Yasumitsu Toyoda (豊田泰光,Toyoda Yasumitsu,February 12,1935 –August 14,2016) was a Japanese professional baseball player and coach,who played as a shortstop. He played and coached for the Nishitetsu Lions and the Swallows franchise of Nippon Professional Baseball. In 1972,he coached the Kintetsu Buffaloes.
Toyoda was known as a good hitter,and especially renowned for his postseason performances. He led the Pacific League in batting average in 1956,spoiling a Triple Crown attempt by teammate Futoshi Nakanishi. He batted a career .362 in the Japan Series. [1] He died in Kawasaki at the age of 81 on August 14,2016. [2] [3]
Ichiro Suzuki,also known mononymously as Ichiro,is a Japanese former professional baseball outfielder who played professionally for 28 seasons. He played nine years of his career with the Orix BlueWave of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB),where he began his career,and 14 with the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB). After playing the first 12 years of his MLB career for the Mariners,Suzuki played two and a half seasons with the New York Yankees and three with the Miami Marlins. He returned to the Mariners for his final two seasons.
Sadaharu Oh,also known as Wang Chen-chih,is a Japanese-born former baseball player and manager in Japan. Oh holds the world lifetime home run record,having hit 868 home runs during his professional career. He established many NPB batting records,including runs batted in (RBI) (2,170),slugging percentage (.634),bases on balls (2,390),and on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) (1.080). In 1977,Oh became the first recipient of the People's Honour Award. He was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1994.
Fred Clifford Clarke was an American Major League Baseball player from 1894 to 1915 and manager from 1897 to 1915. A Hall of Famer,Clarke played for and managed both the Louisville Colonels and Pittsburgh Pirates. He was a left fielder and left-handed batter.
David Ray Roberts,nicknamed "Doc",is an American professional baseball manager and former outfielder who is the manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for five MLB teams over a ten-year career and then coached for the San Diego Padres before being named Dodgers manager in 2016. Although he played for the Boston Red Sox for only part of one season,his most notable achievement as a player was a key stolen base in the 2004 ALCS that ignited the Red Sox's drive to their historic championship that year. Roberts batted and threw left-handed.
Julio César Franco Robles is a Dominican former professional baseball player and coach,who is a hitting coach for the farm team of the Lotte Giants of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO). He spent most of his playing career in Major League Baseball (MLB),entering the major leagues in 1982 and last appearing in 2007,at which time he was the oldest active big league player. During that stretch,Franco also spent two seasons playing in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) and one season playing in the KBO.
Charles Fuqua Manuel Jr.,is an American former professional baseball player,coach,and manager. During his playing career,he appeared over parts of six Major League Baseball seasons for the Minnesota Twins and Los Angeles Dodgers,before playing another six seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball with the Yakult Swallows and Kintetsu Buffaloes. Over four successive seasons in NPB,Manuel hit at least .312 with 37 home runs each season and won the 1979 Pacific League Most Valuable Player Award. After his playing career,he coached and managed the Cleveland Indians and managed the Philadelphia Phillies,winning the 2008 World Series over the Tampa Bay Rays and the 2009 National League Championship Series over the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was inducted to the Philadelphia Baseball Wall of Fame in 2014. On August 13,2019,Manuel replaced John Mallee as hitting coach for the Phillies for the remainder of the season.
Vernon Sanders Law is an American former baseball pitcher who played sixteen seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He played in 1950–51 and 1954–67. He batted and threw right-handed and was listed at 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) and 195 pounds (88 kg). Law signed for the Pirates as an amateur free agent in 1948 and played for three of their minor league affiliates until 1950,when he was promoted to the major leagues.
Carl Reginald Smith is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder and afterwards served as a coach and front office executive. He also played in the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for two seasons at the end of his playing career. During a seventeen-year MLB career (1966–1982),Smith appeared in 1,987 games,hit 314 home runs with 1,092 RBI and batted .287. He was a switch-hitter who threw right-handed. In his prime,he had one of the strongest throwing arms of any outfielder in the MLB. Smith played at least seventy games in thirteen different seasons,and in every one of those thirteen seasons,his team had a winning record.
