Sachio Kinugasa

Japanese baseball player

Baseball player

Sachio Kinugasa

Kinugasa in 1979

Third baseman
Born: (1947-01-18)January 18, 1947
Died: April 23, 2018(2018-04-23) (aged 71)

Batted: Right

Threw: Right

NPB debut
May 16, 1965, for the Hiroshima Carp
Last appearance
October 22, 1987, for the Hiroshima Carp
NBP statistics
Batting average| .270
Hits| 2543
Runs batted in| 1448
Home runs| 504
Total bases| 4474
Stolen Bases| 266
Teams

* Hiroshima Carp/Hiroshima Toyo Carp (1965–1987)

Career highlights and awards

* 13× NPB All-Star (1971, 1974–1977, 1980–1987)
* 3× Central League Best Nine Award (1975, 1980, 1984)
* Central League Stolen Base Champion (1976)
* 3× Centaral League Golden Glove Award (1980, 1984, 1986)
* Central League MVP (1984)
* Central League RBI Champion (1984)
* Matsutaro Shoriki Award (1984)
* People's Honour Award (1987)
* Hiroshima Toyo Carp #3 retired

Records

* 2215-Consecutive Games (1970–1987)
* 20-years consecutive seasons over 10 Home runs (1968–1987)
* 13-years consecutive seasons over 20 Home runs (1974–1986)
* 5-consecutive games Home runs (June 6–10, 1971)
* Hitting for the cycle (July 7, 1976)
* 2-Hit by pitches in the same inning (August 31, 1976)
* 2-consecutive games Lead-off home runs (October 4–5, 1977)

Member of the Japanese
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction| 1996

Sachio Kinugasa (衣笠 祥雄; January 18, 1947 – April 23, 2018) was a Japanese professional baseball third baseman for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp of the Nippon Professional Baseball league from 1965 to 1987. He was nicknamed Tetsujin, meaning "Iron Man". He played in a record-breaking 2,215 consecutive games, having surpassed Lou Gehrig's record by 1987.

Kinugasa is mostly remembered for his consecutive-game streak, but he ranks seventh in Nippon Professional Baseball 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. He was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1996.

## Biography

[edit]

Kinugasa's mother was Japanese and she raised him by herself. Kinugasa's father was an African American serviceman who was stationed in Japan after World War II.[1][2] He reported that he never met his father.[3]

## Playing career

[edit]

Kinugasa entered Heian High School in Kyoto,[4] and advanced to the Japanese National High School Baseball Championship twice in his senior year as a catcher.[4] He was signed by the Hiroshima Carp in 1965, and spent several years in the minors before an arm injury led him to being converted into a first baseman in 1968.[3] 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.[4] He led the league in stolen bases in 1976, and won the Central League's Most Valuable Player award in 1984 as his team won the Japanese championship series.[3][5]

Nicknamed Tetsujin (Iron Man), after the robot manga "Tetsujin 28" (Known as Gigantor in the United States), Kinugasa played in games even when he was badly injured, including with bone fractures.[6] He last missed a game on October 18, 1970, and set the Japanese consecutive games played record with his 1,247th consecutive game on August 2, 1980.[7] He tied Lou Gehrig's record of 2,130 consecutive games played on June 11, 1987.[3] He surpassed Gehrig in an 8-3 Carp loss to the Chunichi Dragons two days later on June 13. He was honored for his achievement by the sellout crowd at Hiroshima Municipal Stadium after the game in which he had also hit a home run in the eighth inning.[8] Kinugasa retired after the 1987 season, ending his career with 2,215 consecutive games played, 2,543 hits, and 504 home runs.[6] His consecutive games played streak was broken in 1996 by Cal Ripken Jr., who played in 2,632 straight games in Major League Baseball.[5]

## Retirement

[edit]

Following his retirement from baseball, Kinugasa became a sports commentator. He was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1996.[6]

Kinugasa died of colon cancer on April 23, 2018.[3]

## Awards and accolades

[edit]

Kinugasa was given the People's Honour Award for his performance in the professional leagues. He is the second baseball player, following Sadaharu Oh and followed by Shigeo Nagashima and Hideki Matsui, to have received the award.[6]

On 18 January 2023, Google celebrated the 76th birthday of Kinugasa with a Google Doodle.[9][10]

## Pop culture

[edit]

The character of Mitsuo from the Yakuza series is based on Kinugasa, as he too is a half African-American baseball player who never met his father.[citation needed]

## See also

[edit]

* List of top Nippon Professional Baseball home run hitters
* Matsutaro Shoriki Award (1984)

