Jun Misawa

Jun Misawa (三沢 淳)

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 187 lb.

• High School Gotsu Kogyo High School

• Born October 1, 1952 in Mino-gun, Shimane Japan
• Died March 3, 2022 in Nagoya, Aichi Japan

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Biographical Information

Jun Misawa pitched for 15 seasons in Nippon Pro Baseball.

After high school, Misawa pitched briefly for the industrial leagues' Shin Nittetsu Hirohata. He won Silver with the Japanese national team in the in the 1971 Asian Championship. He was picked by the Chunichi Dragons in the third round of the 1970 NPB draft. Debuting in 1972, he held opponents to a .211 average and was 3-5 with a 3.69 ERA in 33 outings, 7 of them starts.

Active mostly in relief again in 1973, the 20-year-old went 10-8 with a 2.56 ERA and .216 opponent average. He was 9th in the Central League in ERA, just ahead of Yutaka Enatsu, in what would be one of his best seasons. He started 27 games in 1974 but still relieved in 18, going 11-9 with a 3.45 ERA. Opponents hit just .228 but he surrendered 30 home runs in 200 2/3 IP. He also hit 12 batters, leading the CL. He allowed one run in 3 2/3 relief innings in the 1974 Japan Series, which Chunichi lost to the Lotte Orions.

In 1975, Jun had a career-high 13 wins, losing 7 while posting a 3.21 ERA. He imploded in 1976, going 9-12 with a save and a 5.35 ERA. He allowed a .322 average and 34 homers in 176 2/3 IP. He led the CL with 12 hit batsmen.

Misawa only started 9 games in 1977, going 4-4 with a save and a 5.15 ERA. He went 12-9 with a save and a 3.40 ERA in a resurgent 1978, surrendering 28 gopher balls while starting 22 games and relieving in 33 others. He placed 7th in the Central League in ERA.

The right-hander had a 13-11, 3.72 record in 1979. He was .05 from making the CL's top 10 in ERA. He made his only CL All-Star team. On June 8, he was one out away from a no-hitter when Masahiro Yanagida singled.

Misawa fell to 8-12, 4.09 in 1980 but went 7-10 with two saves and a 3.35 ERA in 1981. He was 9th in the league in ERA, just behind Manabu Kitabeppu. In 1982, the veteran posted a 8-7, 3.56 record. He allowed 7 runs in 10 1/3 IP in the 1982 Japan Series but only 3 of them were earned; at the plate, he was 1 for 3. He started games 4 and 6 of the Series against the Seibu Lions, who took the Series in six contests.

In 1983, Misawa had a 4-8, 5.77 record and .329 opponent average. He was only 3-3 with a save, 5.95 ERA and .317 opponent average in 1984. Leaving Chunichi after 13 years, he was 1-0 with a 2.06 ERA in 15 games for the 1985 Nippon Ham Fighters. He allowed one run in 8 2/3 IP for the 1986 Fighters with a 1-1 record.

Overall, he pitched 505 games in NPB, going 107-106-6 with a 3.81 ERA.

Misawa later was a commentator for Tokai Radio and Chukyo TV. In 1996, he ran for the Japanese Diet with the New Progressive Party and claimed the seat; he served one term.

Source: Japanbaseballdaily