Masataka Tsuchiya (Tsuchma01)

Tsuchiya sliding

Masataka Tsuchiya (土屋 正孝)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11", Weight 160 lb.

• High School Matsumoto Fukashi High School

• Born October 6, 1935 in Matsumoto, Nagano Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Masataka Tsuchiya has played in Nippon Pro Baseball.

Tsuchiya was signed by the Yomiuri Giants in 1954 He spent his rookie year in the NPB Farm League, and only played 7 games with the big club. He was named the starting third baseman in 1956, and batted .257/.262/.373 with 6 homers. He went 3-for-8 with 2 RBI in the 1956 Nippon Series. Tsuchiya hit .221/.271/.326 with 7 homers in 1957, and recorded a 4-for-20 in the 1957 Nippon Series.

When talented third baseman Shigeo Nagashima joined the team in 1958, Tsuchiya was moved to second base, and he recorded a .246/.321/.352 batting line with 5 homers. The Matsumoto native shined in 1958 Nippon Series, went 4-for-26 with 5 RBI. Tsuchiya batted .254/.320/.352 with 35 steals in 1959, and won the first Best Nine award as a second baseman. He was 2nd in swipes, 6 behind Hiroji Okajima. In the 1959 Nippon Series, Tsuchiya hit .444/.444/500 with 2 RBI, and won the Fighting Spirit Award. He struggled in 1960, when he only had a .206/.282/.311 batting line. The Giants traded him to the Kokutetsu Swallows for Shosuke Doi after the 1960 season.

Tsuchiya bounced back in 1961. He was selected to the All-Star Game for the only time in his career, but he recorded a 0-for-6 with 2 walks in that event. He ended up hitting .269/.340/.342 with 5 homers, and won the Best Nine again. He was 6th in hits (132, 26 behind Shigeo Nagashima), 9th in swipes and 13th in batting average. Tsuchiya slumped and hit .213/.264/.336 in 1962, but he came back soon with a .260/.306/.364 batting line in 1963. He was injured in 1964, and Kimitaka Sugimoto replaced him. He transferred to the Hanshin Tigers in 1965, then announced his retirement after the season.

Overall, Tsuchiya had hit .239/.300/.338 in 11 seasons in NPB.