Isao Hirono

Isao Hirono (広野 功)

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 182 lb.

• School Keio University
• High School Tokushima Shogyo High School

• Born October 16, 1943 in Tokushima, Tokushima Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Isao Hirono has played in Nippon Pro Baseball. His brother is NPB outfielder Mamozu Hirono.

Hirono was on the Japanese national team in the 1965 Asian Championship as the country won its fourth title. The Chunichi Dragons drafted him in the third round of the 1965 NPB draft, the first draft ever in NPB history. Hirono hit .277/.327/.449 with 13 homers in his rookie year, but also struck out 75 times, the most ing the Central League. He batted .233/.290/.428 with 19 homers in 1967. After the 1967 season, since the Dragons had prospect Yozaburo Chihara, they traded Hirono to the Nishitetsu Lions for Tsutomu Tanaka in order to enhance their rotation.

Hirono hit .260/.331/.424 with 9 homers in the first season with the Lions. He was selected into the 1969 NPB All-Star Game, and went 0-for-5 with 2 walks. He blasted a career-high 20 dingers with a .232/.302/.424 batting line in the 1969 season. The Tokushima native slumped to .188/.253/.349 in 1970. After the 1970 season, the Lions traded him with Takashi Hamamura to the Yomiuri Giants for Akira Takahashi, Akira Tanaka and Kunizo Umeda. He hit .255/.340/.383 with 4 homers in the 1971 season, which was the last productive season for him. Hirono blasted a pinch-hit walk-off grand slam on April 27, 1973, to become the only player to hit two walk-off grand slam in NPB history. However, his batting average was never above .200 in the 1972 and 1973 seasons. He came back to the Dragons in 1974, then announced his retirement after that season. After retiring, he was the batting coach for the Dragons in the minors from 1978 to 1983, the hitting coach for the Chiba Lotte Marines from 1984 to 1986 and from 1998 to 2000. From 1988 to 1991, Hirono was the hitting coach for the Seibu Lions, and he managed their ni-gun in 1993.

Overall, Hirono had hit .239/.304/.413 with 78 homers in 9 seasons in NPB.