Sachio Kinugasa
Encyclopedia
Sachio Kinugasa is a former Japanese
baseball
player with Hiroshima Carp. He is nicknamed Tetsujin, meaning "Iron Man".
Kinugasa passed Lou Gehrig
's world record for consecutive games played in 1987. This record was later broken by Cal Ripken, Jr.
in 1996.
He was inducted into the Japanese baseball hall of fame in 1996.
father and a Japanese mother. He entered the Heian high school in Kyoto, and advanced to the Japanese National High School Baseball Championship
twice in his senior year as a catcher. He was signed by the Hiroshima Carp in 1965, and spent several years in the minors before being converted to first base in 1968. He became the team's regular first baseman, hitting 21 home runs with a .276 batting average. In 1975, he moved to third base at the suggestion of manager Joe Lutz
, and his efforts helped the Hiroshima Carp win their first ever league championship. He led the league in stolen bases in 1976, and won the MVP award in 1984 as his team won the Japanese championship series. Kinugasa's solid hitting and defense made him one of the central players of the Carp's golden age in the late 70s and early 80s.
His jersey number (28, later changed to 3) gave him the nickname, Tetsujin (Iron Man), after the robot comic "Tetsujin 28" (Known as Gigantor
in the United States). Kinugasa was worthy of his nickname, playing in games even when he was badly injured. His consecutive game streak began in October, 1970, and ended when he retired in 1987, passing Lou Gehrig
's record in the major leagues to become the world record. His streak of 2215 consecutive games played was broken in 1996 by Cal Ripken, Jr.
, who played in 2632 straight games in the major leagues.
Junzo Sekine became the batting coach for the Hiroshima Carp in 1970, and worked tirelessly to improve Kinugasa's batting skills. Sekine forced Kinugasa to practice even after other players had finished and gone out to have fun, and Kinugasa skipped out on practice one day to go out drinking with his teammates. Kinugasa returned to the camp at 3:00 in the morning to find Sekine waiting for him outside his room. Kinugasa ended up having to practice till daybreak. He bats and throws right-handed, but holds chopsticks with his left hand.
for his performance in the professional leagues. He and Sadaharu Oh
are the only baseball players to have received the award. His jersey number (3) was retired by the Carp in 1987.
Kinugasa currently writes baseball related articles for newspapers, and sometimes appears on variety television shows. His eldest son, Tomoaki, has had a successful career as an actor.
He is mostly remembered for his consecutive game streak, but he ranks 7th in career home runs (504), 5th in career hits (2543), and 10th in career RBIs (1448), showing that he was one of the most consistent hitters in Japanese baseball.
There is a baseball stadium in Nagasaki named after Kinugasa.
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...
baseball
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 with Hiroshima Carp. He is nicknamed Tetsujin, meaning "Iron Man".
Kinugasa passed Lou Gehrig
Lou Gehrig
Henry Louis "Lou" Gehrig , nicknamed "The Iron Horse" for his durability, was an American Major League Baseball first baseman. He played his entire 17-year baseball career for the New York Yankees . Gehrig set several major league records. He holds the record for most career grand slams...
's world record for consecutive games played in 1987. This record was later broken by Cal Ripken, Jr.
Cal Ripken, Jr.
Calvin Edwin "Cal" Ripken, Jr. , nicknamed "Iron Man", is a former Major League Baseball shortstop and third baseman. He played his entire 21-year baseball career for the Baltimore Orioles ....
in 1996.
He was inducted into the Japanese baseball hall of fame in 1996.
Professional career
Kinugasa was born to an African AmericanAfrican American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
father and a Japanese mother. He entered the Heian high school in Kyoto, and advanced to the Japanese National High School Baseball Championship
National High School Baseball Championship
The National High School Baseball Championship of Japan, commonly known as "Summer Kōshien" , is an annual nationwide high school baseball tournament...
twice in his senior year as a catcher. He was signed by the Hiroshima Carp in 1965, and spent several years in the minors before being converted to first base in 1968. He became the team's regular first baseman, hitting 21 home runs with a .276 batting average. In 1975, he moved to third base at the suggestion of manager Joe Lutz
Joe Lutz
Rollin Joseph "Joe" Lutz was an American professional baseball player and coach, who was the first Caucasian to manage a team in Japanese professional baseball.-Life:...
