Junzo Ando

Junzo Ando (安藤 順三)

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 5' 7", Weight 151 lb.

• High School Tajimi Kogyo High School

• Born June 28, 1935 in Tajimi, Gifu Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Catcher Junzo Ando was a 3-time All-Star in Nippon Pro Baseball.

Ando was signed by the Toei Flyers in 1954, and he spent his first two seasons primarily in the NPB Farm Leagues, only playing 49 games combined with the big club. He shared the starting catcher spot with Hachiro Yamamoto in 1956, but he only hit .148/.177/.171. He then recorded a .193/.227/.237 batting line in 1957 and hit .225/.258/.358 in 1958 as Yamamoto's backup. When Yamamoto was moved to third base in 1959, Ando qualified for the batting title for the first time in his career, but he hit .184/.217/.245. He only played 26 games in 1960 as Yamamoto caught again in this season.

Yamamoto was turned into a first baseman in 1961, and Ando had a .223/.265/.283 in 135 games as their starting catcher. He was also selected into the 1961 NPB All-Star Games, but he didn't get a single at-bat. Ando then hit .208/.225/.273 in 1962, and he was selected into the 1962 NPB All-Star Games; he didn't bat in either of the games again. He was 1-for-10 in the 1962 Nippon Series, and he won his only Nippon Series title as the Flyers beat the Hanshin Tigers in 7 games. Ando improved to .253/.291/.317 in 1963, and he attended the 1963 NPB All-Star Games. He then hit .224/.275/.260 in 91 games in 1964, and he lost his spot as Masayuki Tanemo shined. Ando never had more than 100 at-bats in a season after 1964, and he announced his retirement in 1970. He coached the Flyers in 1971 and from 1975 to 1976, and he also managed the minor league team of the Nippon Ham Fighters from 1989 to 1990.

Overall, Ando hit .210/.245/.270 with 502 hits and 18 homers in 13 seasons in the NPB.

Sources

• NPB site
• Wiki Japan
• 1964 NPB All Star Game