Kusuo Tanaka

Kusuo Tanaka (田中 久寿男)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 10", Weight 178 lb.

• High School Saga Technical High School

• Born April 24, 1935 in Saga, Saga Japan
• Died February 24, 2001

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Biographical Information

Kasuo Tanaka played 14 seasons in Nippon Pro Baseball.

Tanaka signed with the Nishitetsu Lions in 1955. He pitched to two batters in 1956, allowing a hit and a walk; he was converted to a position player and went 8 for 38 with a triple, homer and 3 walks. He played one game in the 1956 Japan Series (backing up Futoshi Nakanishi at third base) but did not bat; Nishitetsu beat the Yomiuri Giants for the title. In 1957, he hit .246/.274/.363 and he did not play in the 1957 Japan Series (won by the Lions). In 1958, the 23-year-old batted .248/.303/.385. He was 3 for 19 with a walk and a double as Nishitetsu's first baseman in the 1958 Japan Series, but the team still beat Yomiuri.

Tanaka put up a .219/.264/.312 batting line in 1959. In 1960, he improved to .265/.292/.455 with 15 home runs in 321 AB. He had his best season in 1961 at .306/.338/.429 with 19 steals in 28 tries. He made his only Pacific League All-Star team. He led the PL with 18 double-play grounders. He was 6th in average, between Kazuhiro Yamauchi and Teruyuki Takakura. The Saga native hit .290/.340/.396 in 1962.

Kusuo fell to .229/.269/.318 in 1963. In one game, he had ten fielding chances, which was then a record for a PL outfielder. He was 6 for 27 with a homer in the 1963 Japan Series, as the Lions fell to Yomiuri. He hit .265/.309/.391 in 1964, with 13 dingers and 23 swipes (caught 13 times). He batted .225/.257/.290 in a part-time role in 1965.

Moving to his former rival, Yomiuri, Tanaka hit .227/.267/.273 as a bench player in 1966. He was 0 for 1 in the 1966 Japan Series, in which Yomiuri beat the Nankai Hawks; he backed up Akira Kunimatsu, Isao Shibata, Toshio Yanagida and Toshimitsu Suetsugu in the outfield. In 1967, he had a superb year as a backup, hitting .291/.355/.503 with 8 home runs in 165 at-bats. He even batted cleanup a couple times for a team which boasted Sadaharu Oh and Shigeo Nagashima. He struck out in his lone at-bat in the 1967 Japan Series, playing behind Kunimatsu, Shibata and Takakura. He was 9 for 53 with a double, homer and 3 walks in 1968. Yomiuri beat the Hankyu Braves in the 1968 Japan Series as Tanaka got into one game and did not bat (the starters were Kunimatsu, Shibata and Shigeru Takada with Suetsugu as #4). Returning to the Lions in 1969, he was clearly washed up, going 6 for 47 with 3 walks.

In 1,108 NPB games, Tanaka's batting line was .257/.299/.376. He hit 76 home runs in 3,138 at-bats, had 348 runs and 331 RBI. He only drew 152 walks and stole 77 bases but was caught stealing 65 times. He was noted for good range and a strong throwing arm in the outfield.

After his playing career ended, Tanaka was a Lions coach. He then scouted for both the Lions and the Chiba Lotte Marines. He was the Marines' chief scout when he died a couple months before his 66th birthday.

Source: japanbaseballdaily by Gary Garland