1972 NPB All-Star Game

There were three 1972 NPB All-Star Games.

Game 1

Game 1 was July 22 with 26,604 fans coming to Tokyo Stadium. The PL won, with C Katsuya Nomura having 2 hits, a homer and 3 RBI to win Game MVP, while SS Toshizo Sakamoto was 3 for 4 with a homer. Mitsuhiro Adachi got the win, while Keishi Suzuki threw three shutout innings. Tomohiro Tanimura took the loss.

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Central	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	2	3	5
Pacific	1	0	2	1	0	1	0	0	-	5	11	0

Players used

Central League Starting Lineup

1. Dave Roberts, RF (Yakult Atoms)
2. Tsutomu Wakamatsu, CF (Yakult)
3. Sadaharu Oh, 1B (Yomiuri Giants)
4. Shigeo Nagashima, 3B (Yomiuri)
5. John Sipin, 2B (Taiyo Whales)
6. Koichi Tabuchi, C (Hanshin Tigers)
7. Yukinobu Kuroe, SS (Yomiuri)
8. Tomohiro Tanimura, P (Hanshin)
9. Shigeru Takada, LF (Yomiuri)

Backups Used

• Toshiyuki Mimura, PH (Hiroshima Carp)
• Junichi Ikeda, CF (Hanshin)
• Katsuhiro Nakamura, PH (Hanshin)
• Yataro Oishi, P (Hiroshima)
• Mitsuru Mochizuki, RF (Hanshin)
• Toshimitsu Suetsugu, RF (Yomiuri)
• Hisanobu Mizutani, P (Chunichi Dragons)
• Akihiko Oya, PH (Yakult)
• Yukitsura Matsumoto, P (Chunichi)
• Kenichi Yazawa, CF (Chunichi)
• Makoto Matsubara, 1B (Taiyo)

Manager

• Tetsuharu Kawakami

Coaches

• Sadao Kondo
• Noboru Aota

Pacific League Starting Lineup

1. Yutaka Fukumoto, CF (Hankyu Braves)
2. Michiyo Arito, 3B (Lotte Orions)
3. Isao Harimoto, LF (Toei Flyers)
4. Katsuya Nomura, C (Nankai Hawks)
5. Atsushi Nagaike, RF (Hankyu)
6. Katsuo Osugi, 1B (Toei)
7. Toshizo Sakamoto, SS (Hankyu)
8. Hiroyuki Yamazaki, 2B (Lotte)
9. Fumio Narita, P (Lotte)

Backups Used

• Masayoshi Higashida, LF (Nishitetsu Lions)
• Yozo Nagabuchi, RF (Kintetsu Buffaloes)
• Michio Sato, P (Nankai)
• Hiromitsu Kadota, PH (Nankai)
• Mitsuhiro Adachi, P (Hankyu)
• Keishi Suzuki, P (Kintetsu)
• Clarence Jones, 1B (Nankai)

Manager

• Yukio Nishimoto

Coaches

• Takashi Iwamoto
• Keiji Osawa

Umpires

• Kazuo Kuboyama (Home), Kiyoshi Hirako (1B), Katsumi Oki (2B), Osamu Kubota (3B), Takeshi Doigaki (LF), Tadayuki Inoue (RF)

Game 2

The next day, 25,251 fans came to Kawasaki Baseball Stadium and saw the PL turn in another win. SS Sakamoto again homered, driving in a pair and collecting two hits and won Game MVP while 1B Katsuo Osugi also went deep. Hisashi Yamada, Toshio Kanbe and Osamu Higashio each worked three innings of the shutout, combining on ten whiffs. Katsuji Sakai took the loss, while 1B Sadaharu Oh was the bright spot for the CL with one hit and two walks.

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Pacific	1	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	1	4	6	0
Central	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	0

Players used

Central League Starting Lineup

1. Wakamatsu, LF
2. Ikeda, CF
3. Oh, 1B
4. Nagashima, 3B
5. Sipin, 2B
6. Tabuchi, RF
7. Kuroe, SS
8. Isao Ito, C (Taiyo)
9. Katsuji Sakai, P (Taiyo)

Backups Used

• Oya, PH
• Mochizuki, LF
• Suetsugu, CF
• Mimura, 3B
• Hiromu Matsuoka, P (Yakult)
• Yazawa, RF
• Tsuneo Horiuchi, P (Yomiuri)
• Takada, PH
• Masaji Hiramatsu, P (Taiyo)
• Matsubara, 3B
• Roberts, RF
• Nakamura, RF
• Mitsuo Inaba, P (Chunichi)

Pacific League Starting Lineup

1. Sakamoto, SS
2. Nagabuchi, RF
3. Harimoto, LF
4. Nomura, C
5. Kiyoshi Morimoto, 3B (Hankyu)
6. Jones, 1B
7. Jinten Haku, CF (Toei)
8. Mitsuo Motoi, 2B (Nishitetsu)
9. Hisashi Yamada, P (Hankyu)

Backups Used

• Kadota, RF
• Arito, 3B
• Yamazaki, 2B
• Fukumoto, CF
• Osugi, 1B
• Higashida, PH
• Toshio Kanbe, P (Kintetsu)
• Nagaike, PH
• Osamu Higashio, P (Nishitetsu)

Umpires

Katsuo Takemoto, Oki, Hirako, Doigaki, Kubota, Yutaka Okada

Game 3

The CL saved some face on July 25 at Hanshin Koshien Baseball Stadium with 31,937 in attendance. CF Junichi Ikeda went 2 for 3 with a walk and the game's lone RBI (winning game MVP), plating Kenichi Yazawa in the third. Yutaka Enatsu got the win (teaming with Mitsuo Inaba, Tsuneo Horiuchi and Hiromu Matsuoka on the whitewash), Koji Ota the loss. Jinten Haku was 3 for 3 in a losing cause.

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Pacific	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	7	2
Central	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	-	1	6	0

Players used

Pacific League Starting Lineup

1. Nagaike, RF
2. Sakamoto, SS
3. Nomura, C
4. Osugi, 1B
5. Morimoto, 3B
6. Higashida, LF
7. Haku, CF
8. Motoi, 2B
9. Koji Ota, P (Kintetsu)

Backups Used

• Yoshimasa Takahashi, P (Toei)
• Nagabuchi, PH
• Hajime Kato, P (Nishitetsu)
• Osamu Nomura, P (Lotte)
• Kadota, PH
• Jones, PH
• Fukumoto, CF
• Arito, PH
• Yamazaki, 2B
• Harimoto, LF

Central League Starting Lineup

1. Wakamatsu, LF
2. Ikeda, CF
3. Oh, 1B
4. Nagashima, 3B
5. Tabuchi, C
6. Suetsugu, RF
7. Sipin, 2B
8. Kuroe, SS

• Yutaka Enatsu, P

Backups Used

• Matsuoka, P
• Takada, LF
• Yazawa, PH
• Inaba, P
• Roberts, PH
• Horiuchi, PH
• Oya, PH
• Nakamura, PR
• Mochizuki, RF

Umpires

Okada, Inoue, Doigaki, Takemoto, Kuboyama, Kubota

Sources

• Michael Westbay database
• Information from the now-defunct japanbaseballdaily.com site
• Japanese Wikipedia entry