Kozo Ishioka

Kozo Ishioka (石岡 康三)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 165 lbs.

• School Meiji University
• High School Ichinomiya Commercial High School

• Born April 16, 1941 in Chosei-gun, Chiba, Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Kozo Ishioka played in Nippon Pro Baseball for 13 years.

Ishioka was signed by the Kokutetsu Swallows in 1964, and he joined their bullpen as a rookie. He had a 2.92 ERA in 25 appearances in his rookie year, then recorded a 4.75 ERA in 27 games in 1965. Ishioka improved to 4-4 with a 2.13 ERA in 1966, but then slumped to 4.58 ERA in 24 games in 1967. The Sankei Atoms decided to turn him into a starter in 1968, and Ishioka had his career year. He was 10-10 with a solid 2.67 ERA, and ranked 6th in ERA in the Central League, 0.74 behind Yoshiro Sotokoba.

The Chiba native had a 10-16 record with a 3.62 ERA in 1969, and he ranked 9th in strikeouts (133 behind Yutaka Enatsu). He was still reliable in 1970 as he went 6-14 with a 3.25 ERA, then he was used as a swingman in 1971. Ishioka was 8-11 with a 2.92 ERA, starting 12 games in 45 appearances in that season. He had a 3.81 ERA in 29 games in 1972, but he struggled in 1973. He saw limited action as he was a player-coach in that season; he only pitched 6 games. Ishioka became a full-time reliever in 1974,and he bounced back to collect 8 saves and 6 wins with a 2.08 ERA. He won the first NPB Comeback Player of the Year Award. Ishioka recorded a 3.30 ERA in 26 appearances in 1975, then announced his retirement after the 1976 season. He was the pitching coach for the minor league team of the Yakult Swallows from 1978 to 1984 and for their big club from 1985 to 1992.

Overall, Ishioka was 61-78 with a 3.21 ERA, struck out 806 and pitched 1,257 2/3 innings in 13 years in the NPB.

Related Sites

• Wiki Japan
• NPB.com Bio