, and his efforts helped the Hiroshima Carp win their first ever league championship. He led the league in stolen bases in 1976, and won the MVP award in 1984 as his team won the Japanese championship series. Kinugasa's solid hitting and defense made him one of the central players of the Carp's golden age in the late 70s and early 80s.
His jersey number (28, later changed to 3) gave him the nickname, Tetsujin (Iron Man), after the robot comic "Tetsujin 28" (Known as Gigantor
Gigantor
Gigantor is an American adaptation of the anime version of Tetsujin 28-go, a manga by Mitsuteru Yokoyama released in 1956. It debuted on U.S. television in 1964. As with Speed Racer, the characters' original names were altered and the original series' violence was toned down for American viewers...
in the United States). Kinugasa was worthy of his nickname, playing in games even when he was badly injured. His consecutive game streak began in October, 1970, and ended when he retired in 1987, passing Lou Gehrig
Lou Gehrig
Henry Louis "Lou" Gehrig , nicknamed "The Iron Horse" for his durability, was an American Major League Baseball first baseman. He played his entire 17-year baseball career for the New York Yankees . Gehrig set several major league records. He holds the record for most career grand slams...
's record in the major leagues to become the world record. His streak of 2215 consecutive games played was broken in 1996 by Cal Ripken, Jr.
Cal Ripken, Jr.
Calvin Edwin "Cal" Ripken, Jr. , nicknamed "Iron Man", is a former Major League Baseball shortstop and third baseman. He played his entire 21-year baseball career for the Baltimore Orioles ....
, who played in 2632 straight games in the major leagues.
Junzo Sekine became the batting coach for the Hiroshima Carp in 1970, and worked tirelessly to improve Kinugasa's batting skills. Sekine forced Kinugasa to practice even after other players had finished and gone out to have fun, and Kinugasa skipped out on practice one day to go out drinking with his teammates. Kinugasa returned to the camp at 3:00 in the morning to find Sekine waiting for him outside his room. Kinugasa ended up having to practice till daybreak. He bats and throws right-handed, but holds chopsticks with his left hand.
Post Retirement
Kinugasa was given the People's Honour AwardPeople's Honour Award
is one of the commendation bestowed by the Prime Minister of Japan. The award is not restricted to Japanese nationals. The award was created in 1977 and Sadaharu Oh, a Taiwanese national, is the first one to have been bestowed it.-Recipients:...
for his performance in the professional leagues. He and Sadaharu Oh
Sadaharu Oh
Sadaharu Oh, or Wang Chenchih , is a retired Japanese-Taiwanese baseball player and manager. He batted and threw left-handed and primarily played first base. Oh, who was born in Sumida, Tokyo the son of a Taiwanese father and a Japanese mother, had originally signed with the powerhouse Yomiuri...
are the only baseball players to have received the award. His jersey number (3) was retired by the Carp in 1987.
Kinugasa currently writes baseball related articles for newspapers, and sometimes appears on variety television shows. His eldest son, Tomoaki, has had a successful career as an actor.
He is mostly remembered for his consecutive game streak, but he ranks 7th in career home runs (504), 5th in career hits (2543), and 10th in career RBIs (1448), showing that he was one of the most consistent hitters in Japanese baseball.
There is a baseball stadium in Nagasaki named after Kinugasa.
