1949 season got under way, there were eight teams set to play roughly 138 games, after which the Yomiuri Giants would run away with the pennant, 16 games ahead of the 2nd place Hankyu Braves. Almost every previous batting and pitching record was matched or topped. Fumio Fujimura [left] led the league with 46 home runs and 142 RBI. <br />
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Chusuke Kizuka's 59 stolen bases was the second most ever, trailing Kawanishi's record set the previous year. Karao Betto set a record with 129 runs scored. Victor Starrfin won 27 games and Shissho Takesue [below] of the Hawks led all pitchers with 183 strikeouts. Fujimura took MVP and Hideo Fujimoto of the Giants won the Sawamura Award.<br />
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A competitive, stat heavy season, overflowing with post-war talent, in which the perennial favorites won the championship confirmed the need for a new system - more competition and and a championship series would only improve upon a stellar product. Not only was the league exceeding expectations but fans were getting everything they wanted.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgr0EQIjApxzAa3ysL04ncnFrbc1TpLCPT8j0B7ivSOEKukhEjpz9i9zBpW_dC7l9zZU6QA0ssEQVotvNom7gr0kcYYnQBtliGSSzF8L4bLtpqfDT5VwPvLH7vNzjSk-f9Ntu941s0Ugg/s1600/A_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgr0EQIjApxzAa3ysL04ncnFrbc1TpLCPT8j0B7ivSOEKukhEjpz9i9zBpW_dC7l9zZU6QA0ssEQVotvNom7gr0kcYYnQBtliGSSzF8L4bLtpqfDT5VwPvLH7vNzjSk-f9Ntu941s0Ugg/s320/A_2.jpg" width="160" /></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "times";"><br /></span></div>
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Shoriki, and all plans to expand professional baseball, developed under the watchful eye, and governing hand, of the Allied Occupation of Japan. The SCAP (Supreme Commander for Allied Forces) and it's commander General MacArthur, had established, in addition to the military tribunal and Allied Council, a civilian section of the occupation forces. Made up of general accounting, general procurement, government, natural resources, public health and welfare, statistics, civil communications, civil information, civil intelligence civil property and civil transportation, there was, in addition, an economic and scientific section headed up by Maj. Gen. W. F. Marquat. Marquat's aide de camp was Cappy Harada, a Hawaiian native Nisei who had played baseball with many Japanese natives and was charged by MacArthur with reestablishing professional baseball in Japan in 1946. The civilian section would keep a close tabs on Shoriki and prevent him from obtaining too much power too quickly.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ozwUVKBGDycWXbweqnDmbpUAsXWkhtIDB2StuXb2_NnU1kYvRihAI4YrYKT_vHurFktKWixGtxP-fwhqjwc0PQSEtuhzOtM8NIZ06AoYmXdQoD5pxl_cU82H_6BV9XpUG5ECYMebtn4/s1600/Harada.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ozwUVKBGDycWXbweqnDmbpUAsXWkhtIDB2StuXb2_NnU1kYvRihAI4YrYKT_vHurFktKWixGtxP-fwhqjwc0PQSEtuhzOtM8NIZ06AoYmXdQoD5pxl_cU82H_6BV9XpUG5ECYMebtn4/s320/Harada.jpg" width="234" /></a>According to his comments to Rob Fitts' in "Remembering Japanese Baseball", in addition to overseeing the return to professional baseball in 1946 during the occupation, <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=cJyRXD-mCT0C&pg=PA1&lpg=PA1&dq=cappy+harada&source=bl&ots=LSLpVpvCAQ&sig=y7mSEwB-1lHlAfo4p7JZzC5_WTY&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CEcQ6AEwCmoVChMI6oCJkpW2yAIViRgeCh3oRglV#v=onepage&q=cappy%20harada&f=false" target="_blank">Harada</a> had a hand in the development of the two league system as well. "In the late 1940's, Mr. Shoriki asked me "How come our baseball isn't getting stronger like the Major Leagues?"I said, "Mr. Shoriki, there's a simple answer. You have to form two leagues and have a Japanese World Series. Then, everybody will be fighting for something, and that will foster competition. Then, Japanese baseball will get stronger." Mr. Shoriki said, "Let's have a meeting on it." The meeting took place at a restaurant in Osaka. At the meeting were Mr. Shoriki, Ryuji Suzuki [the president of the league], Mr. Nagata [the movie magnate], and Prince [Naruhiko] Higashikuni. We discussed it and decided that it was a good idea. I hate to take credit for it but I think I was responsible for creating the two leagues."<br />
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Despite Harada's words, Matsuro Shoriki most likely saw it as his own initiative. Masaichi Nagata, film producer, owner of the Daiai Stars and future President of the Pacific League, also saw the two league system as his idea. However, Harada's description of the meeting in the Osaka restaurant (which included both Shoriki and Nagata), in addition to the many meetings that would be held throughout the summer and fall, suggest that it was a group effort. </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">By April, Shoriki was leading the group in a more official capacity,while debate continued on how to
structure a new, two-league system.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6mNGS_U3XolmdY7ej0_p4byRhhVUNWPLoLoTwL-KF-Unp5-TrTDEw22TLT2TvTWwZW2rEULMRRgsnBmmuRZ2l3MV1rPfQie9rUwbIT8LqGp17_H8lVIIKOBPvnKekjzu08u7dvr_kUYY/s1600/A_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6mNGS_U3XolmdY7ej0_p4byRhhVUNWPLoLoTwL-KF-Unp5-TrTDEw22TLT2TvTWwZW2rEULMRRgsnBmmuRZ2l3MV1rPfQie9rUwbIT8LqGp17_H8lVIIKOBPvnKekjzu08u7dvr_kUYY/s320/A_4.jpg" width="268" /></a></div>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The new league organization was officially announced on April 16th, when Shoriki said, through the AP, that he "hoped to accomplish at least three things: build up two major leagues like the American and the National in the United States; build more baseball stadiums, and get General MacArthur's approval to invite an American baseball team to Japan next fall."</span><br />
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Membership
applications from companies aiming to participate in the expanded
league were numerous throughout the following months: the Mainichi Shimbun, Kintetsu, Kyoto Shimbun,
Kumagai Gumi Co., Ltd., Japan National Railways, Shochiku, Ocean Fishing, Nagoya Railroad, Nishi-Nippon Railroad Co., Ltd., West
newspaper, Seibu Railway, and others.</span><br />
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">With the 1949 season waning,<span style="font-family: "times";"> </span></span>Mainichi, Kintetsu, and Nishi-Nippon Railroad Co., Ltd. became part of the forming league by the end of September.<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </span><br />
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Only a few days later, on the second to last day of September, a conference was held during which representatives of the current teams raised objections to expanding the league. They were voted down, and the new association moved towards a final vote at a meeting after the end of the season in December.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJKWiUBraQKgkY2mYNa-x61qmbOG9rML0dD4ZXjneFT_02b4VNs4ppvKsgvKF8YTjBnOKSj8pcUf7DMLZ5nV2_Rsi9lnCpsM3NaPMqH1l3KyLD6ubGAEtK-ym1bi7WIRDFFXC78mjCH5E/s1600/A_5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJKWiUBraQKgkY2mYNa-x61qmbOG9rML0dD4ZXjneFT_02b4VNs4ppvKsgvKF8YTjBnOKSj8pcUf7DMLZ5nV2_Rsi9lnCpsM3NaPMqH1l3KyLD6ubGAEtK-ym1bi7WIRDFFXC78mjCH5E/s320/A_5.jpg" width="249" /></a>Also set for the post-season was the first visit from a US professional team since the 1934 tour. As Shiriki had explained, the owners wished to add legitimacy to the new league with a visit from a Major League team. SCAP saw it as a good idea as well, but attempts to convince a Major League team fell through. Cappy Harada, already involved in the organization of the new leagues, was empowered by Gen. MacArthur to supervise a tour of Japan by the San Francisco Seals. <br />
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Cappy, in turn, contacted his old friend Lefty O'Doul, who still retained a great deal of popularity from his time in Japan in 1934. The tour was arranged with the assistance of baseball writer Sotaru Suzuki, O'Doul's friend and organizer of the 1934 tour.<br />
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The Seals would play seven games against various amateur and professional Japanese All-Star squads, and against US Air Force and other US military All-Star squads. The tour would be the cherry on top of a great year for Japanese baseball.</div>
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By the end of the 1949 season, the receipts confirmed what all of these 'stakeholders' had been excited for. The league had drawn over four million fans during the '49 season, a 25% increase over the '48 season. However, each team posted a loss except for the Giants, who claimed simply to break even. The Tigers, though finishing in the second division, made almost enough to break even.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This may have been the result of the “Admission Tax” (mentioned above) paid by all Japanese companies to the occupation government of 60%, cutting into the 1.15 million in gross receipts for the league.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> The NY Times reported that Columbia University Prof. Carl Shoup's recommendation of reducing the admission tax was set to be enacted into law by the Japanese National Legislature, which would ease the burden on the new league.</span><br />
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The 1949 Tigers most likely drew so many fans as much due to their location as because of the star studded product they fielded. Despite finishing in the second division, 20 games out of first, the Tigers fielded one of the most talented teams in the league. Fujio Fujimura was only a few batting points short of winning a triple crown, and player-manager Bozo Wakabayashi led the pitching staff with a 3.29 ERA.<br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_UgUUSHnHKyZr94lra-KvvS86mJ1e3_HkKQmgdFYzQbEdOryJg6ug07CsGaVj0KMRyuAFKsMJ8NJbK8yr9loLaOofIEx2fCbTQS7T8exOqlA8A8_wRm8fDgkh34lbeFmovWJy4IpM8rE/s1600/tiger_book_pg1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_UgUUSHnHKyZr94lra-KvvS86mJ1e3_HkKQmgdFYzQbEdOryJg6ug07CsGaVj0KMRyuAFKsMJ8NJbK8yr9loLaOofIEx2fCbTQS7T8exOqlA8A8_wRm8fDgkh34lbeFmovWJy4IpM8rE/s1600/tiger_book_pg1.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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The stars of that team, including Wakabayashi [above, left], Karao Betto, Shosei Go and
Takeshi Doigaki, would go on to shake up the new system and lead a new team, in a new league, to the 1950 pennant.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4l-4WZalF50s8To-23NVQglgOgaWq92FwSf_ZiwncAeshLijIJ5P2Zjsjpas-ZADx4gPDqap1fBYu59w9V6Dzg9TlOpB6zQsrDaNZvTTgH7MA_tNzGnndKEM9Fn378G5KHcYbMKORPBQ/s1600/A_7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4l-4WZalF50s8To-23NVQglgOgaWq92FwSf_ZiwncAeshLijIJ5P2Zjsjpas-ZADx4gPDqap1fBYu59w9V6Dzg9TlOpB6zQsrDaNZvTTgH7MA_tNzGnndKEM9Fn378G5KHcYbMKORPBQ/s320/A_7.jpg" width="218" /></a>In October, the Seals arrived in Japan to a parade on the Ginza. To quote Cappy Harada: "One of
the highlights was at the opening ceremonies when I had General
MacArthur's permission to raise the Japanese flag and play the anthem at
the same time. It was the first time after the War that the Japanese
flag had been raised together with the Stars and Stripes, so it was a
very historical moment. The Japanese people were very surprised, and a
lot of them were moved to tears." <br />
<br />
