Masaaki Noguchi

Masaaki Noguchi (野口 正明)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 9", Weight 150 lbs.

• High School Iizuka Shogyo High School

• Born March 7, 1924 in Iizuka, Fukuoka, Japan
• Died March 24, 2004 in Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Masaaki Noguchi played in Nippon Pro Baseball for 12 years and once led the league in wins.

Noguchi was signed by the Nagoya club in 1942 as an infielder, but he only hit .163/.209/.231 and decided to become a pitcher. He was 12-4 with a 1.38 ERA in 1943, but slumped to 6-6 with a 3.06 ERA in 1944. After World War II, he jumped to the Kyuei Flyers and he went 6-5 with a 3.18 ERA in 1949. He struggled in 1950 as his ERA rose to 4.91.

When the two leagues split in 1950, Noguchi joined the Nishitetsu Lions of the Pacific League, and he had a 10-13 record with a 3.43 ERA. He improved in 1951 and collected 12 wins with a 2.81 ERA. The 1952 season was his career year as he got a league-leading 23 wins with a solid 2.59 ERA. He ranked 2nd in ERA (.68 behind Susumu Yuki) and 2nd in complete games (5 behind Giichi Hayashi). However, Noguchi severely hurt his shoulder in 1953 and he announced his retirement after the 1954 season while he only had 2 appearances in that year.

Overall, Noguchi was 83-65 with a 3.12 ERA, struck out 366 and pitched 1,301 2/3 innings, hit .206/.231/.276 with 161 hits in 11 years in the NPB.

Related Sites

• Wiki Japan
• NPB.com Bio