Akira Kunimatsu

From BR Bullpen

Akira Kunimatsu (国松 彰)

  • Bats Left, Throws Left
  • Height 5' 11", Weight 170 lb.

BR register page

Biographical Information[edit]

Akira Kunimatsu was a 2-time All-Star in Nippon Pro Baseball.

Kunimatsu was signed by the Yomiuri Giants in 1955 as a pitcher, and he pitched 8 games with a 3.86 ERA in his rookie year. He only had two appearances in 1956, then the Giants turned him into an outfielder in 1957. He was 0-for-2 in the 1958 Nippon Series, and the Giants were beaten by the Nishitetsu Lions in 7 games. Kunimatsu then hit .237/.309/.436 in 76 games in 1959, and he was 4-for-15 in the 1959 Nippon Series. The Giants were swept by the Nankai Hawks this time. He was named their starting center fielder in 1960, and he hit .238/.310/.373 with 11 homers.

The Kyoto native was selected into the 1961 NPB All-Star Game, and he was 0-for-4. He ended up hitting .223/.299/.321 with 11 steals in 1961, and he was 6-for-23 in the 1961 Nippon Series. The Giants beat the Hawks in 6 games, and Kunimatsu won his first Nippon Series title. As an important member of the V-9 Giants, he would won another 7 titles in his career. Kunimatsu recorded a .252/.304/.368 batting line with 17 steals in 1962, and he was 4th in the Central League in steals (between Shigeo Nagashima and Yoshitaka Kosaka). He then attended the 1963 NPB All-Star Games, and he was 1-for-2, with a triple against Yukihiro Kubo, in Game 1. He then went 1-for-3 with a RBI single against Tetsuya Yoneda in Game 2, and he was 0-for-2 in Game 3. Kunimatsu's batting line was .268/.337/.393 in 1963, and he led the league in sacrifice bunts. He ranked 3rd in the league with his 35 steals, between Isao Shibata and Takeshi Koba.

Kunimatsu slumped to .194/.252/.254 in 1964, and he bounced back in 1965 as he hit .259/.328/.386 with 11 homers. He had a 3-for-16 record with 4 RBI in the 1965 Nippon Series, and the Giants beat the Hawks in 5 games. Kunimatsu then batted .272/.320/.375 in 1966, and he was 2-for-20 in the 1966 Nippon Series; the Giants beat the Hawks again in 6 games. He batted .260/.327/.364 in 1967, and he shined in the Nippon Series this time. He was 4-for-15 in the first two games, and he crushed 2 homers against Yoneda and Seigo Sasaki in Game 5. He then went 1-for-6 in Game 6, and the Giants beat the Hankyu Braves. Kunimatsu's batting line was .256/.317/.417 with a career-high 12 homers in 1968, and he went 3-for-13 as the Giants beat the Braves again in the 1968 Nippon Series.

In 1969, Kunimatsu hit .227/.316/.335 with 5 homers in the regular season, and he was 3-for-15 in the Nippon Series. The Giants beat the Braves for the third straight year, and he won his 6th title. When Toshimitsu Suetsugu joined the team in 1970, his spot was taken, and he only played 77 games with a .201/.274/.275 batting line. He was 0-for-3 in the 1970 Nippon Series, and the Giants beat the Lotte Orions in 5 games. Kunimatsu announced his retirement after the 1970 season, and he became a coach. He was the batting coach for the Giants from 1971 to 1973 and from 1976 to 1979, and he was also their bench coach from 1986 to 1988. Kunimatsu managed the minor league team of the Giants from 1974 to 1975 and from 1981 to 1985.

Overall, Kunimatsu hit .243/.310/.360 with 979 hits and 93 homers in 15 seasons in the NPB.

Sources[edit]

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