Gene Bacque
Encyclopedia
Gene Bacque is a former professional baseball
player who played in the Japanese professional leagues.
), and joined the minor league Hawaii Islanders
. He was cut shortly afterwards, and a Japanese
sportswriter encouraged him to try out in Japan
. He was signed by the Hanshin Tigers
in August 1962.
He learned a slider from Japanese hall of famer Masaaki Koyama, and improved his knuckleball
to enter the starting rotation. He and Minoru Murayama
became the crux of the Tigers pitching staff during the 1960s.
Bacque marked a 29-9 record with a 1.89 ERA in 1964, leading the league in wins and ERA to become the first non-Japanese player to receive the Eiji Sawamura Award. The Tigers won the Central League
championship that year, and Bacque pitched in the sixth game of the Japan Series against Joe Stanka
of the Nankai Hawks (the Hawks won, 4-0).
Bacque threw a no-hitter
in 1965 against the Yomiuri Giants
, and won over 10 games for five years in a row from 1964 to 1968. In September 1968, Bacque broke his right thumb during a brawl with the Giants, and missed the rest of the season. He was traded to the Kintetsu Buffaloes
in 1969, but failed to make a comeback, going 0-7 that year. He announced his retirement during the off-season. He is tied with Joe Stanka
for the most career wins among non-Japanese players.
Bacque was not given a translator when he first joined the Tigers, and he and his family of four had to live in a poor neighborhood in Japan
. However, he went on to learn fluent Japanese
, and became respected by teammates as one of the best non-Japanese players ever to play on the Tigers.
After retiring, he worked as an industrial arts teacher at a junior high school in Scott, Louisiana
, and currently manages his own ranch. He often travels to Japan to meet with his former teammates.
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
player who played in the Japanese professional leagues.
Biography
Bacque graduated from the University of Southwestern Louisiana (now the University of Louisiana at LafayetteUniversity of Louisiana at Lafayette
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette, or UL Lafayette, is a coeducational, public research university located in Lafayette, Louisiana, in the heart of Acadiana...
), and joined the minor league Hawaii Islanders
Hawaii Islanders
The Hawaii Islanders were a AAA minor league baseball team, based in Honolulu, Hawaii, that played in the Pacific Coast League from 1961 through 1987. The Islanders were originally an affiliate of the Kansas City Athletics. They played their home games at Honolulu Stadium, Honolulu's Aloha Stadium...
. He was cut shortly afterwards, and a Japanese
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
sportswriter encouraged him to try out in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. He was signed by the Hanshin Tigers
Hanshin Tigers
The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team based in Koshien, Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and are in the Central League. Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd., the subsidiary of Hankyu Hanshin Holdings Inc., owns the Hanshin Tigers directly...
in August 1962.
He learned a slider from Japanese hall of famer Masaaki Koyama, and improved his knuckleball
Knuckleball
A knuckleball is a baseball pitch with an erratic, unpredictable motion. The pitch is thrown so as to minimize the spin of the ball in flight. This causes vortices over the stitched seams of the baseball during its trajectory, which in turn can cause the pitch to change direction—and even...
to enter the starting rotation. He and Minoru Murayama
Minoru Murayama
was a professional baseball player for the Osaka Tigers in Nippon Professional Baseball. His number 11 is retired with the Tigers. A pitcher with Hanshin from 1959 to 1972, he recorded a career 2.09 ERA and 192 career complete games to go with 222 wins. Hall of Famer.-Early life:He was born on...
became the crux of the Tigers pitching staff during the 1960s.
Bacque marked a 29-9 record with a 1.89 ERA in 1964, leading the league in wins and ERA to become the first non-Japanese player to receive the Eiji Sawamura Award. The Tigers won the Central League
Central League
The or is one the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League in the annual Japan Series. It currently consists of six teams from around the country,The Central League...
championship that year, and Bacque pitched in the sixth game of the Japan Series against Joe Stanka
Joe Stanka
Joe Donald Stanka is a former major league baseball player from Hammon, Oklahoma. He played for the Chicago White Sox in the major leagues, and the Nankai Hawks and Taiyo Whales in the Japanese professional leagues.-Biography:...
of the Nankai Hawks (the Hawks won, 4-0).
Bacque threw a no-hitter
No-hitter
A no-hitter is a baseball game in which one team has no hits. In Major League Baseball, the team must be without hits during the entire game, and the game must be at least nine innings. A pitcher who prevents the opposing team from achieving a hit is said to have "thrown a no-hitter"...
in 1965 against the Yomiuri Giants
Yomiuri Giants
The are a professional baseball team based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. The team competes in the Central League in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top level of professional play in Japan. They play their home games in the Tokyo Dome, opened in 1988. The English-language press occasionally calls the...
, and won over 10 games for five years in a row from 1964 to 1968. In September 1968, Bacque broke his right thumb during a brawl with the Giants, and missed the rest of the season. He was traded to the Kintetsu Buffaloes
Kintetsu Buffaloes
The was a Nippon Professional Baseball team based in Osaka, Japan, which were in the Pacific League. The team was owned by Kinki Nippon Railway Co. and later sold to the Orix Group, the owner of the Orix BlueWave baseball team, in 2004...
in 1969, but failed to make a comeback, going 0-7 that year. He announced his retirement during the off-season. He is tied with Joe Stanka
Joe Stanka
Joe Donald Stanka is a former major league baseball player from Hammon, Oklahoma. He played for the Chicago White Sox in the major leagues, and the Nankai Hawks and Taiyo Whales in the Japanese professional leagues.-Biography:...
for the most career wins among non-Japanese players.
Bacque was not given a translator when he first joined the Tigers, and he and his family of four had to live in a poor neighborhood in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. However, he went on to learn fluent Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
, and became respected by teammates as one of the best non-Japanese players ever to play on the Tigers.
After retiring, he worked as an industrial arts teacher at a junior high school in Scott, Louisiana
Scott, Louisiana
Scott is the second largest municipality in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population rose to over 8,000 according to the 2010 census results.Scott is a suburb of Lafayette and is part of the Lafayette Metropolitan Statistical Area....
, and currently manages his own ranch. He often travels to Japan to meet with his former teammates.