Masayoshi Miura

Masayoshi Miura (三浦 方義)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 8", Weight 170 lbs.

• High School Gonohe High School

• Born August 23, 1933 in Sannohe-gun, Aomori, Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Masayoshi Miura pitched in Nippon Pro Baseball for 11 years and once led the league in wins.

Miura was signed by the Yomiuri Giants in 1952, and he spent the bulk of his first four seasons in the NPB Farm Leagues; he only pitched 9 games combined for the big club. He learned how to pitch a slider from legend Hideo Fujimoto, but that new breaking ball couldn't help him out of ni-gun, and the Giants released him after the 1955 season.

The Daiei Stars then picked him up, and he finally broke out after coach Giichi Hayashi slightly adjusted his pitching form. Miura was 29-14 with a 1.77 ERA in 1956, led the league in wins and ranked 5th in ERA (.71 behind Kazuhisa Inao) in the Pacific League. He pitched 1 1/3 shutout innings in 1956 NPB All-Star Game 2. On the last day of the 1956 season, he and Takao Kajimoto were tied in wins. Kajimoto started and collected his 28th win, but Miura relieved and won both games in a doubleheader against Kintetsu Buffaloes to rob Kajimoto of the wins leader title.

The Aomori native slumped to 12-21 with a 3.54 ERA in 1957, and led the PL in losses. When the Stars were merged with the Mainichi Orions to form the Daimai Orions in 1958, Miura bounced back and went 11-8 with a 2.78 ERA. He was 3-8 with a 4.03 ERA in 1959, and only pitched 27 more games over the next three seasons due to a left elbow injury. Miura announced his retirement after the 1962 season, and became a coach. He was the pitching coach for the minor league team of the Orions from 1963 to 1965 and in 1968 and 1973, and also worked as a scout for them from 1966 to 1967.

Overall, Miura was 56-53 with a 2.84 ERA, struck out 475 and pitched 895 2/3 innings in 11 years in the NPB.

Related Sites

• Wiki Japan
• NPB.com Bio