Jerry Dean Lumpe was an American professional baseball player and coach. He had a 12-season career in Major League Baseball,primarily as a second baseman,for the New York Yankees (1956–1959),Kansas City Athletics (1959–1963) and Detroit Tigers (1964–1967),played in two World Series,and was selected to the 1964 American League All-Star team. Named for National Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Jerome "Dizzy" Dean,Lumpe was born in Lincoln,Missouri. He batted left-handed,threw right-handed,and was listed as 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) tall and 175 pounds (79 kg).
Walter Allen Williams was an American professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder for the Houston Colt .45s (1964),Chicago White Sox (1967–1972),Cleveland Indians (1973),and New York Yankees (1974–1975). He also played in the Nippon Professional Baseball league with the Nippon-Ham Fighters in 1976 and 1977. Williams was a popular,charismatic player who was known for his enthusiastic style of play.
Charles Edward "Chad" Mottola is an American professional baseball player and coach for the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB). Mottola played in MLB for five years as an outfielder. Considered a journeyman,Mottola played professionally from 1992 through 2007,appearing in 59 MLB games and 1,801 minor league games. He was the hitting coach for the Toronto Blue Jays during the 2013 season,but his contract was not renewed for 2014.
John Clement Schulte was an American catcher and longtime coach in professional baseball. A native of Fredericktown,Missouri,Schulte batted left-handed,threw right-handed and was listed as 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m) tall and 190 pounds (86 kg).
Jacob Albert Pitler was an American second baseman and longtime coach in Major League Baseball. Born in New York City,and Jewish,he moved with his family to Western Pennsylvania when he was a boy,and he grew up in Beaver Falls and Pittsburgh.
Kazuhiro Wada is a retired Japanese professional baseball player. He played mostly as an outfielder for the Chunichi Dragons and the Seibu Lions of the Nippon Professional Baseball league in a career spanning 18 years. Following retirement in 2015,he has become a color commentator for Dragons broadcasts for the NHK.
Max Cullen Macon was an American Major League Baseball player,a minor league player-manager and pitching coach,and a professional baseball scout. Born in Pensacola,Florida,he threw and batted left-handed,stood 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 m) tall and weighed 175 pounds (79 kg). His professional playing career lasted for 19 seasons between 1934 and 1955.
Hiroshi Ohshita,also spelled Oshita,was a Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame outfielder who began his career after World War II. Known for his trademark blue bat,he hit a record 20 home runs in a season and was home run king and leading hitter three times for the Toei Flyers. Ohshita was also a heavy hitter with the Nishitetsu Lions of the Pacific League during the 1950s.
Koo Dae-sung is a Korean former professional baseball pitcher. A left-handed pitcher,Koo formerly played for the Hanwha Eagles in the KBO League,as well as the New York Mets of Major League Baseball and the Orix BlueWave of Nippon Professional Baseball. He announced his retirement from Korean baseball on August 15,2010. He last played for the Sydney Blue Sox in the Australian Baseball League.
Arthur James McLarney was an Irish American professional baseball player whose career spanned three seasons,one of which was spent in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the New York Giants (1932). Over his major league career,he compiled a .130 batting average with two runs scored,three hits,one double,and three run batted in (RBIs) in nine games played. Defensively,he played seven games at shortstop. McLarney also played two season in the minor leagues with the Class-A Williamsport Grays (1933),and the Double-A Seattle Indians (1933–34). In his two-year minor league career,he batted .255 with 126 hits,18 doubles,two triples,and two home runs. McLarney played shortstop,second base,and first base over his career in the minors. After his playing career was over,McLarney coached college baseball,basketball,and football. During his playing career,he stood at 6 feet (180 cm) and weighed 168 pounds (76 kg). He was a switch-hitter who threw right-handed.
The 1953 Nippon Professional Baseball season was the fourth season of operation of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
Futoshi Nakanishi is a Japanese former professional baseball infielder,coach,and manager. He spent all of his playing career with the Nishitetsu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball,and served as player-manager of the team from 1962 to 1969. Nakanishi also managed the Nippon Ham-Fighters,Hanshin Tigers,Yakult Swallows,and Chiba Lotte Marines. He coached for the Swallows,Kintetsu Buffaloes,Yomiuri Giants,and Orix BlueWave.
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