Statistics
| Year | Team | No. Squad number In team sports, the squad number, shirt number, jersey number, sweater number, uniform number or simply a number is the number worn on a player's uniform, to identify and distinguish each player from others wearing the same or similar uniforms... |
GP Games played Games played is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated ; the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested.-Baseball:In baseball, the statistic applies also to players who, prior to a game,... |
AB At bat In baseball, an at bat or time at bat is used to calculate certain statistics, including batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage. It is a more restricted definition of a plate appearance... |
R Run (baseball) In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured... |
H Single (baseball) In baseball, a single is the most common type of base hit, accomplished through the act of a batter safely reaching first base by hitting a fair ball and getting to first base before a fielder puts him out... |
2H Double (baseball) In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice.... |
3H Triple (baseball) In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice.... |
HR Home run In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process... |
RBI Run batted in Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI... |
TB Total bases In baseball statistics, total bases refers to the number of bases a player has gained with hits, i.e., the sum of his hits weighted by 1 for a single, 2 for a double, 3 for a triple and 4 for a home run.Only bases attained from hits count toward this total.... |
BB Base on balls A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08... |
SB Stolen base In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate... |
K Strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters.... |
BA Batting average Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :... |
Titles | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 1965 in baseball -Major League Baseball:*World Series: Los Angeles Dodgers over Minnesota Twins ; Sandy Koufax, MVP*All-Star Game, July 13 at Metropolitan Stadium: National League, 6-5; Juan Marichal, MVP-Other champions:*College World Series: Arizona State... |
Hiroshima | 28 | 28 | 44 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .159 | ||
| 1966 1966 in baseball -Major League Baseball:*World Series: Baltimore Orioles over Los Angeles Dodgers ; Frank Robinson, MVP*All-Star Game, July 12 at Busch Stadium: National League, 2–1 ; Brooks Robinson, MVP-Other champions:*College World Series: Ohio State... |
Hiroshima | 28 | 32 | 34 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 9 | .147 | ||
| 1967 1967 in baseball -Major League Baseball:*World Series: St. Louis Cardinals over Boston Red Sox ; Bob Gibson, MVP*All-Star Game, July 11 at Anaheim Stadium: National League, 2-1 ; Tony Pérez, MVP-Other champions:*College World Series: Arizona State... |
Hiroshima | 28 | 28 | 48 | 6 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 20 | 4 | 1 | 13 | .250 | ||
| 1968 1968 in baseball -The Year of the Pitcher:In Major League Baseball, the trend throughout the 1960s was of increased pitching dominance, caused by enforcing a larger strike zone beginning in 1963... |
Hiroshima | 28 | 127 | 395 | 52 | 109 | 19 | 2 | 21 | 58 | 195 | 65 | 11 | 76 | .276 | ||
| 1969 1969 in baseball -Expansion:Four expansion teams joined Major League Baseball for this season: the San Diego Padres, the Kansas City Royals, the Seattle Pilots, and the first MLB team in Canada, the Montreal Expos. To accommodate the additional teams, the two leagues were split into two divisions of East and West... |
Hiroshima | 28 | 126 | 428 | 43 | 107 | 12 | 0 | 15 | 46 | 164 | 51 | 32 | 73 | .250 | ||
| 1970 1970 in baseball -Major Leagues:*World Series MVP: Brooks Robinson*All-Star Game, July 14 at Riverfront Stadium: National League, 5-4 ; Carl Yastrzemski, MVP-Other champions:*Caribbean World Series: Navegantes del Magallanes *College World Series: USC... |