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Albright, Jim. "Japan's Top Players," BaseballGuru.com. Accessed March 28, 2015.
2. ^ Whiting, Robert. You Gotta Have Wa (Vintage Departures, 1989), p. 65.
3. ^ a b c d e "Baseball: 'Iron Man' Kinugasa dies at 71". English.kyodonews.net. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
4. ^ a b c "'Iron Man' Sachio Kinugasa dies at 71". Japan Times. April 24, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
5. ^ a b Landers, Chris (April 24, 2018). "Sachio Kinugasa, Japan's iron man, has passed away at the age of 71". MLB.com. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
6. ^ a b c d "Hiroshima Carp's 'Iron Man' Kinugasa dies at 71". NHK World. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
7. ^ Haberman, Clyde (May 13, 1987). "Japan Cheers For Star With Staying Power". The New York Times. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
8. ^ "Japanese third baseman Sachio Kinugasa Saturday broke Lou Gehrig's...," United Press International (UPI), Saturday, June 13, 1987. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
9. ^ Desk, OV Digital (January 18, 2023). "18 January: Google Doodle celebrates Sachio Kinugasa Birthday". Observer Voice. Retrieved January 18, 2023. `{{cite web}}`: `|last=` has generic name (help)
10. ^ "Sachio Kinugasa's 76th Birthday". www.google.com. Retrieved January 18, 2023.

## External links

[edit]

* THE GOLDEN PLAYERS CLUB (Japanese)
* NPB History (Japanese)

* v
* t
* e

Central League MVP Award

* 1950: Kozuru
* 1951: Kawakami
* 1952: Bessho
* 1953: Otomo
* 1954: Sugishita
* 1955: Kawakami
* 1956: Bessho
* 1957: Yonamine
* 1958: Fujita
* 1959: Fujita
* 1960: Akiyama
* 1961: Nagashima
* 1962: Murayama
* 1963: Nagashima
* 1964: Oh
* 1965: Oh
* 1966: Nagashima
* 1967: Oh
* 1968: Nagashima
* 1969: Oh
* 1970: Oh
* 1971: Nagashima
* 1972: Horiuchi
* 1973: Oh
* 1974: Oh
* 1975: Yamamoto
* 1976: Oh
* 1977: Oh
* 1978: Wakamatsu
* 1979: Enatsu
* 1980: Yamamoto
* 1981: Egawa
* 1982: Nakao
* 1983: Hara
* 1984: Kinugasa
* 1985: Bass
* 1986: Kitabeppu
* 1987: Yamakura
* 1988: G. Kaku
* 1989: Cromartie
* 1990: Saito
* 1991: Sasaoka
* 1992: Howell
* 1993: Furuta
* 1994: Kuwata
* 1995: O'Malley
* 1996: H. Matsui
* 1997: Furuta
* 1998: Sasaki
* 1999: Noguchi
* 2000: H. Matsui
* 2001: Petagine
* 2002: H. Matsui
* 2003: Igawa
* 2004: Kawakami
* 2005: Kanemoto
* 2006: Fukudome
* 2007: Ogasawara
* 2008: Ramírez
* 2009: Ramírez
* 2010: Wada
* 2011: Asao
* 2012: Abe
* 2013: Balentien
* 2014: Sugano
* 2015: Yamada
* 2016: Arai
* 2017: Maru
* 2018: Maru
* 2019: Sakamoto
* 2020: Sugano
* 2021: M. Murakami
* 2022: M. Murakami
* 2023: S. Murakami

* v
* t
* e

Matsutaro Shoriki Award

* 1977: Oh
* 1978: Hirooka
* 1979: Nishimoto
* 1980: Koba
* 1981: Fujita
* 1982: Hirooka
* 1983: Tabuchi
* 1984: Kinugasa
* 1985: Yoshida
* 1986: Mori
* 1987: Kudo
* 1988: Kadota
* 1989: Fujita
* 1990: Mori
* 1991: Akiyama
* 1992: Ishii
* 1993: Nomura
* 1994: Nagashima, Ichiro
* 1995: Ichiro
* 1996: Ohgi
* 1997: Furuta
* 1998: Sasaki
* 1999: Oh
* 2000: Matsui
* 2001: Wakamatsu
* 2002: Hara
* 2003: Hoshino, Oh
* 2004: Itō, Ichiro
* 2005: Valentine
* 2006: Oh
* 2007: Ochiai
* 2008: Watanabe
* 2009: Hara
* 2010: Nishimura
* 2011: Akiyama
* 2012: Abe, Hara
* 2013: Hoshino
* 2014: Akiyama
* 2015: Kudō
* 2016: Kuriyama
* 2017: Sarfate
* 2018: Kudō
* 2019: Kudō
* 2020: Kudō
* 2021: Takatsu
* 2022: Nakajima
* 2023: Okada