The tour would eventually attract over 400,000 fans and contribute greatly to the popularity of professional baseball in post-war Japan. <br />
<br />
On the day that the San Francisco Seals landed in Japan for the 1949
tour, Shogi Uno, President of the Yomiuri Giants, was meeting with MLB
Commissioner Happy Chandler during the World Series in New York. He was
seeking advice on the inevitable expansion of the current pro system in
Japan. According to Uno, "6 new clubs want[ed] to horn in on the
gravy." Chandler responded with an old axiom borrowed from Benjamin
Franklin - "If you don't hang together, you will all hang separately."<br />
<br />
By December, the stage was set for the dissolution of the one league system that had subsisted since 1936, and the beginning of an Americanized system that would persist for the next 60 plus years. It was also set for new rivalries and loyalties. Continued in Part 2....ABhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00110721827199073259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561744462098058434.post-24491933703549057072016-01-18T11:21:00.001-08:002016-01-18T11:21:07.928-08:00Hall of Fame Class of 2016<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJhDaYnfjJs0FGZ8EydGbQxw9BGjdkqxQvC820ZB33BkdgQEkBehkLo5zBj6bt72Ff0zQLjZAXf6cglxsc9E1ZHCqdCXGAJmYZctWzg2pug4bukvZY0OanerAnOGFKslYixPmN7_-2KXE/s1600/Enomoto1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJhDaYnfjJs0FGZ8EydGbQxw9BGjdkqxQvC820ZB33BkdgQEkBehkLo5zBj6bt72Ff0zQLjZAXf6cglxsc9E1ZHCqdCXGAJmYZctWzg2pug4bukvZY0OanerAnOGFKslYixPmN7_-2KXE/s200/Enomoto1.jpg" width="110" /></a> The Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Tokyo today <a href="http://english.baseball-museum.or.jp/baseball_hallo/news/halloffame2016.pdf" target="_blank">announced</a> that Masaki Saitoh, Kimayasu Kudoh, Takizo Matsumoto, Masatake Yamanaka, and Kihachi Enomoto have been elected as the 2016 Hall of Fame Class.<br />
Enomoto (left) led the last year's expert ballot of non-electees with 66 votes, but his election is long overdue. It's possible that Enomoto, a private man who, before his death in 2012, refused to participate with the Meikyuki despite his 2000 career hit qualifications, was snubbed by voters for being an outsider. Groomed by Sadaharu Oh's famed teacher <a href="http://noboruaota.blogspot.com/2014/01/arakawa.html" target="_blank">Hiroshi Arakawa</a>, Enomoto was the Rookie of the Year in 1955, an award he cherished, possibly because of Arakawa's guidance. For most of his career, Enomoto hit in the 3-hole, setting up cleanup hitter, and fellow Hall of Famer, Kazuhiro Yamauchi. Not content to support his teammate with a great average and OBP, Enomoto also led the league in Hit By Pitch in three seasons. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5722DvFmZteWhmht5aSSBUHcs_AJaCs8VARlkfjDYdGXqj4kuu5nyB-OC_wGdeYF-qKN2zo0Tut7NE4B3Ss3cpOrNpTv9VpumFnqWthCcTLH5rfZoHxFqVNFG4zj4o9QKKi_pogBaR9U/s1600/card1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5722DvFmZteWhmht5aSSBUHcs_AJaCs8VARlkfjDYdGXqj4kuu5nyB-OC_wGdeYF-qKN2zo0Tut7NE4B3Ss3cpOrNpTv9VpumFnqWthCcTLH5rfZoHxFqVNFG4zj4o9QKKi_pogBaR9U/s320/card1.jpg" width="210" /></a> Yamauchi and Enomoto would go on to play together as members of the <a href="http://noboruaota.blogspot.com/2010/04/specializing-in-terrific-shoots.html" target="_blank">All Star team</a> that faced the St. Louis Cardinals before leading the Orions to the pennant in 1960. That year Enomoto won the first of his two batting crowns. Like Oh (pictured in the upper left corner of the card on the right, diagonal from Enomoto, standing on the steps), Enomoto was blessed with both talent and strong work ethic, building his own batting cage at home after a year long slump and returning to win another crown in 1966 with a .351 average.<br />
No slouch in the field, he won 9 First Nines and 12 All Star selections as a first baseman, setting a record for fielding percentage in 1968. That year he also continued a two season errorless streak at First. He retired with 2314 hits, 246 home runs and a .298 career average. <br />
Both <a href="http://jballallen.com/?p=353" target="_blank">Jim Allen </a>and <a href="http://japanesebaseballcards.blogspot.com/2012/03/rip-kihachi-enomoto.html" target="_blank">Japanese Baseball Cards</a> have great posts on Enomoto that are worth reading.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVXuh6R3Mfl25H9MB8fNj5F7jgmA7rvD4Z6dDnHHbExQrxg9LkBkYPAuV-3ycILKZfJ23ygwTl-2VtriVF6MflZLGuiuUHZ4DWEnNZd0qpXlCcXe2BES4AtTlsMGlvwwFd0A4IflIgXeM/s1600/card3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
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<a href="http://noboruaota.blogspot.com/2016/01/hall-of-fame-2016-ballot.html" target="_blank">Kudoh</a> (left, with the Gians), with 76.6 percent of the vote, was only the fourth first-ballot Hall of Famer (after Victor Starffin, Sadaharu Oh, and Hideo Nomo). Saitoh (below), a former MVP and three time Sawamura Award winner, was just shy of election last year, but was elected by a comfortable margin, However, no other candidates were within nearly 75 votes.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH_Gz4XnwOZu6FCQFKMJ6m03NbnsL5hLvu0mcrrTNxt16kKnoNW20RRbAHptUV2eyfa-i1U0lbX0dSVvsI9MEeg1aqUX40euPVemNDzhdQoIpkl4UnYWdOGPrY-t685P0ZNt4IZaA41pc/s1600/card4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH_Gz4XnwOZu6FCQFKMJ6m03NbnsL5hLvu0mcrrTNxt16kKnoNW20RRbAHptUV2eyfa-i1U0lbX0dSVvsI9MEeg1aqUX40euPVemNDzhdQoIpkl4UnYWdOGPrY-t685P0ZNt4IZaA41pc/s200/card4.jpg" width="140" /></a></div>
Takizo Matsumoto will be enshrined due to his administrative work with all levels of baseball, including the 1949 San Francisco Seals tour of Japan, while Masatake Yamanaka's career in University and Industrial baseball earned him a plaque.<br />
<br />
<br />
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ABhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00110721827199073259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561744462098058434.post-71730607760228016422016-01-13T15:00:00.000-08:002016-01-13T15:00:11.785-08:00Hall of Fame 2016 Ballot<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2VNEq1KhnFg2FyVjLFrNhI82wUBjGpqW1Bmp7jeh7JExnqGU8L1TfUJWoV7Y2zV5V6MRcu-VbWYq5639U6Z41Frt7mr7AhzmRufImXJyChL6O5NBbaFCOlh9aCPqcz_GaUhzjmEp9zZo/s1600/hof1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2VNEq1KhnFg2FyVjLFrNhI82wUBjGpqW1Bmp7jeh7JExnqGU8L1TfUJWoV7Y2zV5V6MRcu-VbWYq5639U6Z41Frt7mr7AhzmRufImXJyChL6O5NBbaFCOlh9aCPqcz_GaUhzjmEp9zZo/s320/hof1.jpg" width="238" /></a> The <a href="http://www.baseball-museum.or.jp/baseball_hallo/news/detail.html?id=845" target="_blank">ballot</a> for the 2016 Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame election was released on December 1, and it includes nine new candidates for the Player division, as well as four new candidates for the Expert division. Along with the returning <a href="http://noboruaota.blogspot.com/2014/12/hall-of-fame-2015.html" target="_blank">candidates</a>, the new names on the Expert ballot include Ise Takao, Akio Saito, Takeshi Yamaguchi, and Akinobu Okada (right).<br />
Okada may be best known as the former pennant winning manager of the Hanshin Tigers, but his playing career included a Koshien Tournament, Rookie of the Year award and Japan Series title. A star in the Tokyo Big Six with Waseda, he was drafted in the first round by the Tigers, where his skill with bat and glove caused new manager Don Blasingham trouble when he didn't immediately start the star rookie. Blasingham and fellow Gaijin Dave Hilton were let go, and Okada fulfilled expectations, fielding well at 2nd base while hitting 18 homers. He was part of the miracle 1985 Tigers team that took the Series for the first time in franchise history, playing alongside fellow 2016 candidate Randy Bass, whose presence contributed to the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curse_of_the_Colonel" target="_blank">Curse of the Colonel</a>. After several successful seasons with Hanshin, Okada finished out his career playing alongside Ichiro during his breakout season in 1994 on the Blue Wave, where he would eventually coach, then manage. First, however, he would return to the Tigers to lead them into the post season several times, including nearly winning it all in the 2005 Nippon Series. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrR26cbGizXLEznqDSfSdB2JITTd3JYQYQiVv_vf06ix20Q70JnK7pcXJpyE8vjn1rlcV-3g36oOiLaUPq_DjoWhTT-YERaNSX7JcMcuvvBstN_pk5WdNOX9JOMfOp70McaWtartAFCyQ/s1600/hof2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrR26cbGizXLEznqDSfSdB2JITTd3JYQYQiVv_vf06ix20Q70JnK7pcXJpyE8vjn1rlcV-3g36oOiLaUPq_DjoWhTT-YERaNSX7JcMcuvvBstN_pk5WdNOX9JOMfOp70McaWtartAFCyQ/s200/hof2.jpg" width="139" /></a> The new Players division candidates include Naoyuki Omura, Kimiyasu Kudoh, Makoto Kosaka, Kazumi Saito, Shingo Takatsu, Koichi Hori, Arihito Murmatsu, Akihiro Yano, and Keeichi Yabu.<br />
Kimiyau Kudo (left), a member of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meikyukai" target="_blank">Meikyukai</a> as a pitcher, won it all last year in his first season as manager of the Softbank Hawks. After pitching a no-hitter in his only Koshien appearance, Kudoh signed with the Lions as a sixth round pick instead of his first choice, which was to play in the industrial leagues. Though not much of a hitter, Kudoh was a pro pitcher from 1982 through 2009, finishing his career 7th all time in strike outs, and becoming the first pitcher since <a href="http://www.hawaiisportshalloffame.com/wp/henry-tadashi-bozo-wakabayashi/" target="_blank">Bozo Wakabayashi</a> to win at least 20 games after his 41st birthday. However, in 27 pro seasons he never won a Sawamura Award. He pitched on 11 Series champions, earning MVP honors twice.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj74Zhyphenhyphen4P-xPyk2CmMHMbFOb1okunlXcivArdK0GRM20CBoOPi8g56LcuQtEHLcuZ6oGjJ26LpuId_IergxPic0P386GXSkm1nKBi6gE1ITnAE6uIfusn6eiY5fs1ck3HKK9GBOv8D20OE/s1600/hof3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj74Zhyphenhyphen4P-xPyk2CmMHMbFOb1okunlXcivArdK0GRM20CBoOPi8g56LcuQtEHLcuZ6oGjJ26LpuId_IergxPic0P386GXSkm1nKBi6gE1ITnAE6uIfusn6eiY5fs1ck3HKK9GBOv8D20OE/s320/hof3.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
Shingo Takatsu (right) pitched two seasons in MLB for the White Sox and Mets, but earned his reputation as a reliever for Yakult. There are conflicting reports that he was called "Mr. Zero", but what <i>is</i> known is that he was the best closer of his era, setting a new all time saves record that was only eclipsed in 2011, and appearing in 11 games without surrendering a run in Japan Series play. Takatsu even faced Ichiro once as a pinch hitter - when Ichiro took the mound in the 1996 All-Star game. Also played professionally in China and Korea before retiring in 2010.<br />
Yakyu Baka's <a href="http://yakyubaka.com/2015/12/01/1212015-japan-baseball-hall-of-fame-2015-candidates/" target="_blank">post</a> on the ballot announcement includes the number of votes each candidate received last year. On the Players ballot last year, only Masaki Saito came close to election, with Kazuyoshi Tatsunami a distant runner up. Kihachi Enomoto and Masaji Hiramatsu led the Expert ballot for most votes without election. ANAFN favorite <a href="http://noboruaota.blogspot.com/2010/01/dobashi-doigaki-and-fujii-for-hall-of.html" target="_blank">Masayuki Dobashi</a> took a dip last year, with only 19 votes.<br />
The ballot results will be <a href="http://english.baseball-museum.or.jp/" target="_blank">announced</a> on Monday, January 18th, 2016.<br />
