Hiromi Wada

Hiromi Wada (和田 博実)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 8", Weight 165 lb.

• High School Usuki High School

• Born March 26, 1937 in Usuki, Oita Japan
• Died June 22, 2009 in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Japan

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Biographical Information

Hiromi Wada was a five-time All-Star in 18 seasons for the Nishitetsu Lions. He caught four no-hitters, tied with Kazuo Satake for the record in Nippon Pro Baseball.

Wada began catching in fifth grade. He began his career in Nippon Pro Baseball with the Lions in 1955, going 3 for 7 with a double. In 1956, he hit .189/.286/.270 in 44 games. He was 0 for 2 in the 1956 Japan Series, backing up Takeshi Hibino. A starter in 1957, Wada batted .214/.275/.317. In the 1957 Japan Series, the Oita native batted .313/.333/.750 and led Nishitetsu with five homers. He homered twice in the decisive game five against the Yomiuri Giants to give the Lions their second straight Japan Series title.

Hiromi hit .213/.251/.308 in 1958 but still made his first Pacific League All-Star team. On July 19, he caught a perfect game by Sadao Nishimura. He was 1 for 6 with a triple in the 1958 Japan Series, backing up Hibino as the Lions won the Series. In 1959, Wada hit .242/.266/.328. He made his second All-Star team.

In 1960, Wada batted .295/.336/.397 and would have been 6th in the PL in average had he qualified. During 1961, Wada hit .287/.329/.426 for the Lions and made his third All-Star team.

Hiromi hit .325/.365/.497 with 14 homers in 1962 and even stole 12 bases in 17 tries. He was 6th in the circuit in average behind Jack Bloomfield, Kazuhiro Yamauchi, Takao Katsuragi, Isao Harimoto and Kihachi Enomoto. He was not named to the Best Nine because of the presence of Katsuya Nomura.

In 1963, the veteran produced at a .272/.311/.452 rate with 16 homers and 55 RBI. He stole 12 bases in 13 tries. He hit .167/.192/.292 in the 1963 Japan Series as the Lions fell in 7 games to Yomiuri; his biggest hit was a homer in game one.

Wada made his fourth All-Star squad in 1964, when he hit .259/.296/.403. He duplicates his home runs (14), RBI (54) and steal (12 for 17) totals from two years prior, but without as much contact. In 1965, the 28-year-old backstop batted .264/.307/.347 and his power total fell, as he only clubbed four homers.

Wada hit .233/.265/.336 in 1966. He made his fifth and last All-Star team. He also caught his second perfecto, this one thrown by Tsutomu Tanaka. In 1967, Wada moved to the outfield and batted .237/.286/.361, swiping 18 bases in 23 attempts.

Wada batted .262/.306/.382 in 1968 and stole 18 bases but was thrown out running 10 times. On May 28, he hit for the cycle, the 25th player in NPB history to do so. It would be his only triple of the year.

After that, Wada's playing time fell significantly. He only had 51 at-bats in 1969, hitting .216/.281/.373. In 43 games and 43 plate appearances the next year, his batting line was .214/.233/.214. He hit .282/.300/.436 in 40 games and 40 plate appearances in 1971 and was 8 for 40 with 3 walks and 2 steals in 44 games and 44 plate appearances in 1972.

Overall, Hiromi Wada hit .257/.299/.378 in 1,565 games in NPB. He hit an even 100 home runs in 4,295 at-bats and stole 121 bases in 182 tries.

Wada later managed in the minor leagues for the Seibu Lions and Hanshin Tigers, worked in Hanshin's front office and coached in the industrial leagues. He died of pancreatic cancer at age 72.

Sources

• Obituary at the Japan Times
• Japan Baseball Daily by Gary Garland