* v
* t
* e

Japan Professional Sports Grand Prize

* 1968: Shozo Saijo
* 1969: Yomiuri Giants
* 1970: Taihō Kōki
* 1971: Shigeo Nagashima
* 1972: Katsuaki Matsumoto
* 1973: Tadashi Sawamura
* 1974: Sadaharu Oh
* 1975: Hiroshima Toyo Carp
* 1976: Sadaharu Oh
* 1977: Sadaharu Oh
* 1978: Yakult Swallows
* 1979: Yoko Gushiken
* 1980: Yoko Gushiken
* 1981: Koichi Nakano
* 1982: Hiromitsu Ochiai
* 1983: Tatsuro Hirooka
* 1984: Sachio Kinugasa
* 1985: Randy Bass
* 1986: Hiromitsu Ochiai
* 1987: Ayako Okamoto
* 1988: Chiyonofuji Mitsugu
* 1989: Chiyonofuji Mitsugu
* 1990: Hideo Nomo
* 1991: Joichiro Tatsuyoshi
* 1992: Takanohana Kōji
* 1993: Kazuyoshi Miura
* 1994: Ichiro Suzuki
* 1995: Ichiro Suzuki
* 1996: Masashi Ozaki
* 1997: Hidetoshi Nakata
* 1998: Kazuhiro Sasaki
* 1999: Daisuke Matsuzaka
* 2000: Hideki Matsui
* 2001: Ichiro Suzuki
* 2002: Japan men's football team
* 2003: Hideki Matsui
* 2004: Asashōryū Akinori
* 2005: Asashōryū Akinori
* 2006: Japan national baseball team
* 2007: Urawa Red Diamonds
* 2008: Ryo Ishikawa
* 2009: Ryo Ishikawa
* 2010: Hakuhō Shō
* 2011: Japan women's football team
* 2012: Shinnosuke Abe
* 2013: Masahiro Tanaka
* 2014: Kei Nishikori
* 2015: Japan national rugby union team
* 2016: Shohei Ohtani
* 2017: Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
* 2018: Shohei Ohtani
* 2022: Naoya Inoue
* 2023: Japan national baseball team

* v
* t
* e

Hiroshima Toyo Carp

* Established in 1950
* Formerly the Hiroshima Carp
* Based in Hiroshima, Hiroshima Prefecture

The Franchise|

* History
* Seasons
* Records
* Players
* Managers

Ballparks|

* Hiroshima Sogo Ground Baseball Park
* Hiroshima Municipal Stadium
* Mazda Stadium

Retired numbers|

* 3
* 8
* 15

Key personnel|

* Owner: Hajime Matsuda
* Management: Matsuda family
* Manager: Takahiro Arai

Japan Series championships (3)|

* 1979
* 1980
* 1984

Central League championships (9)|

* 1975
* 1979
* 1980
* 1984
* 1986
* 1991
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018

Climax Series berths (6)|

* 2013
* 2014
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2023

Seasons (73)

1950s|

* 1950
* 1951
* 1952
* 1953
* 1954
* 1955
* 1956
* 1957
* 1958
* 1959

1960s|

* 1960
* 1961
* 1962
* 1963
* 1964
* 1965
* 1966
* 1967
* 1968
* 1969

1970s|

* 1970
* 1971
* 1972
* 1973
* 1974
* 1975
* 1976
* 1977
* 1978
* 1979

1980s|

* 1980
* 1981
* 1982
* 1983
* 1984
* 1985
* 1986
* 1987
* 1988
* 1989

1990s|

* 1990
* 1991
* 1992
* 1993
* 1994
* 1995
* 1996
* 1997
* 1998
* 1999

2000s|

* 2000
* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009

2010s|

* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019

2020s|

* 2020
* 2021
* 2022

* v
* t
* e

Members of the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame

1950s inductees|

* Matsutarō Shōriki (1959)
* Hiroshi Hiraoka (1959)
* Yukio Aoi (1959)
* Shin Hashido (1959)
* Kiyoshi Oshikawa (1959)
* Jiro Kuji (1959)
* Eiji Sawamura (1959)
* Iso Abe (1959)

1960s inductees|

* Victor Starffin (1960)
* Yutaka Ikeda (1962)
* Haruyasu Nakajima (1963)
* Tadashi Wakabayashi (1964)
* Masaru Kageura (1965)
* Tetsuharu Kawakami (1965)
* Tsunetaro Moriyama (1966)
* Kazuto Tsuruoka (1969)