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<!--EndFragment-->ABhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00110721827199073259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561744462098058434.post-12099484560133662932015-07-05T19:20:00.000-07:002015-07-05T19:20:26.346-07:00Takuwa<br />
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Rob Fitts recently released his excellent new book <a href="http://www.robfitts.com/mashi/" target="_blank"><b>Mashi</b></a>, the story of Masanori Murakami. Though best known as the first Japanese born player in the Majors, Murakami was also a stellar pitcher for the Nankai Hawks during the final managing years of Kazuto Tsuruoka (aka Yamamoto, right). Tsuruoka had begun his career before WWII and, after the war, become the most successful manager in the game. <br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; orphans: auto; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">He understood that "there was money to be made", and he was the first to put together a powerhouse to rival the Yomiuri Giants, taking full advantage of the new two league system and dominating it for most of the decade. He drafted, recruited, and developed hundreds of players - those who succeeded, those who failed, and those who shone brightly and briefly. His 1954 Hawks included three rookies on whose shoulders the future championship teams would seemingly stand. Two would start slow before eventually living up to potential and putting together Hall of Fame careers. One would shoot out of the gate as a fireball before fading just as quickly. In his first 150 games for the Hawks, Motoji Takuwa would win 56. After that, only one decision, a loss in the last game he ever pitched for the Hawks, would mark his fade into obscurity. But his start was much more optimistic.</span><br />
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Motoji Takuwa (below) was born on July 18, 1935 in Fukuoka Prefecture and attended Moji Higashi high school. The ace of the baseball team, he played in the Kyushu tournament in 1951 but his school never qualified for the more coveted Koshien tournament. He graduated in 1953 and was signed by the Hawks.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRtwi1Ycbb9om3VafOu7LurO0zkbxYDi179aBG-fGt0Gu083PDL3HH0a5Gq02yHwtn4xTwYGrwzxqnx54ONbblW_Mp8Mpe6LNnrikipX77h_o_vTV5oMYlWd_WCAR941KMa2mJMDNC9EA/s1600/takuwa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRtwi1Ycbb9om3VafOu7LurO0zkbxYDi179aBG-fGt0Gu083PDL3HH0a5Gq02yHwtn4xTwYGrwzxqnx54ONbblW_Mp8Mpe6LNnrikipX77h_o_vTV5oMYlWd_WCAR941KMa2mJMDNC9EA/s320/takuwa.jpg" width="223" /></a> As the 1954 season began, Manager Tsuruoka had <a href="http://noboruaota.blogspot.com/2009/04/1948pt.html" target="_blank">won three straight pennants</a> but lost three straight Japan Series to the Giants, and was ready to do anything to succeed. He had three rookies to join his otherwise stellar team of Chusuke Kizuka, Kazuo Kagayama, future HOFer Tokuji Iida and 1953 MVP Isami Okamoto. One was Takuwa (left), who was joined by two other rookies - future Hall of Famers Katsuyu Nomura, who at 19 years old played in just 9 games in '54, and Matsuo Minegawa, who was a year younger and appeared in just one game more than Nomura, recording a paltry 0 wins to 3 losses. <br />
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Takuwa, however, was selected by Tsuruoka to join the Hawks starting rotation, along with veteran Susumi Yuki and Taketoshi Ogami, who at just 20 years old had been the ace of the staff in the previous year.<br />
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He was successful immediately and by seasons end racked up 26 wins against nine losses, along with an ERA of just 1.58. He was voted Rookie of the Year (narrowly beating out runner up, and future HOFer, Takao Kajimoto), and led the league both wins and ERA. In addition to all of that, his mark of 275 strikeouts would set a rookie record that lasted almost 30 years.<br />
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Along with Takuwa, two other pitchers rounded out the "ace" category for the '54 Hawks. One was Sasumu Yuki (right), a veteran pitcher who won 124 games in a nearly 10 year career spent entirely with the Hawks. He had been a 27 year old rookie in 1948 when he immediately became their top pitcher, leading the league with a 1.89 ERA, and notching 19 wins. Having been a star at Hosei U before going off to war, his late start was attributed to a fateful stint as a prisoner of war in Siberia until 1948.<br />
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The other, Taketoshi Okami, had been the ace rookie pitcher in '53 who had narrowly lost game 7 of the '53 Series despite home runs from Hawks stars Chusuke Kizuka and Jun Matsui.<br />
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The '54 Hawks would lose the pennant to the Lions by only half a game, and the disappointment was eased only slightly by Takuwa's stellar season, as well as a few other surprises. Isami Okamoto, the MVP of the '53 season, was ineffective in '54 to the point that he was replaced at 2B by Nobushige Morishita - yet it was Morishita who would win best nine at the position, just as Okamoto had the previous year. Tokuji Iida would hit for his worst average since his rookie season but still knock out 18 homers - however he not win the MVP until '55. <br />
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The next season, in 1955, the Hawks made it to the Japan Series. That season Takuwa became the ace, on whose shoulders Tsuruoka placed the bulk of pitching duties as he, and many other Japanese managers were want to do. Despite a stellar season during which he won 24 games, he started only one game in the series. After Takuwa lost the first game, Masaharu Obata and Ichiro Togawa would win the next three games. Blessed with a 3 games to 1 lead over the Giants, the Hawks then squandered it, losing three in a row to hand Yomiuri the title. <br />
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By the time he was twenty, in 1956, Matoji Takuwa's arm was dead. Roughly 20 games into the 1956 season, still maintaining a 2.29 ERA, his arm stopped functioning. He never won a game again. He had pitched twice as many innings as his nearest teammate in '54 with an impressive 329 innings, but could muster only a little over a 100 innings for the Hawks during the following four seasons.<br />
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After pitching only 3 innings for the Hawks in 1959 (and giving up 2 runs), he moved to the Kinetetsu Buffaloes in 1960. He would only pitch 20 innings over two seasons before finally hanging up his spikes, garnering no decisions and little fanfare. Manager Shiguru Chiba, famed Yomiuri 2nd basemen and the teams namesake, seems to have forgotten (or ignored) him in a bullpen filled with a bevy of burned-out arms. <br />
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After retirement Takawa took a position as a commentator for Mainichi television. In 1994 he accepted a position as coach of the Taiwan Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL)'s Tigers, and quickly became manager. He served for two years before returning to Japan as a commentator once again for the Mainichi company. <br />
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His numbers, lined up in a row, seem unimpressive when representing a career, or a life: after 50 wins collected in just two seasons, Takuwa finished his career with 168 games pitched, 56 wins and 26 losses, with an ERA of 2.29. In addition to his Rookie of the Year award, he was named best defense pitcher once, led the league in wins twice and strikeouts once. But his moment of brilliance was only lost, not forgotten.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhwAU-3uNOEdgVZr7m9H9jRTp847dLOdHUSZhj9tRuAb9BdYYSzjEcEtsvAAEJJyrtS1Fbkuy3M9YTlItVaRGxwqFj-m2AYQn5k43smokMjQFFQ_OYVFh6_n117saSzwD-m1JyE017Sz8/s1600/Yam1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhwAU-3uNOEdgVZr7m9H9jRTp847dLOdHUSZhj9tRuAb9BdYYSzjEcEtsvAAEJJyrtS1Fbkuy3M9YTlItVaRGxwqFj-m2AYQn5k43smokMjQFFQ_OYVFh6_n117saSzwD-m1JyE017Sz8/s320/Yam1.jpg" width="262" /></a><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; orphans: auto; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">Kazuto Tsuruoka (left) continued on as Manager of the Hawks until 1968 before wrapping up a Hall of Fame Career as Japanese Baseball's winningest manager. He had taken over the player/manager role for the Hawks as soon as post-war baseball began in 1946, and continued until moving to solely a managerial role after the 1952 season. For the first 18 years of the Pacific League, Tsuruoka defined the Hawks.</span><br />
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After baseball resumed in 1946, the former Nankai/Kinki Nihon team was known as the Kinki Great Ring (or Ringers, as dubbed by the American Servicemen stationed in Japan, in part for the shortened term and in part due to the contemporary slang for an available Japanese girl, or "ring worthy"). In 1948 the team, owned both before and after the war by Kinki Nippon Railroad, would update their name to the Nankai Hawks. After that '48 season, the success of the Hawks, as well as most other teams led to a frenzy of interest by corporations similar to Kinki Nippon Railroad, intent on earning similar profits.<br />
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Thanks largely to Tsuruoka and his ability to find and coach talent, the Hawks dominated the first decade of the Pacific League. The birth of the Pacific League is just one part of the fascinating story of the development of the 2 league system in Japanese baseball starting in 1950. Coming soon - a multi-part post on that history. <br />
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<br />ABhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00110721827199073259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561744462098058434.post-53669285273042711182015-01-23T05:09:00.000-08:002015-01-23T06:23:57.154-08:00Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame Election Results The Hall of Fame and Museum in Tokyo today announced three new members to be inducted for <a href="http://noboruaota.blogspot.com/2014/12/hall-of-fame-2015.html" target="_blank">2015</a>: Atsuya Furuta (with 76.8 % of the vote), Kazuo Hayashi, and Ryohei Murayama. Hayashi helped to develop the Little League system in Japan, and Murayama, at the helm of the Asahi Shimbun in 1915, developed the National Secondary School Championship and Invitational tournaments, more commonly referred to as Summer and Spring <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koshien_Stadium" target="_blank">Koshien</a>.<br />
