Hideaki Sato

Hideaki Sato (佐藤 秀明)

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 5' 9", Weight 160 lb.

• School Toyo University
• High School Akita Central High School

• Born May 23, 1960 in Akita, Akita Japan
• Born March 17, 2007 in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Japan

BR Register page

Biographical Information

Hideaki Sato pitched in Nippon Pro Baseball and for the Japanese national team.

Sato represented Japan in the 1984 Amateur World Series. The Hanshin Tigers drafted him in the second round of the 1984 NPB draft. He joined the Tigers' bullpen as a rookie and pitched 37 games with a 3.31 ERA. In 1985 Nippon Series, Sato allowed a solo shot to Takanori Okamura in Game 2. He relieved in Game 3, but he walked two and allwed a single. Osamu Fukuma relieved him and escaped the jam with a infield fly, a strikeout and a grounder. The Akita native won his first Nippon Series Title in that year. He had 46 appearance with a 4.45 ERA in 1986. However, Sato suffered a injury and only had 7 appearances in the next two seasons. The Tigers traded him with Masaaki Fukuya to the Kintetsu Buffaloes for Kazuya Sumitomo and Hidenori Minami in 1988. Sato came back and had a 7-3 record with a 3.64 ERA in 1989. Sato pitched 2 1/3 innings, allowed a run with 2 strikeouts and got the win in Game 2 of the 1989 Nippon Series. He extended his stable performance, pitched 29 games with a 4.66 ERA in 1990, then recorded a 4.28 ERA in 27 appearances in 1991. Sato announced his retirement after the 1991 season.

Overall, Sato was 10-11 with a 4.15 ERA and pitched 255 2/3 innings in 7 seasons in the NPB.

Sources

• NPB site
• 1985 Nippon Series
• Wiki Japan
• Defunct IBAF site