Giichiro Shiraki

Giichiro Shiraki (白木 義一郎)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 8", Weight 145 lbs.

• School Keio University
• High School Keio High School

• Born September 20, 1919 in Tokyo Prefecture, Japan
• Died January 25, 2004

BR register page

Biographical Information

Giichiro Shiraki played in Nippon Pro Baseball for 7 years.

Shiraki was signed by the Senators club in 1946, and he soon became their ace. He was 30-22 with a 2.58 ERA, led the Japanese Professional Baseball League in wins and complete games, ranked 4th in ERA (.47 behind Hideo Fujimoto) and 3rd in strikeouts (42 behind Juzo Sanada). Shiraki extended his solid pitching in 1947, having a 26-25 record and won the JPBL ERA title with a 1.74 ERA. He also had a league-leading 25 losses and 59 appearances, ranked 2nd in wins (4 behind Takehiko Bessho), 2nd in complete games (3 behind Bessho) and 3rd in Ks (62 behind Bessho).

The Tokyo native only pitched 25 games with a 7-12 record and a 2.79 ERA due to overuse in 1948, then he was 16-14 with a 3.65 ERA in 1949. He set the NPB record when he didn't walk any batters in 74 consecutive innings in 1950 (broken by Takeshi Yasuda) in 1973, but still the Pacific League record. Shiraki ended up 14-13 with a 3.38 ERA, but slumped to 4-10 with a 4.06 ERA in 1951. The Tokyu Flyers released him after this season, and the Hankyu Braves picked him up. However, Shiraki allowed 19 runs in 21 innings in 1952, then he announced his retirement. After retiring, he became a councillor of the National Diet of Japan from 1956 to 1986, became the first councillor who had played in NPB.

Overall, Shiraki was 97-98 with a 2.83 ERA, struck out 534 and pitched 1,725 innings in 7 years in the NPB.

Related Sites

• Wiki Japan
• NPB.com Bio