<a href="http://noboruaota.blogspot.com/2013/01/hall-of-fame.html" target="_blank">Furuta</a> was one of the most popular players of his time. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4S-Fk-EchRZMflpJceeqeO-rcD77ttFIDLp0xugFZJ_v8ddrortjqdo0ZU1mZCNHd87QVTlQzuspdU7JxzWeXmzmvTWdT94jj3FlvyW2Qwo9uopGI-i_bcDqQgD0pVecuhpZXQamt-zo/s1600/F2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4S-Fk-EchRZMflpJceeqeO-rcD77ttFIDLp0xugFZJ_v8ddrortjqdo0ZU1mZCNHd87QVTlQzuspdU7JxzWeXmzmvTWdT94jj3FlvyW2Qwo9uopGI-i_bcDqQgD0pVecuhpZXQamt-zo/s1600/F2.jpg" height="200" width="143" /></a>A bespectacled catcher from the start, he played high school baseball in Hyogo Prefecture at Meiho High, not known as a baseball powerhouse, and never made it to a Koshien. Furuta then went on to Ritsumeikan University, which is not in the "Tokyo Big 6" of college baseball teams, resulting in Furuta once again flying under the radar. Seen as risky due to his vision, Furuta bolstered his skills playing industrial baseball after college, a move that helped him make the 1988 Japanese Olympic Team where he won a silver medal. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0p70yFsRaJfA2NhDDUaFVY9MtJyVfuATdxAtFKPS4qgYAncfgD-arsxptRwZUYdtxN22MlfYVMXQUo2v0YUj9x3O8dCQsX2QBc-65ISdrPw-y3GCe9qLJ2AmWMCOUqVPLRzOKrnbIR_0/s1600/F1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0p70yFsRaJfA2NhDDUaFVY9MtJyVfuATdxAtFKPS4qgYAncfgD-arsxptRwZUYdtxN22MlfYVMXQUo2v0YUj9x3O8dCQsX2QBc-65ISdrPw-y3GCe9qLJ2AmWMCOUqVPLRzOKrnbIR_0/s1600/F1.jpg" height="200" width="140" /></a> More teams took notice, including the Nippon Ham Fighters, who eventually passed due to concerns with his vision. It was the Yakult Swallows, managed by the greatest catcher in the history of the Japanese game, Katsuya Nomura, who finally took a chance on him, though Nomura was initially reluctant. That reluctance was short lived, as Furuta became their starting catcher, winning the All-Star MVP in his second season while hitting .340. He would add another All-Star MVP, a regular season MVP, and several Japan Series Championships to that before the decade was done.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE9XA6VD-DpNak0IA7Gd2DPBgyuk1cHGyAB6xJDREVl306HvOsWcy8Qo4DAXujXnrmnw7BJUGjbI4TU9GFXZw7y7dwnZtZLynX1J8mnRARx9Igf7dfpsn4grOMGCMSQDk2deS-9H7fE_s/s1600/F3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE9XA6VD-DpNak0IA7Gd2DPBgyuk1cHGyAB6xJDREVl306HvOsWcy8Qo4DAXujXnrmnw7BJUGjbI4TU9GFXZw7y7dwnZtZLynX1J8mnRARx9Igf7dfpsn4grOMGCMSQDk2deS-9H7fE_s/s1600/F3.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a> Known as a great handler of pitchers and an all around intelligent ballplayer, Furuta benefited immeasurably from his manager and mentor Katsuya Nomura's guidance. He regularly was among the league leaders in preventing stolen bases, and was one of, if not the best defensive catchers in the game, winning 10 golden gloves. Several former MLB players in Japan have stated that he could have played in the US. He also followed in Nomura's footsteps by becoming the first player-manager in Japan since the old catcher had done it himself twenty years before. By the time he had retired he had collected over 2000 hits, making him one of only 44 players in history to reach that milestone<br />
Furuta is perhaps most admired by fans for his role as head of the Japan Professional Baseball Players Association. In 2004 he led the first ever players strike that, unlike previous strikes in the US, developed overwhelming fan support and led to many significant improvements for players in the NPB.<br />
Former Angels and Padres infielder Jack Howell played with the Swallows in the 90's. In conversation with Rob Fitts for his book <a href="http://www.robfitts.com/remembering.htm" target="_blank">Remembering Japanese Baseball</a>, he said, "Our manager, Nomura, was the best catcher that ever played in Japan, and he was tough on Furuta. Furuta had a lot of pressure on him, but I think if you asked Furuta, he would probably say that it was the best thing that happened to him. He became one of Japan's best catchers. Furuta was also the fan favorite. He was a G.Q.-type guy. He wore designer clothes and glasses, and the girls really liked him. When we would come off the bus or go into a hotel, the fans would be yelling and screaming, 'Furuta!' and going nuts. He would wave to them or sign for them, and they would go whacko!"<br />
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<br />ABhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00110721827199073259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561744462098058434.post-86519393153949611452014-12-21T12:40:00.000-08:002014-12-21T12:48:54.545-08:00Hall of Fame 2015In November 2014, the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Tokyo announced the <a href="http://yakyubaka.com/2014/11/28/11282014-japan-baseball-hall-fame-2015-candidates/" target="_blank">Players Division and Expert Division</a> ballots for the Hall of Fame Class of 2015. Superstars such as Atsuya Furuta, Masumi Kuwata, and Kazuhiro Kiyohara return to the the Players Division Ballot, and are joined by notable former stars Tuffy Rhodes and Norihiro Akahoshi <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>(below) </i></span>among 9 first timers.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjObzHLjCQCcbkHTy-ME_0ObG4oXM84K6AwMHINk3qgLpJdzgKEueu1Hu6TGHhFRzf-t-na5Biq8AEbOfbBbv0zx8l9BbX2sKyQ-JVOz2ybbbxFpywfYHIyc7Xu6tg-1dLnCrb0kz0Jz2s/s1600/Rhodes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjObzHLjCQCcbkHTy-ME_0ObG4oXM84K6AwMHINk3qgLpJdzgKEueu1Hu6TGHhFRzf-t-na5Biq8AEbOfbBbv0zx8l9BbX2sKyQ-JVOz2ybbbxFpywfYHIyc7Xu6tg-1dLnCrb0kz0Jz2s/s1600/Rhodes.jpg" height="137" width="200" /></a>Rhodes hit 464 home runs for the Kintetsu/Orix Buffalos and Yomiuri Giants, but is probably best known for tying Sadaharu Oh's single season home run mark of 55 before the Oh led Fukuoka Soft Bank Hawks allegedly pitched around him in order to preserve their manager's (and national hero's) record. Akahoshi was a base stealing, smooth fielding infielder for the Hanshin Tigers who retired early after a diving catch resulted in a major injury.<br />
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The Expert Division ballot includes return appearances by Kihachi Enomoto, Koichi Tabuchi, Randy Bass, Boomer Wells, and ANAFN's favorite <a href="http://noboruaota.blogspot.com/2010/01/dobashi-doigaki-and-fujii-for-hall-of.html" target="_blank">Masayuki Dobashi</a>, among others. They are joined by five newcomers, including Senichi Hoshino, <a href="http://japanesebaseballcards.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-curious-managerial-career-of-haruki.html" target="_blank">Haruki Ikara</a>, and Yasunori Oshima.<br />
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Oshima <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>(right)</i></span> is a member of the Meikyukai, and after a 20+ year career with the Chunichi Dragons and Nippon-Ham Fighters he ended up with 382 home runs and 2204 hits, good for top 15 all-time in both categories at the time of his retirement. His long hair and good looks set him apart from his fellow Dragons in the 70's and earned him a youthful fan following. After retiring, he took the helm of the Fighters, though to little success.<br />
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Hoshino <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>(below)</i></span> found success as a pitcher with the Dragons, winning 146 games and a Sawamura award as a teammate of Yasunori Oshima, but found even greater success as a manager. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWYTnZdM7qd5ZRay5PB06wRqVkWMhNtlDXs6dTtty6F61olncieUIf8yf-D33ihermwkU-tN_cBq34CeyWnsGaV8FpuRe7DyWzYUwHA4V5Z2FhVzwdAnTvo0jhtjGoVv1P9TFKNYA1orU/s1600/Hoshino.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWYTnZdM7qd5ZRay5PB06wRqVkWMhNtlDXs6dTtty6F61olncieUIf8yf-D33ihermwkU-tN_cBq34CeyWnsGaV8FpuRe7DyWzYUwHA4V5Z2FhVzwdAnTvo0jhtjGoVv1P9TFKNYA1orU/s1600/Hoshino.jpg" height="200" width="141" /></a>He led both the Dragons and Tigers to pennants, and proved to be immensely popular throughout his career with an outsized personality and outspoken dislike of the Yomiuri Giants. He then took the helm of the Rakuten Golden Eagles, and, with the help of Masahiro Tanaka's 24-0 season, won the pennant and the Japan Series in 2013.<br />
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The results are scheduled to be announced on January 23, 2015.ABhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00110721827199073259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561744462098058434.post-16777845666941818402014-07-07T05:54:00.000-07:002014-07-07T05:54:13.255-07:00Brosnan<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471573185855856242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAnB8VxFYc2Zkc9-qp1urewTug7_5UyZZdYbF9D26aTq3Z1os4k3Md__ZSTFFeIzkA8XnTltKr7wQgexZAYEvJ1q8H5ylmVDR3ZeeBffoJiVu4X919hr4tHx7SMgOgkRKOTShzrdRLk6qL/s320/sc0003aaaf.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 320px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 224px;" />Jim Brosnan died <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/04/sports/baseball/jim-brosnan-a-pitcher-with-the-cardinals-and-reds-brought-new-perspective-to-baseball-writing-dies-at-84.html?_r=0" target="_blank">last week</a> at the <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/jim-brosnan-big-league-pitcher-and-author-of-the-long-season-dies-at-84/2014/07/05/e57bdc30-0399-11e4-8572-4b1b969b6322_story.html" target="_blank">age of 84</a>. I spoke at Cooperstown last month on Brosnan and the St. Louis Cardinals tour of Japan in 1958 - based on an article I hope to publish soon that was, in turn, based on a piece written <a href="http://noboruaota.blogspot.com/2010/04/specializing-in-terrific-shoots.html" target="_blank">here</a>. I had also <a href="http://thebespectacledspectacle.blogspot.com/2010/05/rebel-professor.html" target="_blank">written</a> about him a few years ago, and I once again recommend reading all of his works (including <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Little-League-Big-jim-brosnan/dp/0394801903" target="_blank">this</a>, which I picked up in downtown Coop) and learning a little bit more about the man.ABhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00110721827199073259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561744462098058434.post-57232404305485426812014-06-05T18:00:00.000-07:002014-06-05T18:00:00.150-07:00Zimmer<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.walteromalley.com/images/hist_intl/japan56/3/labine_zimmer_hodges_013_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="209" src="http://www.walteromalley.com/images/hist_intl/japan56/3/labine_zimmer_hodges_013_b.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Above photo of Zimmer with the Dodgers in Hawaii during their 1956 tour of Japan (from the Walter O'Malley <a href="http://www.walteromalley.com/hist_intl_page7.php?lang=eng" target="_blank">official website</a>)</td></tr>
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<a href="http://japanesebaseballcards.blogspot.com/2014/06/rip-don-zimmer.html" target="_blank">Japanese Baseball Cards</a> has a good overview of Don Zimmer, who died yesterday, and his time in Japan. Check it out. In addition to his stint in '66 with the Flyers, he was part of at least one, if not more, tours of Japan with MLB teams.ABhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00110721827199073259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561744462098058434.post-7882876229536575422014-03-28T17:00:00.000-07:002014-03-28T17:00:01.083-07:00Thomasson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuEh6t8wKv1_36uWkeZovI5EBnH_ce-aTaxW5SS1SJBiWontLnOEbBvmw05jfZzNISMLukfNYHMq12KdKf2dTJxG6WbnYnx49DFU900Rwlud33oyRpARPJC2wPY0O_PJe1pKU_QuM4lUs/s1600/hyperlink.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuEh6t8wKv1_36uWkeZovI5EBnH_ce-aTaxW5SS1SJBiWontLnOEbBvmw05jfZzNISMLukfNYHMq12KdKf2dTJxG6WbnYnx49DFU900Rwlud33oyRpARPJC2wPY0O_PJe1pKU_QuM4lUs/s1600/hyperlink.jpg" height="200" width="154" /></a></div>
