Akira Hishikawa

Akira Hishikawa (菱川 章)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 184 lb.

• High School Kurashiki Kogyo High School

• Born January 2, 1947 in Okayama, Okayama Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Akira Hishikawa was a light-hitting Nippon Pro Baseball outfielder, with a career average under the Mendoza line.

A high school drop-out, he was signed by the Chunichi Dragons. Debuting for them at age 18 in 1965, he was 6 for 29 with a double, homer and 12 whiffs. He went 0 for 5 in 1966 then hit a solid .264/.284/.403 in 74 plate appearances as a solid backup. He slumped to .169/.227/.225 in 101 plate appearances in 1968 and rebounded somewhat to .190/.284/.393 in 95 plate appearances in 1969. He hit .169/.221/.211 in 77 plate appearances the next year. In his lone season as a starter, he did smack 13 home runs in 288 at-bats but hit only .198 (.260 OBP, .354 SLG) in 1971. He tied two much better hitters, Taira Fujita and Sachio Kinugasa, for 6th in the Central League with 71 whiffs. He was 3 for 28 with two walks and a home run in 1972. Moving to the Nittaku Home Flyers for 1973, he was 5 for 31 with two walks and one dinger to end his career.

Hishikawa had batted .191/.251/.320 in 382 NPB games, with 24 home runs in 697 at-bats, driving in 74 and striking out 178 times.