Choei Shirasaka

Choei Shirasaka (白坂 長栄)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 7", Weight 143 lb.

• High School Fukuoka High School

• Born July 23, 1922 in Ninohe-gun, Iwate Japan
• Died July 8, 2015 in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Second Baseman Choei Shirasaka was a four-time All-Star in Nippon Pro Baseball.

Shirasaka was signed by the Hanshin Tigers in 1948, but he only played one game with the big club that season. He hit .214/.299/.269 in 73 games in 1949, then he secured the starting second baseman spot in 1950. Shirasaka crushed a career-high 18 homers in 1950, and his batting line was .254/.335/.408. He completed 136 double plays as a second baseman, and that is still the NPB record as of 2023. He then hit .241/.344/.352 in 1951, and he was selected into the 1951 NPB All-Star Games; he didn't appear in either of the inaugural All-Star games. Shirasaka played all 130 games with 22 steals and a .271/.377/.379 batting line in 1952, and he tied Tamaichi Yasui for 9th in steals in the Central League. He was 0-for-1 in the 1952 NPB All-Star Game 2.

The Iwate native improved to .283/.376/.389 in 1953, and he slumped to .213/.317/.317 in 1954. He still managed to attend the 1954 NPB All-Star Games, and he was 0-for-1. Shirasaka then went 1-for-7 in the 1955 NPB All-Star Games, and the only hit was a double against Yasuo Yonekawa in Game 2. He ended up hitting .230/.311/.320 in 1955, then he recorded a .211/.268/.258 batting line in 1956. His batting line was .203/.258/.269 in 1957, and he also led the league with 25 sacrifice bunts. However, Shirasaka only played 10 games in 1958, then he announced his retirement. He managed the minor league team of the Tigers from 1964 to 1965 and from 1971 to 1974.

Overall, Shirasaka hit .238/.324/.337 with 789 hits and 59 homers in 11 seasons in the NPB.

Sources

• NPB site
• Wiki Japan
• 1955 NPB All Star Game