Eiji Bando

Eiji Bando (板東 英二)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 7", Weight 154 lb.

• High School Tokushima Shogyo High School

• Born April 15, 1940 in Manchuria

BR register page

Biographical Information

Eiji Bando pitched for the Chunichi Dragons in 11 years.

In the 1958 summer Koshien, Bando pitched 18 innings one game. For the event, he struck out 83, a Koshien record. He debuted with Chunichi in 1959, going 4-4 with a 3.15 ERA as a swingman. He split his 1960 season almost entirely between the rotation (20 starts) and the bullpen (24 appearances), going 10-11 with a 2.63 ERA and .222 opponent average. He had a 1.03 WHIP. Bando made his first Central League All-Star team and just missed the CL's top 10 in ERA.

Bando went 12-10 in 1961, his only year in which he was primarily a starter. He threw four shutouts and walked 48 in 193 1/3 innings, posting a 2.61 ERA, just missing the top 10. In 1962, Bando fell to 2-9, 4.26. He was 3-1 with a 3.05 ERA in 1963, by now only making a handful of starts each season.

The right-hander pitched 53 games in 1964, going 6-7 with a 3.08 ERA. He hurled 156 1/3 IP in 55 games in 1965, with a 12-7, 2.25 record. He held opponents to a .217 opponent average. He finished sixth in the CL in ERA. During 1966, Eiji was 13-5 with a 2.57 ERA and .221 opponent average in 60 games, with a WHIP of 1.00. He was 10th in the league in ERA. He made his second All-Star team.

Bando pitched 51 games, 50 in relief, in 1967, and won his most (14). He lost six and had a 2.56 ERA, walking only 28 in 119 2/3 IP. He made his third and final All-Star squad. Had he qualified, he would have finished 8th in ERA.

Bando only pitched 18 games in 1968 (1-4, 6.65, .315 opponent average) and 16 in 1969 (0-1, 3.63) before retiring.

In 435 career games in Nippon Pro Baseball, the Manchuria native was 77-65 with a 2.89 ERA and 1.17 WHIP. He was a commentator for CBC following his playing days.

Source: Japanbaseballdaily.com