Kazuhisa Inao (稲尾 和久, Inao Kazuhisa, June 10, 1937 – November 13, 2007) was a Japanese professional baseball pitcher. In 1957, he won 20 consecutive games. In 1958 Japan Series, he pitched six games and won 4 consecutive games after his team lost 3 games. He even hit a home run in fifth game of Japan Series. He was the Pacific League's Most Valuable Player in 1957 and 1958. He had 42 wins in 1961. Fans called his great success "God, Buddha, Inao".
| Kazuhisa Inao | |
|---|---|
 Inao (center) with teammate Yasumitsu Toyoda(left) and manager Osamu Mihara during the 1956 Japan Series | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: June 10, 1937 Beppu, Ōita, Japan | |
| Died: November 13, 2007 (aged 70) | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| NPB debut | |
| March 21, 1956, for the Nishitetsu Lions | |
| Last appearance | |
| 1969, for the Nishitetsu Lions | |
| NPB statistics | |
| Win–loss | 276–137 |
| Earned run average | 1.98 |
| Shutouts | 43 |
| Innings pitched | 3,599 |
| Strikeouts | 2,574 |
| Teams | |
| As Player As Manager
| |
| Career highlights and awards | |
NPB
NPB Records
| |
| Member of the Japanese | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame | |
| Induction | 1993 |
In 1964, he injured his shoulder, and in 1965 came back to full-time pitching, mainly in relief.[1] He retired as a player in 1969, and went on to manage the Nishitetsu Lions from 1970 to 1974.[1]
He was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1993.[2] His number 24 was retired by the Saitama Seibu Lions on April 30, 2012.[3]
Career statistics
edit| Year | Team | G | CG | SHO | W | L | PCT | IP | H | HR | BB | HBP | SO | WP | R | ER | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | Nishitetsu Lions |
61 | 6 | 3 | 21 | 6 | .778 | 262.1 | 153 | 2 | 73 | 8 | 182 | 2 | 47 | 31 | 1.06 |
| 1957 | 68 | 20 | 5 | 35 | 6 | .854 | 373.2 | 243 | 14 | 76 | 7 | 288 | 1 | 72 | 57 | 1.37 | |
| 1958 | 72 | 19 | 6 | 33 | 10 | .767 | 373.0 | 269 | 8 | 76 | 4 | 334 | 2 | 74 | 59 | 1.42 | |
| 1959 | 75 | 23 | 5 | 30 | 15 | .667 | 402.1 | 300 | 14 | 82 | 9 | 321 | 1 | 86 | 74 | 1.65 | |
| 1960 | 39 | 19 | 3 | 20 | 7 | .741 | 243.0 | 211 | 15 | 51 | 4 | 179 | 0 | 80 | 70 | 2.59 | |
| 1961 | 78 | 25 | 7 | 42 | 14 | .750 | 404.0 | 308 | 22 | 72 | 6 | 353 | 3 | 93 | 76 | 1.69 | |
| 1962 | 57 | 23 | 6 | 25 | 18 | .581 | 320.2 | 281 | 27 | 56 | 4 | 228 | 1 | 98 | 82 | 2.30 | |
| 1963 | 74 | 24 | 2 | 28 | 16 | .636 | 386.1 | 358 | 26 | 70 | 10 | 226 | 1 | 121 | 109 | 2.54 | |
| 1964 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 | 11.1 | 18 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 13 | 10.64 | |
| 1965 | 38 | 13 | 2 | 13 | 6 | .684 | 216.0 | 191 | 16 | 50 | 4 | 101 | 0 | 71 | 57 | 2.38 | |
| 1966 | 54 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 10 | .524 | 185.2 | 134 | 11 | 23 | 5 | 134 | 0 | 45 | 37 | 1.79 | |
| 1967 | 46 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 9 | .471 | 129.0 | 114 | 11 | 22 | 5 | 87 | 1 | 40 | 38 | 2.65 | |
| 1968 | 56 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 11 | .450 | 195.0 | 168 | 22 | 32 | 5 | 93 | 0 | 68 | 60 | 2.77 | |
| 1969 | 32 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | .125 | 97.0 | 92 | 9 | 27 | 2 | 46 | 0 | 36 | 30 | 2.78 | |
| Career Total | 756 | 179 | 43 | 276 | 137 | .668 | 3599.0 | 2840 | 199 | 719 | 73 | 2574 | 12 | 944 | 793 | 1.98 | |
| (7th) | (8th) | (10th) | (8th) | (3rd) | |||||||||||||
- Bolded figures are league-leading
Titles and Award
edit- Rookie of the Year : (1956)[1]
- Wins Champion : 4 times (1957,1958,1961,1963)
- Winning Percentage Champion: 2 times (1957,1961)
- ERA Champion : 5 times (1956–1958,1961,1966)
- Strikeout Champion : 3 times (1958,1961,1963)
- MVP : 2 times (1957–1958)
- Best Nine : 5 times (1957–1958,1961–1963)
Record
edit- 42 Wins (1961) (National Record, tied)
- 20 consecutive wins (1957) (National Record)
- 78 Games Played (1961) (Pacific League Record)
- 1.06 ERA (1956) (Pacific League Record, National Rookie-Year Record)
- 404 inning Pitched (1961) (Pacific League Record)
- 11 wins in single month (Aug, 1956) (National Record)
- 4 complete game in single Japan Series (1958) (Japan Series Record, tied)
- 4 wins in single Japan Series (1958) (Japan Series Record, tied)
- 11 career wins in Japan Series (tied with Tsuneo Horiuchi)
References
edit- ^ a b c Charlton, James; Shatzkin, Mike; Holtje, Stephen (1990). The Ballplayers: baseball's ultimate biographical reference. New York: Arbor House/William Morrow. pp. 509. ISBN 0-87795-984-6.
- ^ "Hall of Fame pitcher Inao dead at 70". Japan Times. November 14, 2007. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
- ^ "Lions to retire Inao's No. 24 jersey". Japan Times. April 29, 2012. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
External links
edit- Career statistics from Baseball Reference (Minors)
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