Joe Stanka

Joe Stanka
Joe Stanka
Strikeouts	887
Teams
	Chicago White Sox (1959); Nankai Hawks (1960–1965); Taiyo Whales (1966);
Career highlights and awards
	2× NPB All-Star (1960, 1964); Japan Series champion (1964); Pacific League MVP (1964); Japan Series MVP (1964); NPB All-Star Game MVP (1964); Best Nine Award (1964); Japan Series Fighting Spirit Award (1961);

Joe Donald Stanka (July 23, 1931 – October 15, 2018) was an

Taiyo Whales in the Japanese professional leagues

(1960–66). He stood 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 m) tall and weighed 201 pounds (91 kg).

Biography

After attending

Cleveland Indians, September 5. The White Sox and Indians were then embroiled in a pennant race that ultimately delivered Chicago its first American League title since 1959. Stanka did not appear in the 1959 World Series

.

In two

bases on balls; he struck out three. His career 1–0 win–loss record was accompanied by a 3.38 earned run average

.

He signed with the

Nankai Hawks (current Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks) during the 1959 off-season. He was one of the first players to be signed from the Triple-A class of the minor leagues, and the team calculated that he should be able to win over 15 games in the Japanese Pacific League.^[2]

Stanka entered the starting rotation in his first year, and marked a 17–12 record in his first year, leading the league with 103 walks. He played his best season in 1964, winning 26 games to receive the league MVP award. He pitched shutouts in Games 1, 6, and 7 of the Japan Series against the Hanshin Tigers to win the Japan Series MVP award as well.

He continued to pitch for the Hawks in 1965, but left the team after his eldest son died in a tragic accident. He played for the

Taiyo Whales in 1966 before retiring. He is tied with Gene Bacque

for the most wins among American players in Japan, going 100–72 during his seven-year career in Japan.

Stanka appeared as himself on the January 1, 1962 episode of the game show

To Tell The Truth.^[3]

Stanka died on October 15, 2018.[4]