Kenshiro Saga

Kenshiro Saga (嵯峨 健四郎)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 9", Weight 173 lbs.

• High School Akita Shogyo High School

• Born August 15, 1937 in Akita, Akita, Japan
• Died January 1, 2011 in Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Kenshiro Saga pitched in Nippon Pro Baseball for 8 years.

Saga was signed by the Toei Flyers in 1960, and he spent his first three seasons primarily in the NPB Farm Leagues, only playing 9 games with the big club. He entered the rotation in 1963, and he was 6-6 with a 2.23 ERA. Saga broke out in 1964, having a 21-9 record with a 2.68 ERA. He was 5th in the Pacific League in wins (tied with Tetsuya Yoneda) and 8th in ERA (between Yozo Ishikawa and Kazuharu Abe). Saga slumped to 2-8 with a 4.43 ERA in 1965, and he also struggled at the plate. He set the NPB record as he was hitless for 91 straight at-bats, and that is still the record as of 2023.

Saga bounced back in 1966 and he was selected into the 1966 NPB All-Star Game. He relieved Mitsuhiro Adachi in the 6th inning of Game 1, and he pitched an inning while surrendering a solo shot to Sadaharu Oh. Saga ended up 17-9 with a 2.32 ERA in 1966, ranking 7th in wins (tied with Adachi), 5th in complete games (13, tied with Tsutomu Tanaka and Masaaki Ikenaga) and 6th in ERA (between Tanaka and Ikenaga). However, his ERA rose to 5.35 in 1967, then the Flyers traded him to the Yomiuri Giants for Masaharu Matsumura. Saga only pitched 14 games with a 4.29 ERA for the Giants in 1968, and he announced his retirement.

Overall, Saga was 53-42 with a 3.16 ERA, struck out 320 and pitched 795 1/3 innings in 8 years in NPB.

Sources

• Wiki Japan
• Bio
• 1966 NPB All-Star Game