During the course of preparing the final touches on a paper about the 1958 Cardinals tour of Japan, Jim Brosnan, and baseball literature (a paper with <a href="http://noboruaota.blogspot.com/2010/04/specializing-in-terrific-shoots.html" target="_blank">origins</a> on this site, and which will be presented at this year's Cooperstown Symposium at the Hall of Fame), I came across a new translation of Genpei Akasegawa's <b>Hyperart: Thomasson</b>. The book is a collection of essays on a phenomena described by Akasegawa as "defunct and useless object[s] attached to someone’s property and aesthetically maintained", and named a <b>Thomasson</b>, after former Major Leaguer and Yomiuri Giant Gary Thomasson (above). I recommend picking up a copy.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Ka8UInHsQhu1JBxBqvzzVZt3Ctes9kC3DLKX8Kbd5_aDpSZmAGHCehRyQSuef1kM-bYH61D0a91SONKYGVaEnV5DyGXB9k1yOhtIHBmttrB2E60qj-0QDce0I4Taug40dFRVOtmMBFI/s1600/hyperart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Ka8UInHsQhu1JBxBqvzzVZt3Ctes9kC3DLKX8Kbd5_aDpSZmAGHCehRyQSuef1kM-bYH61D0a91SONKYGVaEnV5DyGXB9k1yOhtIHBmttrB2E60qj-0QDce0I4Taug40dFRVOtmMBFI/s1600/hyperart.jpg" height="320" width="274" /></a></div>
Thomasson signed a huge contract with the Giants in the early 1980's and, despite hitting a decent number of home runs, was seen as a flop who struck out too often. His strike outs (nearly setting the single season record in his first season) seem to have inspired not only Akasegawa to see useless yet persistent objects as having Thomasson-like traits, but William Gibson (in Virtual Light), as well. The inspiration Japanese authors find in gaijin transplants to the Central and Pacific Leagues (thinking also of Haruki Murakami's story of how he was inspired to become a novelist while in the bleachers of a Yakult Swallows game, after watching Dave Hilton hit a double) requires more analysis than I have room for here, but I hope to capture something of it in my paper.<br />
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Stay tuned for a post on the formation of the two league system in 1950, inspired by comments from <a href="http://japanesebaseballcards.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">NPB Card Guy</a> a while back....<br />
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ABhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00110721827199073259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561744462098058434.post-86981901413526694682014-01-29T16:27:00.000-08:002014-01-29T16:27:00.497-08:00The Fenceside Magician<br />
<b><u>Helmar and Hirayama</u></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2X4P38xsqVhh91VDCMya5HoAoy2EFW18KSW25S54PQziGuo4njwYtq5DvfHlw0Npf6pGFXjJVv05Wyp0vzurRb4Eqcn1-KWJLbc7SiXbFygFyc7ECtg5_SUtIZLlnZqgKk5mlLf8Dz_c/s1600/Hirayama1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2X4P38xsqVhh91VDCMya5HoAoy2EFW18KSW25S54PQziGuo4njwYtq5DvfHlw0Npf6pGFXjJVv05Wyp0vzurRb4Eqcn1-KWJLbc7SiXbFygFyc7ECtg5_SUtIZLlnZqgKk5mlLf8Dz_c/s400/Hirayama1.jpg" height="251" width="400" /></a></div>
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The photo above is well known to collectors of Japanese baseball cards, not only because it is from a photo-bromide card that features three Hall of Famers (Noboru Aota, Tetsuharu Kawakami, and Shigeru Chiba), but because Helmar Brewing used the image on one card in a set that features many stars of Japan's golden age of baseball. The fourth man in the image, Kikuji Hirayama, was mis-identified on the Helmar card as Noguchi. Recently, Helmar contacted me to assist in properly identifying the player as well as assist with a new set of cards. More on that in a bit, but first, a look at Kikuji (or Kikuni) Hirayama.<br />
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It is understandable that Hirayama could be overlooked - though he played in the Golden era of Japanese Baseball, and spent the majority of his career on the most popular team, he has never been recognized by the Hall of Fame, and has otherwise languished in the shadow of his superstar teammates.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMIeavtuSa_cAL-f1MDfl_AN45_ROb8iN0l9ZO0VB7eksMwOPIUt2jdwGBvPeWsgKXZoh6GboB0t0P4bU1popxsY0fmbFeKcUZh8wsu1A-jg6OzR16vprPcshwNaA-vFV6nZ7IzakTp2Y/s1600/hirayama3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMIeavtuSa_cAL-f1MDfl_AN45_ROb8iN0l9ZO0VB7eksMwOPIUt2jdwGBvPeWsgKXZoh6GboB0t0P4bU1popxsY0fmbFeKcUZh8wsu1A-jg6OzR16vprPcshwNaA-vFV6nZ7IzakTp2Y/s320/hirayama3.JPG" height="160" width="320" /></a></div>
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The 1950 Japan Series was the first of it's kind in Japan - pitting two brand new teams, stocked with old talent, in a championship dual that would set the bar for all to follow. The Robins and the Orions battled six rounds, with the decision coming in the 11th inning of that sixth contest, as <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCK2zIzxG_Zdg-5ET1i-_AdBhpbx1Jnab_eMO-xdqXDVPsnktFd-TYt3YZptOr-ja9dVX5bjPK2nepcI7CUt1u2o0sPf84Nknj6JrDyR-hqjEkBpzYCbbAtu4HgOXK-CVOJWlIE0X192o/s1600/hirayama5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCK2zIzxG_Zdg-5ET1i-_AdBhpbx1Jnab_eMO-xdqXDVPsnktFd-TYt3YZptOr-ja9dVX5bjPK2nepcI7CUt1u2o0sPf84Nknj6JrDyR-hqjEkBpzYCbbAtu4HgOXK-CVOJWlIE0X192o/s320/hirayama5.JPG" height="320" width="278" /></a>That 1950 season, in which Japanese professional baseball first split into a Central and a Pacific league, presented challenges to many players who had been in the league a long time. As the leagues evened themselves out, many players found new homes as teams saw room to move up younger, and cheaper, talent. Kikuji Hirayama (above) was one of those players, in a new environment and pitted against his former teammates as a member of the expansion Taiyo Whales. Along with Takeshi Miyazaki and Kamekazu Yasui, Hirayama provided the speed and on base presence to assist sluggers Kiyoshi Osawa and Isamu Fujii in scoring the runs that brought the Whales a respectable middle-of-the-division finish. However, it could never measure up to his glory with the Giants.<br />
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Kikuji Hirayama (above) was a shortstop and third baseman in high school but went
to the outfield during his stint in the industrial leagues. Born in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi prefecture, he was an infielder for the Shogyo High School team.<br />
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He played for the Hiroshima Tetsudo Kanrikyoku, an industrial league team on which he moved from playing primarily the third base side of the infield to the outfield. <br />
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His first year with the Giants was during the second campaign of professional baseball, during the spring and fall seasons of 1937. Only 19, he did not see much action in his first two seasons, but had some wonderful experience, winning it all alongside Eiji Sawamura and Victor Starffin under Hall of Fame manager Sadayoshi Fujimoto in the first real "full" season of professional baseball in the Fall of '37, and playing alongside Haruyasu Nakajima as he became the first player in Japan to win a triple crown in the Spring of 1938. <br />
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He had his breakout season in '39, placing third in the batting race and holding his own along with his future Hall of Fame teammates Tetsuharu Kawakami, Shigeru Chiba, Nakajima, Toshio Shiraishi, Shigeru Mizuhara, and Osamu Mihara among others. Though known today as the Yomiuri Giants, the team was then known as the Tokyo Kyojin, and they won the pennant every season Hirayama (below) played with them before the war. He left after the '41 season, eventually participating in the Burma campaign, not returning until the '47 season. He picked up right where he had left off as a speedster and defensive asset. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjtJtqLrVSPaC0cpbCj9R8S-3dzGB49-DJCZoSQgWql4uCVrnRTZMyq30V3b3rokcN-SCFozxSwq3LOYRsJ9soJoMTYbDrtNPyGn5T2VjeMUyFEqVGIxTSsqcvv9CFHHa_ZpYW6XLcGoc/s1600/hirayama4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjtJtqLrVSPaC0cpbCj9R8S-3dzGB49-DJCZoSQgWql4uCVrnRTZMyq30V3b3rokcN-SCFozxSwq3LOYRsJ9soJoMTYbDrtNPyGn5T2VjeMUyFEqVGIxTSsqcvv9CFHHa_ZpYW6XLcGoc/s400/hirayama4.JPG" height="340" width="400" /></a></div>
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Though Noboru Aota had played with the Giants during the first two years of his career, his time in the outfield did not overlap with Hirayama, who had left just before Aota's first tenure. Instead, they were reunited for the 1948 season, and the two, together with Hiroshi Hagiwara, formed an outfield that, for two seasons, was the best in baseball. It was here, in 1948, that he earned his nickname as "The Fenceside Magician" for a stellar play in left field, at one time snagging a home run just over the fence during an all star game. It was said that he owed some of his defensive prowess to dance lessons. However, at the beginning of the 1950 season, Hirayama left the Giants, possibly for personal reasons, and sought out a new team. The expansion Whales provided a good fit (below), close to his home town and a place where he could be a leader. <br />
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After his fine season in '50, Hirayama hurt himself and missed almost the entire 1951 season. He came back a lesser player, and could only manage 77 games for the Whales that year. However, he was rejoined by his former outfield partner when, before the 1952 season, Noboru Aota was traded to the Whales. Hirayama could still not muster a full season, but performed admirably alongside Aota. He retired after the season and worked for the Whales front office, as they flip-flopped between the nickname "Whales" and "Robins", seeing their investment in Aota pay off as he twice led the league in home runs. Hirayama eventually became scouting director, and, after recruiting former Giants teammate Osamu Mihara as manager for the 1960 season, saw his Whales win the Japan Series for the first time, beating out the Daimai Orions in four games. He continued on in the front office, but, unfortunately, died just months before his team, by then known as the Yokohama Bay Stars, won a second championship in 1998. <br />
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<b><u>Self Advertisement</u></b><br />
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As mentioned above, in addition to clarification on the Hirayama issue, Helmar asked that I provide some 1933-Goudey-style copy for the new set of cards that have just recently been released. Below are some examples, with bios written by me, for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!<br />
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<br />ABhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00110721827199073259noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561744462098058434.post-60878318316231047222014-01-17T04:30:00.000-08:002014-01-17T07:33:21.599-08:00Hall of Fame Announces Class of 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL8OFofjPOV_iPKliFBpLnZsl8T1lFFSMNcR-HU5rQu6NQ8G3_feLUczQbivC9QvIkS4ilbNdgEtpOsu41SsESnWmTJOS5DReELRyg9aX-qPwYN74eED4-jp4-oTvJrKULe01a_fqTIbY/s1600/aki.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL8OFofjPOV_iPKliFBpLnZsl8T1lFFSMNcR-HU5rQu6NQ8G3_feLUczQbivC9QvIkS4ilbNdgEtpOsu41SsESnWmTJOS5DReELRyg9aX-qPwYN74eED4-jp4-oTvJrKULe01a_fqTIbY/s1600/aki.jpg" height="254" width="320" /></a></div>
The Hall of Fame and Museum in Tokyo today <a href="http://english.baseball-museum.or.jp/baseball_hallo/news/halloffame2014_01.html" target="_blank">announced</a> that Choichi Aida, Koji Akiyama, Hideo Nomo and Kazuhiro Sasaki were elected to the Hall of Fame as the Class of 2014.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRHboF7lPE_Wxj6W_Ou7ernjLDt5zDiQdFooqf-hIUTF6Tl9uE524E93FlkC-4oK5aAEH6GKbdjg9mmz7vZi0J1VgELVZ6A-94CkXc-abUse70mQ43lgPOys0cJI4TsGpam1j76zEk460/s1600/hof_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRHboF7lPE_Wxj6W_Ou7ernjLDt5zDiQdFooqf-hIUTF6Tl9uE524E93FlkC-4oK5aAEH6GKbdjg9mmz7vZi0J1VgELVZ6A-94CkXc-abUse70mQ43lgPOys0cJI4TsGpam1j76zEk460/s1600/hof_1.JPG" height="136" width="200" /></a> Akiyama played almost 20 years for the Seibu Lions and Daiei Hawks, compiling 437 home runs and 2157 hits. He was a superstar in every way, leading the league in multiple hitting categories between 1981 and 2000, winning an MVP and winning almost a dozen gold gloves. According to <a href="http://www.japanbaseballdaily.com/battingAkaike-Anabuki.html" target="_blank">Japan Baseball Daily</a>, Akiyama, in the twilight of his career, led off the 1999 Japan Series with a home run less than two months after being hit in the face by a Daisuke Matsusaka fastball. <br />
