Keizo Tsutsui

Keizo Tsutsui (筒井 敬三)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 6", Weight 149 lb.

• School Kanagawa University
• High School Kainan High School

• Born January 1, 1923 in Kainan, Wakayama Japan
• Died December 6, 1959 in Setagaya, Tokyo Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Catcher Keizo Tsutsui was a four-time All-Star in Nippon Pro Baseball.

Tsutsui was signed by the Kinki Great Ring in 1946, and he hit .282/.355/.362 in 91 games as their starting catcher in his rookie year. The Great Ring became the Nankai Hawks in 1947, and Tsutsui slumped to .213/.257/.243. He played all 140 games with a .238/.310/.310 batting line in 1948, and he improved to .274/.320/.393 in 1949. On April 14, 1949, he had a fight with Osamu Mihara, the manager of the Yomiuri Giants, and Mihara was suspended for 3 month. His batting line was .254/.315/.328 in 1950.

The Wakayama native was selected into the 1951 NPB All-Star Games and the 1952 NPB All-Star Games, but he didn't appear in any of the games. He recorded a .226/.292/.315 batting line in 1951, and he hit .255/.304/.333 in 1952. Tsutsui attended the 1953 NPB All-Star Games, and he was 1-for-4, with a single against Takao Fujimura in Game 2. He slumped to .189/.271/.302 in 1953, then he nearly missed the entire 1954 season due to injuries. Tsutsui came back in 1955, hitting .239/.309/.372 and attended the 1955 NPB All-Star Game; he didn't had any at-bats. He then jumped to the Takahashi Unions in 1956, and he hit .200/.258/.259 in 121 games. Takahashi became the Daiei Unions in 1957, and Tsustui's batting line was .116/.198/.204. He only played 8 games in 1958, and he announced his retirement. Tsutsui then coached the Toei Flyers in 1959, but he passed away in the same year due to a gas leak accident.

Overall, Tsutsui hit .236/.298/.319 with 685 hits and 28 homers in 13 seasons in the NPB.

Sources

• NPB site
• Wiki Japan
• 1955 NPB All Star Game