1970s inductees|

* Shunichi Amachi (1970)
* Nobuaki Nidegawa (1970)
* Shuichi Ishimoto (1972)
* Sadayoshi Fujimoto (1974)
* Fumio Fujimura (1974)
* Hideo Fujimoto (1976)
* Shigeru Mizuhara (1977)
* Michio Nishizawa (1977)
* Kenjiro Matsuki (1978)
* Shinji Hamazaki (1978)
* Takehiko Bessho (1979)

1980s inductees|

* Hiroshi Ohshita (1980)
* Makoto Kozuru (1980)
* Shigeru Chiba (1980)
* Tokuji Iida (1981)
* Yoshiyuki Iwamoto (1981)
* Osamu Mihara (1983)
* Shinji Kirihara (1984)
* Shigeru Sugishita (1985)
* Katsumi Shiraishi (1985)
* Atsushi Aramaki (1985)
* Takeo Akuta (1988)
* Shigeo Nagashima (1988)
* Kaoru Bettou (1988)
* Masaichi Nagata (1988)
* Saburo Yokozawa (1988)
* Yukio Nishimoto (1988)
* Masaichi Kaneda (1988)
* Hidenosuke Shima (1989)
* Katsuya Nomura (1989)
* Jiro Noguchi (1989)

1990s inductees|

* Juzo Sanada (1990)
* Isao Harimoto (1990)
* Shigeru Makino (1991)
* Osamu Tsutsui (1991)
* Kichiro Shimaoka (1991)
* Tatsuro Hirooka (1992)
* Michinori Tsubouchi (1992)
* Masao Yoshida (1992)
* Yoshio Yoshida (1992)
* Kazuhisa Inao (1993)
* Minoru Murayama (1993)
* Sadaharu Oh (1994)
* Wally Yonamine (1994)
* Shosei Go (1995)
* Tadashi Sugiura (1995)
* Tokichiro Ishii (1995)
* Motoshi Fujita (1996)
* Sachio Kinugasa (1996)
* Katsuo Osugi (1997)
* Futoshi Nakanishi (1999)
* Yoshinori Hirose (1999)
* Takeshi Koba (1999)
* Sadao Kondo (1999)

2000s inductees|

* Tetsuya Yoneda (2000)
* Rikuo Nemoto (2001)
* Masaaki Koyama (2001)
* Kazuhiro Yamauchi (2002)
* Keishi Suzuki (2002)
* Yutaka Fukumoto (2002)
* Kenjiro Tamiya (2002)
* Lefty O'Doul (2002)
* Masaoka Shiki (2002)
* Toshiharu Ueda (2003)
* Junzo Sekine (2003)
* Horace Wilson (2003)
* Sakae Suzuka (2003)
* Akira Ogi (2004)
* Noboru Akiyama (2004)
* Choji Murata (2005)
* Masaaki Mori (2005)
* Masayori Shimura (2005)
* Hiromitsu Kadota (2006)
* Morimichi Takagi (2006)
* Hisashi Yamada (2006)
* Yasumitsu Toyoda (2006)
* Hiromori Kawashima (2006)
* Takao Kajimoto (2007)
* Reiichi Matsunaga (2007)
* Koji Yamamoto (2008)
* Tsuneo Horiuchi (2008)
* Tsutomu Wakamatsu (2009)
* Seiichi Shima (2008)

2010s inductees|

* Osamu Higashio (2010)
* Hiromitsu Ochiai (2011)
* Mutsuo Minagawa (2011)
* Manabu Kitabeppu (2012)
* Tsunemi Tsuda (2012)
* Yutaka Ohno (2013)
* Hideo Nomo (2014)
* Koji Akiyama (2014)
* Kazuhiro Sasaki (2014)
* Atsuya Furuta (2015)
* Kihachi Enomoto (2016)
* Kimiyasu Kudoh (2016)
* Masaki Saito (2016)
* Tsutomu Ito (2017)
* Masaji Hiramatsu (2017)
* Senichi Hoshino (2017)
* Hideki Matsui (2018)
* Tomoaki Kanemoto (2018)
* Kazuyoshi Tatsunami (2019)
* Hiroshi Gondoh (2019)

2020s inductees|

* Koichi Tabuchi (2020)
* Kazuo Sayama (2021)
* Katsuji Kawashima (2021)
* Shigeyoshi Matsumae (2022)
* Shingo Takatsu (2022)
* Masa Yamamoto (2022)
* Alex Ramírez (2023)
* Randy Bass (2023)
* Yūji Koseki (2023)

Authority control databases

International|

* FAST
* ISNI
* VIAF
* WorldCat

National|

* United States
* Japan

Academics|

* CiNii

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template