Masaichi Kaneda
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Masaichi Kaneda 金田 正一 | ||
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Shutouts 82 | | |
Innings pitched | 5,526.2 | |
Strikeouts | 4,490 | |
Career statistics | ||
Batting average | .198 | |
Hits | 406 | |
Home runs | 38 | |
Run batted in | 177 | |
Teams | ||
As player
As manager
| ||
Career highlights and awards | ||
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Member of the Japanese | ||
Baseball Hall of Fame | ||
Induction | 1988 |
Masaichi Kaneda (金田 正一, Kaneda Masaichi, 1 August 1933 – 6 October 2019)
Nicknamed "The Emperor" because he was the most dominant pitcher in Japan during his prime, Kaneda holds numerous Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) career records. He won 400 games despite being on an extremely weak team, the Kokutetsu Swallows, for most of his career. About 90% of his 400 career wins came with the Swallows. Kaneda batted and threw left-handed.
Career
Kaneda was born, in
The speed gun was not introduced to Japan until after Kaneda had retired, but he claims that the velocity of his fastball reached 100 mph during his prime.[
Despite the poor team surrounding him, Kaneda won 20 or more games for 14 straight seasons, including amassing 31 wins in 1958. However, despite marking an ERA under 2.00 for many of his seasons with the team, Kaneda still lost over at least 10 games a year in his first 15 professional seasons, including six seasons where he lost 20 or more games. (While Kaneda was on the team, the Swallows didn't finish with a .500 record until 1961, and even then only finished in third place in the Central League.)
He pitched a no-hitter against the
Kaneda's massive workload and overuse of the curveball caused huge pain in his pitching arm during the last few years of his career;[citation needed] he eventually developed an underhanded changeup during his later years.
In 1965, Kaneda became a free agent and joined the Yomiuri Giants. Kaneda contributed to the teams' nine-year league championship streak, and retired in 1969, after marking his 400th win. His jersey number, 34, was retired by the Giants in 1970.
Notable NPB records Kaneda holds include: complete games (365), wins (400), losses (298), strikeouts (4490), innings pitched (5,5262⁄3), and walks (1,808). With 82 career
Post-retirement
Kaneda worked as a commentator before being called on to manage the Lotte Orions (currently known as the Chiba Lotte Marines) from 1973 to 1978, and again from 1990 to 1991. The Orions won the Japan Series championship in 1974, with Kaneda's younger brother, Tomehiro [jp], pitching for the Orions and winning the MVP award. The Orions used uniforms designed by Kaneda for 19 seasons.
In 1978, Kaneda founded the
He died on 6 October 2019, at the age of 86.
Personal life
Kaneda parents were Koreans[2] and his Korean name was Kim Kyung-Hong (金慶弘 김경홍). Kaneda was naturalized in Japan in 1959. His three younger brothers all played in the Japanese professional leagues.
Kaneda was married twice, and divorced once. He had three children. His son works as an actor, and his nephew Akihito Kaneishi also had considerable success as a professional baseball player.
In popular culture
Shotaro Kaneda, the protagonist of Mitsuteru Yokoyama's giant robot manga series Tetsujin 28-go, is named after Kaneda.[citation needed]
Career statistics
Played with the Kokutetsu Swallows from 1950 to 1964, Yomiuri Giants from 1965 to 1969.
- 944 Games
- 400 Wins
- 298 Losses
- 5,5262⁄3 Innings pitched
- 4,490 Strikeouts
- 2.34 ERA
Managerial statistics
Managed the Lotte Orions from 1973 to 1978, and 1990–1991.
- 1,011 Games
- 471 Wins
- 468 Losses
- 72 Ties
- Japanese Championship Series Winner (1974)
References
- ^ 元巨人の金田正一さんが死去 前人未到400勝投手 (in Japanese)
- ^ a b Griggs, Lee (19 August 1963). "The Winningest Japanese". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
- Japan Times, 28 November 2013, p. 16, retrieved 28 November 2013
- ^ Wilbert, Warren N. The Shutout in Major League Baseball: A History (McFarland, 2013), p. 108.