In September, 2008, Sadaharu Oh stepped down as manager of the Softbank Hawks, ending his illustrius 50 year career in baseball, and handed over the reigns to his head coach, Koji Akiyama. Still the manager of Hawks, Akiyama has guided them to one Pacific League pennant so far, and now joins his former boss as a Hall of Famer.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtJYXHptSSZp9NIUgPhA2PKt1DAt3WesoEAS1WgYuOkaqgizaPyz8zTMbAqD28D0TkKV5AQddfILyYuPiZSC3s2GneErrS8v1hndzk8TlK9i4TN2Fb2fzif7AlNXEzD-G_Hxie8tlskLk/s1600/hof_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtJYXHptSSZp9NIUgPhA2PKt1DAt3WesoEAS1WgYuOkaqgizaPyz8zTMbAqD28D0TkKV5AQddfILyYuPiZSC3s2GneErrS8v1hndzk8TlK9i4TN2Fb2fzif7AlNXEzD-G_Hxie8tlskLk/s1600/hof_3.jpg" height="200" width="141" /></a> <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/sasakka01.shtml" target="_blank">Kazuhiro Sasaki</a> and <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/n/nomohi01.shtml" target="_blank">Hideo Nomo</a> were both dominant pitchers in the Central and Pacific Leagues in Japan, the former a reliever and the latter a starter, before moving on to successful stints in the MLB. Sasaki compiled 252 saves in Japan as well as 129 in the MLB, winning both an MVP (in Japan) and Rookie of the Year (for the Mariners, at age 37). <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjgICAy6IJd4y1vtREOeDIorQ_LIZtJmNuxvFBjTNwWSRhAF_F3zYUxuyZmYnayrGLhfgUqPJoKjfd1_wTOtZq64FgDNpL4x4K7nS9fHxIuAuhx_yNORHzJs7XFkUTwD9mlPF1gvM39cU/s1600/hof_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjgICAy6IJd4y1vtREOeDIorQ_LIZtJmNuxvFBjTNwWSRhAF_F3zYUxuyZmYnayrGLhfgUqPJoKjfd1_wTOtZq64FgDNpL4x4K7nS9fHxIuAuhx_yNORHzJs7XFkUTwD9mlPF1gvM39cU/s1600/hof_2.JPG" height="200" width="145" /></a>Nomo became the first Japanese player to move to the MLB since Masanori Murakami played with the San Francisco Giants in 1964. Murakami also made it on to the ballot for the first time, and in a fitting combination of firsts, Nomo, on the Japanese ballot for the first time, was also the first Japanese born player to appear on the US Hall of Fame ballot. And, unlike so many before him, Nomo was elected on his first try. Nomo's success (a 123-109 record in the MLB to go along with 78 wins and 1200 strikeouts with the Buffaloes in the Pacific League) paved the way for Sasaki, Ichiro, Matsui and others to excel on both sides of the Pacific. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja1XdCcRTFfFO5-t-Hqq9ei41F68ClgLd4kOJaYRWilu7Y_svCNqUbWoxVm57VmCObkv4YyqMmynfstDaEV0ZU6dLmWDcl_5LAr2FbVGaihhgFgQlGdk4w9L3sWVwLwELcC4MvfwasAEM/s1600/hof_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja1XdCcRTFfFO5-t-Hqq9ei41F68ClgLd4kOJaYRWilu7Y_svCNqUbWoxVm57VmCObkv4YyqMmynfstDaEV0ZU6dLmWDcl_5LAr2FbVGaihhgFgQlGdk4w9L3sWVwLwELcC4MvfwasAEM/s1600/hof_4.jpg" height="200" width="151" /></a> Rounding out the group is Aida, a legend in Tokyo Big 6 baseball and a key figure in the amateur baseball system in Japan that allowed for all of the players listed above to become successful pros. More to come on those who didn't make it in....<br />
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ABhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00110721827199073259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561744462098058434.post-55736572453169359452014-01-10T15:00:00.000-08:002014-01-10T15:00:04.471-08:00Arakawa Hiroshi Arakawa is making his debut on the <a href="http://noboruaota.blogspot.com/2013/12/hall-of-fame-announces-2014-ballot.html" target="_blank">Expert Division</a> ballot this year as a candidate for the Hall of Fame in Japan. Though known to most as the influential Yomiuri Giants coach who taught Sadaharu Oh a "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sadaharu-Oh-Zen-Way-Baseball/dp/0812911091" target="_blank">zen way of baseball</a>", Arakawa was a player, coach, manager and announcer in Japanese baseball for over 40 years.<br />
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Born in the Taito Ward of Tokyo, Hiroshi Arakawa attended Waseda Jitsugyo High School, or Sojitsu, the future school of Oh and a feeder school for Waseda University. He played on the baseball team there that appeared in the 1948 Koshien Tournament, but the team did not advance far. After playing several seasons with Waseda University in which he hit .280 in 289 at bats, Arakawa moved across town to join the great Karao Betto in the outfield of Korakuen stadium as a member of the Mainichi Orions. Number 22 (<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>above</i></span>) was voted to the All-Star team in his rookie year, but had his best season in '54, hitting .270 while making not a single error in the field. The Orions never made it to the postseason during Arakawa's tenure, but they were still an exciting team, with future hall of famers Betto, Shosei Go, and Atsushi Aramaki. Later, they were joined by slugger Kihachi Enomoto, who, as a rookie in 1955 would become Arakawa's first pupil, an endeavor that would lead to Enomoto earning rookie of the year honors before embarking on a stellar 18 year career in which he hit 246 home runs, made 9 Best Nine teams, and smacked 2314 hits for a .298 average. Enomoto joins Arakawa on the Expert Division ballot this year.<br />
Sadaharu Oh described Arakawa as "a purebred city dweller....down to earth, sophisticated, nasty, sweet, cunning, simple, puzzling - and educated", and ruminated on how a friend once "mistook him, in his plain black trenchcoat, for a sickly Catholic priest". He had spent his whole life in Tokyo, from the Taito ward where he was born, to Waseda, to the Orions and his apartment in Toshima ward, less than two miles from his birthplace. And then, again, to the Yomiuri Giants, in the heart of Tokyo, where he became the hitting coach when, in 1962, Tetsuharu Kawakami, the God of Batting, took the managerial reins from Shigeru Mizuhara. He got the job, in part, thanks to the work he did with Enomoto. His first job was to improve Oh, who had been recruited by Yomiuri as a pitcher one year after "Mr. Baseball", Shigeo Nagashima, had been simarly recruited, but who had failed to meet the expectations of fans and front office to compliment the great Nagashima.<br />
The strange, city dwelling Arakawa, devotee of Zen and a teacher more than a ballplayer, took Oh under his wing and set about instructing him spiritually, mentally, and physically.<br />
Though some claim that Oh's offensive surge, that began in 1964, was aided by a concave-top, compressed taro wood bat "Special Order made for Mr. Oh" (the same wood preferred by Ichiro, and a bat coveted by major leaguers like Lou Brock but outlawed by the MLB and, now, the NPB), it was Arakawa's guidance and zen approach to hitting that transformed a binge-drinking, nightlife-craving disappointment into the greatest hitter in the game. They <a href="http://mag.udn.com/mag/sports/storypage.jsp?f_ART_ID=358451" target="_blank">worked together</a> every day for two years, utilizing both traditional baseball techniques as well as those found in the martial arts including samurai swordsmanship, demonstrated famously by Oh learning to control his wrists by slicing a dangling strip of paper with a sword. Oh would go on to set almost every hitting record in Japanese baseball.<br />
Arakawa remained a hitting coach with Yomiuri throughout most of the V-9 years, a period in which the Giants won 9 straight titles, due in no small part to the contribution of his famous pupil. He worked with others as well, and was not above <a href="http://blog.sina.com.tw/ohgi01/article.php?pbgid=90098&entryid=647513" target="_blank">throwing himself in harms way</a> for the team, as he did in 1968 against a towering Gene Bacque.<br />
After the 1970 season Arakawa moved on from the Giants to a quasi private life, most likely due in part to an incident involving the beating of his adopted son, himself a star of Waseda's baseball team, over his refusal to accept the outcome of the 1969 draft. Takeshi Arakawa was drafted by the Whales, but, when he deferred to the Giants or Atoms (later the Swallows), he was attacked in the street - an incident which must have shaken the elder Arakawa. However, the allure of both baseball and teaching was too much for him to stay away, and he signed on as hitting coach for the Swallows (for whom, by then, Takeshi was playing) in 1973. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN0Zk1UFz-OqQxxVsFii2n-hZ_I926Ir1cUTJEF9ieaMBwn09NrUZI-3fHxwyTpiXQIIaTrE6hq_xcQ3IubbTz-2dbQtx16-bxAgkoDqu5bsIduXoP22uKlgN-KOKG_GyPPmtnql4nhnA/s1600/Arakawa_7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN0Zk1UFz-OqQxxVsFii2n-hZ_I926Ir1cUTJEF9ieaMBwn09NrUZI-3fHxwyTpiXQIIaTrE6hq_xcQ3IubbTz-2dbQtx16-bxAgkoDqu5bsIduXoP22uKlgN-KOKG_GyPPmtnql4nhnA/s1600/Arakawa_7.JPG" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
By '74 he was the manager (<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>left, with Katsuo Osugi</i></span>), and though his teams never finished higher than 3rd, he groomed a crop of young talent including Tsutomu Wakamatsu, Akihiko Oya, and Hiromu Matsuoka, as well as bringing over talented veteran sluggers such as Roger Repoz and future hall of famer Katsuo Osugi. When he resigned mid-season in 1976, he was replaced by fellow Waseda alum and former V-9 Yomiuri sparkplug Tatsuro Hirooka, who took the talent Arakawa had fostered, and, along with the additions of Dave Hilton and Charlie Manuel, led the Swallows to their first ever championship in 1978.<br />
He continued on in baseball as a commentator for Fuji television, as well as stints advising the Giants in a variety of capacities. He also continues to <a href="http://www.arakawadojo.jp/" target="_blank">teach</a> and practice zen, and would be an excellent addition to the Hall of Fame.<br />
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<br />ABhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00110721827199073259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561744462098058434.post-66020155046978088032013-12-12T12:33:00.000-08:002013-12-12T12:33:36.756-08:00Hall of Fame Announces 2014 Ballot<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8YXV0v9oQiFHdXMriu36JuM4oUNCsWSphXPfslWFcQk4NqP8d3m2dx6LsRa_ap5AoIJSvvMW9K8w8fn_PHF-TqAmPI2EmUYX-HhHDuI4dO0FpGbGvlb_74FK-2bfO4lU1kz8iJIgjGec/s1600/Oh2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8YXV0v9oQiFHdXMriu36JuM4oUNCsWSphXPfslWFcQk4NqP8d3m2dx6LsRa_ap5AoIJSvvMW9K8w8fn_PHF-TqAmPI2EmUYX-HhHDuI4dO0FpGbGvlb_74FK-2bfO4lU1kz8iJIgjGec/s320/Oh2.JPG" width="147" /></a></div>
The Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum <a href="http://www.baseball-museum.or.jp/baseball_hallo/news/detail.html?id=585" target="_blank">announced</a> the candidates for the class of 2014 (see <a href="http://yakyubaka.com/2013/12/01/japan-baseball-hall-fame-2014-candidates/" target="_blank">here</a> for the list in English). Joining Koji Akiyama, Atsuya Furuta and Tatsunuri Hara on the Players Division ballot are <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Kazuhiro_Kiyohara" target="_blank">Kazuhiro Kiyohara</a>, Masumi Kuwata, Takenori Suzuki and Hideo Nomo. In November, Nomo became the first Japanese-born player to make the Hall of Fame ballot in the US, and now becomes the first player to be on both ballots at the same time. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM2sTTP45PF5wKkd9FmdwXLnMfaZiYF_tCLvRW6QOn-VK8ENCGrXsclUTkRj6d-2b7pzYxrGS-H93YCDOQPs07MD7E9x_8oynO9G8zCIz_JcsM3zpFqbrOgvey1VqwB6a78F0zXyFKWDo/s1600/Enomoto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM2sTTP45PF5wKkd9FmdwXLnMfaZiYF_tCLvRW6QOn-VK8ENCGrXsclUTkRj6d-2b7pzYxrGS-H93YCDOQPs07MD7E9x_8oynO9G8zCIz_JcsM3zpFqbrOgvey1VqwB6a78F0zXyFKWDo/s200/Enomoto.jpg" width="108" /></a></div>
Joining <a href="http://noboruaota.blogspot.com/2010/01/dobashi-doigaki-and-fujii-for-hall-of.html" target="_blank">Masayuki Dobashi</a>, Boomer Wells, Randy Bass and others on the Expert Division ballot are Kihachi Enomoto (<i>left</i>) and Don Blasingame, who competed against each other during the <a href="http://noboruaota.blogspot.com/2010/04/specializing-in-terrific-shoots.html" target="_blank">1958 Cardinals tour of Japan</a> later in the Pacific League as members of the Orions and Hawks; <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/1986-01-26/sports/sp-335_1_lotte-orions" target="_blank">Laron Lee</a>, Kenichi Tazawa, Taira Fujita, Masataka Nashida, Fumio Takechi, Michiyo Arito, and Hiroshi Arakawa, well known as the coach who taught Sadaharu Oh (<i>above</i>) his famed flamingo batting stance; and Masanori Murakami, who was the first Japanese pro to pitch in the MLB, was featured in Rob Fitts' excellent book <a href="http://www.robfitts.com/remembering.htm" target="_blank">Remembering Japanese Baseball</a>, and is the subject of an upcoming work by Fitts. It's fitting that both Murakami and Nomo, the first two Japanese pitchers to pitch in the majors, both appear on the ballot for the first time together.<br />
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More to come on Arakawa, the '58 tour, and the rest of the ballot....ABhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00110721827199073259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561744462098058434.post-91056262482949846902013-01-11T04:00:00.000-08:002013-01-11T09:03:42.164-08:00Hall of Fame<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6NB1FwWtNNmTzgfP4HJX0AltPRNIY7Crhldos0EShsq8cEeN-E86xowQ_jl2kU2sIoOUFt6d6GplW-dVRYeFeFVSB-E7X0q2OqSGoV4t0d15K8JEAGDUyBbpJllVUk1vwKhlnYud92DM/s1600/OH.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6NB1FwWtNNmTzgfP4HJX0AltPRNIY7Crhldos0EShsq8cEeN-E86xowQ_jl2kU2sIoOUFt6d6GplW-dVRYeFeFVSB-E7X0q2OqSGoV4t0d15K8JEAGDUyBbpJllVUk1vwKhlnYud92DM/s320/OH.jpg" width="229" /></a></div>
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The Hall of Fame announced the <a href="http://english.baseball-museum.or.jp/baseball_hallo/news/halloffame2013_01.html" target="_blank">class of 2013</a> today, and, unlike the Hall in Cooperstown, three new members were elected: Yoshiro Sotokoba, Yutaka Ohno, and Kazuo Fukushima. It is interesting to note that, similar to last year's election, the only two former pro players to be elected were members of the Hiroshima Carp teams of the 1970's and 80's.<br />
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Also of note is the fact that both <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Koji_Akiyama" target="_blank">Koji Akiyama</a> and <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Randy_Bass" target="_blank">Randy Bass</a> were not elected. Both have ties to Sadaharu Oh (above right). Akiyama was a superstar who compiled 400+ home runs and 2000+ hits, and took over the helm of the Hawks after Oh retired as their manager. Bass, while known for his role in the 1985 Hanshin Tiger Championship and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curse_of_the_Colonel" target="_blank">Curse of the Colonel</a>, is better known in the US for his attempt at the NPB single season home run record that was supposedly thwarted by the Oh managed Giants in 1985. Both Bass and Akiyama were strong personalities, a feature that may have, and may still, hinder their hall of fame chances, highlighting a similarity to the 'character clause' that has caused much consternation in this year's US Hall of Fame election.<br />
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Sadaharu Oh had a lot less trouble making the Hall - not only due to his hitting prowess, but to his ubiquitous presence in Japanese popular culture in the 1960's, 70's and 80's. The images above and to the left are from a Meiji Milk advertisement from the mid 60's, showing Oh in his 'flamingo stance' surrounded by Meiji products, as well as a cartoon Oh showing a young child the full farm-to-market dairy process. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhreEiV0-geN9X8NQ1gz5x-HtL68qSh2IigWpobEAc7TzH8_RA6wzFeBGinuXryfhpQbcJsLjeWNocRDgKv6k2PkRIgqY66lnBVlG_57p7BsChy5dgldneTsbLQxhKWB4X68BiO3lQAK_U/s1600/IMG_20130108_214122.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhreEiV0-geN9X8NQ1gz5x-HtL68qSh2IigWpobEAc7TzH8_RA6wzFeBGinuXryfhpQbcJsLjeWNocRDgKv6k2PkRIgqY66lnBVlG_57p7BsChy5dgldneTsbLQxhKWB4X68BiO3lQAK_U/s200/IMG_20130108_214122.jpg" width="200" /></a>According to their corporate site, Kyokuto Condensed Milk Co.
the predecessor of Meiji Dairies, was established by Meiji Sugar and started
manufacturing condensed milk and other products. 1924 Meiji Sugar Co.,Ltd.
established Meiji Shoji and launched "Milk Chocolate." In 1928 “Meiji Milk” was introduced, and in 1940
Kyokuto Condensed Milk Co., Ltd. changed its name to Meiji Dairies Corporation and,
along with Meiji Seika, launched caramel, chocolate, cream, and almond snacks, that became extremely popular.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was during the 1960's that many of the Meiji brands began advertising with baseball stars, creating baseball cards and premiums like the example above.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_O3x3t5KwNWVxJ6b2UtfgWmFqcZoDTFjDpOs9krg7jbcNR9DM7XCZnOc29WKda3YGT6bjZRpkMm8GkkAW9vfD-A3aMzpjLkrk-IcdksCeKrREKtRErkjA19idwFftxUK1gwUuQ0xWdtY/s1600/IMG_20130108_222643.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_O3x3t5KwNWVxJ6b2UtfgWmFqcZoDTFjDpOs9krg7jbcNR9DM7XCZnOc29WKda3YGT6bjZRpkMm8GkkAW9vfD-A3aMzpjLkrk-IcdksCeKrREKtRErkjA19idwFftxUK1gwUuQ0xWdtY/s320/IMG_20130108_222643.jpg" width="215" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">Another star passed over in this year's election was <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Atsuya_Furuta" target="_blank">Atsuya Furuta</a>. If he is eventually elected, Furuta would be only the 6th catcher in the Hall - five of those played in the pre-war college leagues, and the only modern catcher is none other than <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Katsuya_Nomura" target="_blank">Katsuya Nomora</a>. A ways back, I wrote a few <a href="http://noboruaota.blogspot.com/2009/12/miracles-pt-3.html" target="_blank">pieces</a> about post-war catchers, in particular the dearth of them in the Hall of Fame. I mentioned Toshiyasu Ogawa (right) as a potential Hall of Fame catcher, had he not been killed in action during the second World War. Thanks to Mr. Ryuichi Suzuki at the Hall of Fame in Japan, I was able to piece together a sketch of Ogawa's baseball life.... In 1930, he graduated from Kyoryo Middle School and entered Keio University. A star already, he joined the baseball team and became their catcher, making his first appearance in the Tokyo Big 6 University Baseball League on April 14, 1930. However, he missed his first Waseda vs. Keio game, a tradition similar to the Army/Navy game, due to an illness. He caught for the Keio Nine until 1934, playing with future Hall of Famers Saburo</span><span style="font-size: small;"> Miyatake and Shigeru Mizuhara.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">In his 3rd year at Keio, Ogawa was behind the plate for the infamous</span><span style="font-size: small;"> "Apple Incident", a brawl that occurred during the October 22, 1933 Keio vs. Waseda game<span lang="EN">. </span> In the bottom of the eighth inning, <span class="s1151">Oka, of Keio University, tried to steal second base. At first, the
umpire judged that he was safe, but then overturned his decision after a protest from the shortstop Takasu of Waseda. Shigeru Mizuhara, the Keio third
base coach, edged up to the base umpire and made a fierce but fruitless argument. </span><span class="s1151"></span></span><span style="font-size: small;">With Waseda now ahead by one run at the middle of the eighth,
the score 8-7, the Keio fans were riled by an umpire’s wavering judgement as much as the Waseda fans were riled by Mizuhara's actions.<span lang="EN"> By the ninth inning, </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN">both the Waseda and Keio cheering sections were so excited that the slightest thing could set them off.</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN">As Mizuhara made his way to the third base coaching box in the bottom of the ninth, an apple core was thrown at him from the more and more excited Waseda cheering section. When Mizuhara picked it up and threw it back, the section almost burst.</span> Soon afterwards, Ogawa got on base as part of a rally that eventually led to a come-from-behind victory, with<span lang="EN"> Keio beating Waseda 9-8. This was all the Waseda
cheering party needed, and they burst onto the field as well as the Keio bench and cheering section. A number of scuffles broke out between the both cheering parties that turned brutal enough to warrant police intervention to subdue the trouble. A settlement was reached that led to the resignation of the director of Waseda University Baseball
Club a month later, and a ban on their participating in the Big 6 Baseball League the following season. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">In 1936, Ogawa joined the Hanshin Tigers as a regular catcher during the first season of professional baseball in Japan. He shared catching duties during the Spring, 1936, season with Masato Monzen, though he was far superior at the plate. He caught almost all of the games in the Fall season, but, unfortunately, was subsequently </span><span style="font-size: small;">drafted into the army to meet a fate that many of his contemporaries met as well. Though his career never had the chance to take off, he is depicted as an able catcher and a distinguished leader of the early Hanshin teams in </span>"The History of Hanshin Tigers in the Showa Era" (1991), and<span style="font-size: small;">, unusual for the first year of pro baseball, had large following of female fans.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
On a final note in US Hall of Fame news, it is interesting to see that Hideo Nomo
will be on the<a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/hof_2014.shtml" target="_blank"> 2014 ballot</a>, making him the first Japanese born player
to appear on a Hall of Fame ballot. <br />
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<br />ABhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00110721827199073259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561744462098058434.post-56809489545199223022012-12-14T11:11:00.000-08:002012-12-14T11:11:53.594-08:00New BlogsIt has been some time since I have devoted the proper attention to this site - I hope, in the next year, to really get going and add some new content. In the meantime, some recommendations:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6tfgooOP1ltjNknJOFuMQDtfc1cmgKvyQHTwCWoPuJW35xMGuaJ-SntLtmKAgvStfgcmhLomBzD_4gvi0-oBskQ2as-tHLQN4ct_q6MDPUgZW1RJ3gF8oLHDqQZa5FdfYlbuuJyftvwg/s1600/Team.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6tfgooOP1ltjNknJOFuMQDtfc1cmgKvyQHTwCWoPuJW35xMGuaJ-SntLtmKAgvStfgcmhLomBzD_4gvi0-oBskQ2as-tHLQN4ct_q6MDPUgZW1RJ3gF8oLHDqQZa5FdfYlbuuJyftvwg/s320/Team.jpg" width="320" /></a>Rob Fitts, author of <a href="http://www.robfitts.com/index.htm">Banzai Babe Ruth</a>, and <a href="http://www.robfitts.com/index.htm">Wally Yonemine</a>, has started a new blog:<br />
