Hitoshi Hatayama

Hitoshi Hatayama (畠山 準)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11", Weight 176 lbs.

• High School Ikeda High School

• Born June 11, 1964 in Komatsushima, Tokushima Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Hitoshi Hatayama played in Nippon Pro Baseball for 16 years.

Hatayama was drafted by the Nankai Hawks in the first round of the 1982 NPB draft, but he spent most of his first season in the NPB Farm Leagues, and only played 7 games in the Pacific League. He joined the rotation in 1984, having a 5-12 record with a 4.24 ERA. He suffered from chickenpox in the next season, so he only pitched 13 games with a 4.89 ERA. He still struggled in 1986 as his ERA rose to 9.45, and he didn't appear with the big club in the next two seasons. Hatayama decided to became a hitter in the middle of the 1988 season, but he still didn't get many chances, only playing 103 games combined from 1988 to 1990. The Hawks released him after the 1990 season.

The Yokohama Taiyo Whales picked him up, and Hatayama hit .319/.365/.565 in 39 games in 1991. He couldn't repeat his solid batting though he still showed good pop in 1992 as he hit .221/.274/.453 with 10 homers, but he still got an starting outfield spot in 1993. Hatayama broke out in that season, hitting .281/.331/.442 with 14 homers, and ranked 8th in the Central League in RBI (22 behind Katsumi Hirosawa). He was also selected for the 1993 NPB All-Star Games, and went 1-for-5 in two games. He extended his solid batting in 1994, when he recorded a .292/.367/.430 batting line with 11 homers; he ranked 3rd in doubles (27, 6 behind Norihiro Komada). He was starting center fielder in 1994 NPB All-Star Game 1, and went 1-for-2 with a walk, and a double against Toyohiko Yoshida. He then pinch-hit for Glenn Braggs in the 7th inning in Game 2, and hit a single off Shintaro Yamasaki.

When young talented outfielders like Toshio Haru and Takahiro Saeki shined in 1995, Hatayama lost his starting spot and he only had 209 at-bats with a .220/.302/.378 batting line. Since the 1995 NPB All-Star Game 1 was held in Yokohama's home field, fans still voted the him into the event. Hatayama was 0-for-1 in Game 1 and he didn't got any at-bats in Game 2. He was then used as pinch-hitter, batting .219/.316/.418 in 1996 and .200/.264/.300 in 1997. Hatayama had a .263/.324/.337 batting line in 1998, and the BayStars (the Whales had changed their name in 1993) won the CL pennant this year. His only appearance in the 1998 Nippon Series was in Game 3 as he pinch-hit for Saeki and Jun Takeshita retired him, and he won his only Nippon Series title in his career as the BayStars beat the Seibu Lions in 6 games. Hatayama only played 28 more games for Yokohama, then he announced his retirement in 1999.

Overall, Hatayama had hit .255/.320/.408 with 483 hits and 57 homers in 16 seasons in NPB. He is the only player to both qualify for the batting title and ERA title in NPB history.

Sources

• NPB site
• Wiki Japan
• 1993 NPB All Star Game