Hirokuni Kataoka

Hirokuni Kataoka (片岡 博国)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 7", Weight 145 lb.

• School Waseda University
• High School Toho High School

• Born November 24, 1916 in Nagoya, Aichi Japan
• Died March 17, 2003

BR register page

Biographical Information

1B/C Hirokuni Kataoka played in Nippon Pro Baseball for 5 years.

Kataoka was signed by the Mainichi Orions when they were founded in 1950, and he hit .303/.365/.477 in 63 games in his rookie year. He was 4-for-16 in the 1950 Nippon Series, with a RBI single against Nobuo Oshima in Game 1, and he was part of the first Nippon Series champion as the Orions beat the Shochiku Robins in 6 games. He was then selected into the 1951 NPB All-Star Games, and he was 0-for-1. He thus played in both the first Nippon Series and the first NPB All-Star Game. Kataoka ended up hitting .229/.312/.361 in 1951, and his batting line was .271/.352/.313 in 1952. He slumped to .160/.236/.185 in 1953, then he announced his retirement after hitting .077/.333/.077 in 1954. Kataoka then managed the minor league team of the Orions from 1955 to 1957, and he coached the Hankyu Braves from 1963 to 1973.

Overall, Kataoka hit .239/.324/.346 with 94 hits and 6 homers in 5 seasons in the NPB.

Sources

• NPB site
• Wiki Japan
• 1951 NPB All Star Game