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http://blog.robfitts.com/<br />
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His tremendous writing talent, combined with an amazing collection of cards, memorabilia, historical artifacts, etc., lead me to believe that this will be an amazing site to check in with regularly.<br />
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In addition, the folks at <a href="http://japanesebaseballcards.blogspot.com/">Japanese Baseball Cards</a> recently introduced me to another new site:<br />
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http://thiscardiscool.blogspot.com/<br />
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Both sites are beautifully done, and I highly recommend them. <br />
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Our friend at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Japan, Ryuichi Suzuki, informed me of the fact that the new Hall of Fame ballot has been released. An English version can be viewed courtesy of <a href="http://yakyubaka.com/">YakyuBaka</a>:<br />
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http://yakyubaka.com/2012/11/28/japan-baseball-hall-of-fame-2013-candidates/<br />
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In addition to Koji Akiyama and long-time NoboruAotaFan favorite Masayuki Dobashi, please note that the amazing, bespectacled, Yakult catcher Atsuya Furuta is up for consideration for the first time - we need more four-eyed catchers in the Hall of Fame! (note: the author of this blog was a four-eyed catcher himself) Also worthy of note - Randy Bass and Greg "Boomer" Wells (along with infielder/pitcher Hiroshi Gondo) all first appearing on the "Expert Division" ballot.<br />
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Till next time...ABhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00110721827199073259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561744462098058434.post-52243620316201092462012-05-18T07:29:00.001-07:002012-05-18T07:29:32.977-07:00Half a Century with My Husband - Mrs. Mitsuko Aota Remembers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilwve5a3fVmwxmt489NBp2zSuaKnh99Nn_UQIYJIz3VadRecaxYIrlX5V2Oyi80LuE2LMQIhv6KOKLxzDhGV_PXF1zP1jOG-ciHO6PEyftnTgoQvxMA13CfmMtC54X95Nsodbxu4XaxKI/s1600/sc00002e11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilwve5a3fVmwxmt489NBp2zSuaKnh99Nn_UQIYJIz3VadRecaxYIrlX5V2Oyi80LuE2LMQIhv6KOKLxzDhGV_PXF1zP1jOG-ciHO6PEyftnTgoQvxMA13CfmMtC54X95Nsodbxu4XaxKI/s1600/sc00002e11.jpg" /></a></div>
Roughly four times a year our friend Ryuichi Suzuki of the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Japan puts together a newsletter filled with great essays, news and other bits of Japanese Baseball history. The most recent issue, <a href="http://english.baseball-museum.or.jp/topics/letter/pdf/vol22_01.pdf">vol. 22, no. 1</a>, contains a short piece by Noboru Aota's widow, Mitsuko, about Aota, his role as a father and husband, as well as a bit about his youth and their early years together. Check it out, and take a look at all of the <a href="http://english.baseball-museum.or.jp/topics/letter/index.html">newsletters</a>, as they are chock full of information on baseball in Japan!ABhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00110721827199073259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561744462098058434.post-1456913587203014642012-01-26T02:11:00.000-08:002012-01-26T13:14:58.363-08:001950 Kokutetsu Swallows<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGMkwOSLvQvkpWzszBZrCOJIKM5ab76gzI3pYp3RrwG7naUv3_9TmuR7zwKhpyhZFzPTTQDFmIty6HWU6NSBeBdxlAd2VSxdXI_kn5oZBH9EFDuSjw65mgZsIry0dDDoIk2zsnRHFOP3s/s1600/kaneda"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 228px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGMkwOSLvQvkpWzszBZrCOJIKM5ab76gzI3pYp3RrwG7naUv3_9TmuR7zwKhpyhZFzPTTQDFmIty6HWU6NSBeBdxlAd2VSxdXI_kn5oZBH9EFDuSjw65mgZsIry0dDDoIk2zsnRHFOP3s/s320/kaneda" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5701672163278192210" border="0" /></a>According to <a href="http://www.japanbaseballdaily.com/historyjanuary.html">Japan Baseball </a><a href="http://www.japanbaseballdaily.com/historyjanuary.html">Daily</a>, today marks the 62nd anniversary of the birth of the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, then known as the Kokutetsu Swallows. They were originally established by what is today the Japan Railways, and, under manager Norio Nishigaki, they shared space with the Giants in Korakuen stadium before moving to their current home in Meiji Jingu Stadium in 1964. During that time they were one of the losing-est teams in NPB history, posting only one winning record in 25 years.<br /><br /><br /><div>A game and a half from the absolute cellar, the 1950 expansion Kokutetsu Swallows were the worst hitting (they left the fewest men on base in the league, only because their OBP was also the lowest in the league), and almost (next only to the Carp) the worst pitching team in the Central League. They led the league in walks, balks and wild pitches, and had the fewest hit batsmen- in other words, a pitching staff that was wild yet un-intimidating. They weren't the worst fielding team in the league, but their defense (who committed the second most errors in the Central League) didn't help their otherwise lackluster performance.<br /><br />The only bright spot was a young rookie named Masaichi Kaneda (right). <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC1WnyaMjNQ3s1OvluubLhc_BPHBTPILISEWnVEsOARu9KBq-peaXJOb7zAKdkEWYb21q9r14A45b8buypJJLEE6VJlr_JgWMKwNgOyG1pW2M8Rx19zA865fsX6x146eWhD_y2jaev4z0/s1600/kaneda2"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 193px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC1WnyaMjNQ3s1OvluubLhc_BPHBTPILISEWnVEsOARu9KBq-peaXJOb7zAKdkEWYb21q9r14A45b8buypJJLEE6VJlr_JgWMKwNgOyG1pW2M8Rx19zA865fsX6x146eWhD_y2jaev4z0/s320/kaneda2" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5701672751121752082" border="0" /></a>There was no All Star game in 1950, but the following year only one member of the team would make it, and that was Kaneda. The free-wheeling Kaneda (see photo at top of page) would go on to set all-time Japan records for wins, losses, and strikeouts, become one of the first major stars to jump teams and embrace 'free agency', and found the Meikyukai, or Golden Players Club, a sort-of alternate to the Hall of Fame, that honors players not on votes, but automatic enshrinement upon the achievement of 2000 hits, 200 wins, or 250 saves. The 17 year old Kaneda out-pitched the rest of his staff during the '50 season, winning only 8 and losing 12 but posting the lowest ERA and striking out the second most batters.<br /><br /><br />Despite the fact that their best player was also their youngest, there were a few standout performances of that lackluster season:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC1WnyaMjNQ3s1OvluubLhc_BPHBTPILISEWnVEsOARu9KBq-peaXJOb7zAKdkEWYb21q9r14A45b8buypJJLEE6VJlr_JgWMKwNgOyG1pW2M8Rx19zA865fsX6x146eWhD_y2jaev4z0/s1600/kaneda2"><br /></a></div><br /><br /><div></div>First baseman Ryohei Moriya (below) led the team with a .288 batting average and 21 home runs.<br /><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhADKQv5QV6_ecQwzeWYxFEgoKYd2OaH1g-oEqhbrH4RICHk__5j6p2F5rraQjOHrR0h1ADPHreDTt3LuMPYB-pUEu7zZoxn6dFXof_JFtRma4pJPGXoQWRAS4yn8mLBXVFPGm5ibV1Z2M/s1600/moriya"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 241px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhADKQv5QV6_ecQwzeWYxFEgoKYd2OaH1g-oEqhbrH4RICHk__5j6p2F5rraQjOHrR0h1ADPHreDTt3LuMPYB-pUEu7zZoxn6dFXof_JFtRma4pJPGXoQWRAS4yn8mLBXVFPGm5ibV1Z2M/s320/moriya" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5701673981470998642" border="0" /></a>While not the best fielding first baseman in the league (that honor would have to go to Kiyoshi Ozawa), his 910 putouts against 11 errors demonstrate his competence at the position, and, combined with his prowess at the plate, establish him as the Swallows most valuable player in 1950, and he was fittingly their captain. Moriya would go on to play a few more seasons with the Swallows, retiring at the end of the '53 season with a .266 average in exactly 1500 plate attempts.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTa0MCV-R7oSpRNHb3qNOFMd4m7upHQ0N7IRVnSv4uNFWJJFkjSwd6zllyP5-beryazA963e11e11skw9xAZ5mEFIGAIj4PkEId2ofMj4p92ah50zKlLDGg4jnAHCjqtLES9Xuwi3OiJE/s1600/takahashi"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 230px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTa0MCV-R7oSpRNHb3qNOFMd4m7upHQ0N7IRVnSv4uNFWJJFkjSwd6zllyP5-beryazA963e11e11skw9xAZ5mEFIGAIj4PkEId2ofMj4p92ah50zKlLDGg4jnAHCjqtLES9Xuwi3OiJE/s320/takahashi" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5701674262815283202" border="0" /></a>While Kaneda was second on the team with 143 K's, Akira Takahashi (left) edged him out with 147. And, while he wasn't the teams ace, he won their first game ever, on March 11 of that year. He would pitch 6 more years with the Swallows, never posting a winning record and walking more batters than he struck out.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Outfielder Shigeru Enomoto (below) was more representative of the team, appearing mostly in a pinch-hitter role while playing only 5 games in the outfield and committing one error. The two hits he collected during that season would turn out to be the only two hits of his career- after 1950 he vanished, most likely into the industrial leagues or maybe as a coach for some local clubs.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1JHN6b90iLp-AXFdCpJL8xRxiOgQ8muxW1W8rroQ610hkMXlkJZ6LJtOoWTi8E5J8yj0YNnE-RxA7-LKvA9nnGAlDtXzuG8j5zb0CAQ3LkncSfjozTSWChJFnPYQBaAKEFPZ4ZJjEviw/s1600/enomoto"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 254px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1JHN6b90iLp-AXFdCpJL8xRxiOgQ8muxW1W8rroQ610hkMXlkJZ6LJtOoWTi8E5J8yj0YNnE-RxA7-LKvA9nnGAlDtXzuG8j5zb0CAQ3LkncSfjozTSWChJFnPYQBaAKEFPZ4ZJjEviw/s320/enomoto" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5701673474107064738" border="0" /></a>Enomoto found himself lumped in with a class of athlete to whom success was a double edged sword, a gift and a curse; a group with many members on both sides of the Pacific Ocean and beyond: As with new teams and most expansion seasons, the Swallows were packed with those players, like Enomoto, who would never have had a chance to play at the top level, but now find themselves with a few scattered innings of memory, a footnote or two in the statistical record that can prove to be a personal achievement or a bitter taste of what could have been.<br /><br />In 1964 the Swallows moved to the storied <a href="http://www.japanesebaseballstadiums.com/stadiums/meijijingustadium.htm">Meiji Jingu Stadium</a>, home to the college baseball and once the host of U.S. superstars. They would go through many owners and even a name change (they were the Atoms for a short period in the late sixties), and continue their losing ways until finally winning a championship in 1978.<br /></div>ABhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00110721827199073259noreply@blogger.com0