Hiroshima | 28 | 126 | 406 | 44 | 102 | 10 | 3 | 19 | 57 | 175 | 50 | 13 | 81 | .251 | ||
| 1971 1971 in baseball -Major League Baseball:National League: Pittsburgh PiratesAmerican League: Baltimore Orioles1971 World Series: Pittsburgh def. Baltimore , 4 games to 3.Inter-league playoff: Pittsburgh declined challenge by Tokyo Yomiuri Giants.... |
Hiroshima | 28 | 130 | 460 | 72 | 131 | 18 | 2 | 27 | 82 | 234 | 79 | 12 | 71 | .285 | ||
| 1972 1972 in baseball -Labor strife and more moving:1972 was tainted by a players' strike over pension and salary arbitration. The strike erased the first week and a half of the season, and the Leagues decided to just excise the lost portion of the season with no makeups. As a result, an uneven number of games were... |
Hiroshima | 28 | 130 | 498 | 67 | 147 | 18 | 1 | 29 | 99 | 254 | 61 | 12 | 77 | .295 | ||
| 1973 1973 in baseball -Major League Baseball:*World Series: Oakland Athletics over New York Mets ; Reggie Jackson, MVP*All-Star Game, July 24 at Royals Stadium: National League, 7–1; Bobby Bonds, MVP-Other champions:... |
Hiroshima | 28 | 130 | 454 | 52 | 94 | 12 | 1 | 19 | 53 | 165 | 68 | 6 | 73 | .207 | ||
| 1974 1974 in baseball -Major League Baseball:*1974 World Series: Oakland Athletics over Los Angeles Dodgers ; Rollie Fingers, MVP*All-Star Game, July 23 at Three Rivers Stadium: National League, 7-2; Steve Garvey, MVP-Other champions:... |
Hiroshima | 28 | 130 | 471 | 72 | 119 | 10 | 1 | 32 | 86 | 227 | 54 | 7 | 78 | .253 | ||
| 1975 1975 in baseball -Major League Baseball:*World Series: Cincinnati Reds over Boston Red Sox ; Pete Rose, MVP*All-Star Game, July 15 at County Stadium: National League, 6-3; Bill Madlock and Jon Matlack, MVPs-Other champions:... |
Hiroshima | 3 | 130 | 479 | 66 | 132 | 22 | 1 | 21 | 71 | 219 | 49 | 18 | 61 | .276 | Best 9, League Champion | |
| 1976 1976 in baseball -Major League Baseball:*World Series: Cincinnati Reds over New York Yankees ; Johnny Bench, MVP*All-Star Game, July 13 at Veterans Stadium: National League, 7-1; George Foster, MVP-Other champions:*Caribbean World Series: Naranjeros de Hermosillo... |
Hiroshima | 3 | 130 | 522 | 82 | 158 | 26 | 2 | 26 | 69 | 264 | 41 | 31 | 84 | .299 | SB Stolen base In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate... |
|
| 1977 1977 in baseball -Major League Baseball:*World Series: New York Yankees over Los Angeles Dodgers ; Reggie Jackson, MVP*American League Championship Series MVP: None*National League Championship Series MVP: Dusty Baker... |
Hiroshima | 3 | 130 | 514 | 88 | 136 | 22 | 2 | 25 | 67 | 237 | 59 | 28 | 81 | .265 | ||
| 1978 1978 in baseball -Other champions:*Caribbean World Series: Indios de Mayagüez *College World Series: USC*Japan Series: Yakult Swallows over Hankyu Braves *Little League World Series: Pin-Kuang, Pin-Tung, Taiwan-Awards and honors:*Most Valuable Player... |
Hiroshima | 3 | 130 | 461 | 81 | 123 | 18 | 1 | 30 | 87 | 233 | 80 | 9 | 83 | .267 | ||
| 1979 1979 in baseball -Major League Baseball:*World Series: Pittsburgh Pirates over Baltimore Orioles ; Willie Stargell, MVP*American League Championship Series MVP: None.*National League Championship Series MVP: Willie Stargell... |
Hiroshima | 3 | 130 | 410 | 82 | 114 | 21 | 2 | 20 | 57 | 199 | 64 | 15 | 72 | .278 | League Champion, Japan Series Champion | |
| 1980 1980 in baseball -Major League Baseball:World Series: Philadelphia Phillies over Kansas City Royals ; Mike Schmidt, MVP*American League Championship Series: Frank White, MVP*National League Championship Series Manny Trillo, MVP... |
Hiroshima | 3 | 130 | 489 | 79 | 144 | 20 | 0 | 31 | 85 | 257 | 52 | 16 | 89 | .294 | Gold Glove Award Gold Glove Award The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball players judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances at each fielding position in both the National League and the American League , as voted by the... , Best 9, League Champion, Japan Series Champion |
