Kazuhisa Inao

Kazuhisa Inao
Inao (center) with teammate Yasumitsu Toyoda(left) and manager Osamu Mihara during the 1956 Japan Series
Pitcher
Born: (1937-06-10)June 10, 1937
Beppu, Ōita, Japan
Died: November 13, 2007(2007-11-13) (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–loss276–137
Earned run average1.98
Shutouts43
Innings pitched3,599
Strikeouts2,574
Stats at Baseball Reference 
Teams
As Player

As Manager

Career highlights and awards
NPB

NPB Records

  • 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 innings Pitched (1961) (Pacific League Record)
  • 11 wins in single month (Aug, 1956) (National Record)
  • 4 complete games 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)
Member of the Japanese
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction1993

Kazuhisa Inao (稲尾 和久, Inao Kazuhisa; June 10, 1937 – November 13, 2007) was a Japanese pitcher and manager in Nippon Professional Baseball. He played all of his professional seasons for the Nishitetsu Lions.

In the 1956 Japan Series, he won all three of his starts to deliver the Lions their first championship. He was given the Fighting Spirit Award, becoming the first (and so far only) player to be given the award for the winning team. In 1957, he won 20 consecutive games and both of his Japan Series starts in another championship run. In the 1958 Japan Series, tasked to save his team from a 3–0 series deficit, he started four consecutive games and won all of them to become the first NPB team to overcome a 3–0 series deficit, and Inao even hit a home in the Game 5 victory as the Lions won their third straight title; he was named Series MVP for his efforts (he was the second player to have won Japan Series MVP and Fighting Spirit Award for a career). 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".

In 1964, he injured his shoulder but came back to full-time pitching, mainly in relief the next season.[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

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

  • 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

  • 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

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ "Hall of Fame pitcher Inao dead at 70". Japan Times. November 14, 2007. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
  3. ^ "Lions to retire Inao's No. 24 jersey". Japan Times. April 29, 2012. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
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