Haruyasu Eto

Haruyasu Eto (江藤 晴康)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 10", Weight 165 lb.

• School Hosei University
• High School Yahata High School

• Born May 9, 1922 in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Japan
• Died February 21, 2016 in Yukuhashi, Fukuoka Japan

BR Register page

Biographical Information

Haruyasu Eto pitched in Nippon Pro Baseball.

Eto pitched in the JR Kyushu baseball team of Japan Amateur Baseball Association after he graduated from Hosei University. He had signed a contract with the Nankai Hawks in 1949. However, because they failed to signed Yoshimasa Takesue earlier, the Osaka Tigers decided to rob Eto from the Hawks. They cheated Eto that the Hawks agreed that they'll send him to the Buffaloes, and Eto signed to contract with them. After the Hawks discovered this action on newspaper, they found Eto and cleared the situation, then Eto joined the Hawks. The Tigers appealed to the League, but they were still unable to sign Eto.

Because of the commotion, Eto debuted in the 1950 season. He was 14-9 with a 2.92 ERA. He shined in 1951, recording a 24-5 with 2.28 ERA and 100 strikeouts. He led the league in wins, ranked third in ERA (.25 behind Takeo Hattori) and fourth in strikeouts (50 behind Hachiro Abe). He also won the Best Nine award. In 1951 NPB All-Star Game 1, Eto started; he pitched 3 innings and allowed a run from Takashi Iwamoto's RBI single. The Pacific League was beaten 2-1, and he got the loss. In the 1951 Nippon Series, Eto started in Game 1, pitched 5 innings with 2 runs allowed, and got the loss. He relieved Nobuo Nakatani in the 8th inning of Game 3 and allowed a run by Yuko Minamimura's RBI single. In Game 5, Eto relieved Nakatani in the 5th inning, and pitched 1 2/3 innings. Shigeru Chiba and Tetsuharu Kawakami each blasted a solo shot off him in the 5th inning. Eto slumped and recorded a 11-10 with a 3.35 ERA in 1952. The 1952 season was the last productive season for Eto, as his ERA rose to 3.97 and he only pitched 33 2/3 innings in 1953. He transferred to the Takahashi Unions in 1954, but he had a terrible 5.49 ERA in this year. He announced his retirement after the 1954 season.

Overall, Eto was 50-34 with a 3.12 ERA and pitched 787 1/3 innings in six seasons in NPB.