|
| 1981 1981 in baseball -Major League Baseball:*World Series: Los Angeles Dodgers over New York Yankees ; Ron Cey, Pedro Guerrero, and Steve Yeager, co-MVPsNOTE: Due to a strike in mid-season, the season was divided into a first half and a second half... |
Hiroshima | 3 | 130 | 495 | 82 | 134 | 23 | 2 | 30 | 72 | 251 | 48 | 7 | 83 | .271 | ||
| 1982 1982 in baseball -Major League Baseball:*World Series Champion: St. Louis Cardinals*World Series MVP: Darrell Porter**American League Championship Series MVP: Fred Lynn**National League Championship Series MVP: Darrell Porter... |
Hiroshima | 3 | 130 | 483 | 74 | 135 | 22 | 0 | 29 | 74 | 244 | 12 | 89 | .280 | |||
| 1983 1983 in baseball -Major League Baseball:*World Series: Baltimore Orioles over Philadelphia Phillies ; Rick Dempsey, MVP*American League Championship Series MVP: Mike Boddicker*National League Championship Series MVP: Gary Matthews... |
Hiroshima | 3 | 130 | 496 | 86 | 145 | 25 | 1 | 27 | 84 | 253 | 54 | 8 | 53 | 89 | .292 | |
| 1984 1984 in baseball -Major League Baseball:*World Series: Detroit Tigers over San Diego Padres ; Alan Trammell, MVP*American League Championship Series MVP: Kirk Gibson*National League Championship Series MVP: Steve Garvey... |
Hiroshima | 3 | 130 | 490 | 79 | 161 | 25 | 1 | 31 | 102 | 281 | 39 | 11 | 83 | .329 | MVP Most Valuable Player In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests... , RBI Run batted in Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI... , Gold Glove Award, Best 9, Matsutaro-Shoriki Award, League Champion, Japan Series Champion |
|
| 1985 1985 in baseball -Major League Baseball:*World Series: Kansas City Royals over St. Louis Cardinals ; Bret Saberhagen, MVP*American League Championship Series MVP: George Brett*National League Championship Series MVP: Ozzie Smith... |
Hiroshima | 3 | 130 | 480 | 77 | 140 | 16 | 0 | 28 | 83 | 240 | 49 | 10 | 77 | .292 | ||
| 1986 1986 in baseball -Major League Baseball:*World Series: New York Mets over Boston Red Sox ; Ray Knight, MVP*American League Championship Series MVP: Marty Barrett*National League Championship Series MVP: Mike Scott... |
Hiroshima | 3 | 130 | 477 | 42 | 98 | 11 | 0 | 24 | 59 | 181 | 39 | 4 | 80 | .205 | Gold Glove Award, League Champion | |
| 1987 1987 in baseball -Major League Baseball:*World Series: Minnesota Twins over St. Louis Cardinals ; Frank Viola, MVP**American League Championship Series: Gary Gaetti, MVP**National League Championship Series: Jeff Leonard, MVP... |
Hiroshima | 3 | 130 | 370 | 40 | 92 | 17 | 0 | 17 | 48 | 160 | 26 | 2 | 61 | .249 | National Prize of Honour | |
| TOTALS | - | 2677 | 9404 | 1371 | 2543 | 373 | 23 | 504 | 1448 | 4474 | 1092 | 266 | 1587 | .270 | - | ||
See also
- Koji YamamotoKoji Yamamoto (baseball)is a former Japanese baseball player and manager of the Hiroshima Carp of Japan's Central League. A four-time home run king having played for Hiroshima Carp throughout his career, Yamamoto contributed to the team winning five league championships including its first-ever in 1975, and three titles...
- Tsunemi TsudaTsunemi Tsudais a former Japanese baseball player of the Hiroshima Toyo Carp of Japan's Central League.He was one of most famous Japanese right-handed pitchers. He was known as the because from his pitching style with the fastball. His nickname was "Tsune-Gon"....
- Manabu KitabeppuManabu Kitabeppu, is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher, the first-round draft pick of the Hiroshima Carp in 1975 and one of the most famous Japanese right-handed pitchers...
- Matsutaro Shoriki Award (1984)
- People's Honour AwardPeople's Honour Awardis one of the commendation bestowed by the Prime Minister of Japan. The award is not restricted to Japanese nationals. The award was created in 1977 and Sadaharu Oh, a Taiwanese national, is the first one to have been bestowed it.-Recipients:...
(1987)
External links
- THE GOLDEN PLAYERS CLUB (Japanese)
- NPB History (Japanese)