Minoru Kamata

Minoru Kamata (鎌田 実)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 10", Weight 165 lbs.

• High School Sumoto High School

• Born March 8, 1939 in Minamiawaji, Hyogo Japan
• Died August 1, 2019 in Ashiya, Hyogo Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Minoru Kamata played in Nippon Pro Baseball for 16 years.

Kamata was signed by the Osaka Tigers in 1957, and he hit .129/.169/.141 in his rookie year. HIs batting line was .180/.203/.281 in 1958, and he had a .239/.245/.322 batting line in 1959. Kamata secured the starting second baseman spot in 1960, and he played all 130 games with a .265/.288/.334 batting line. He then batted .260/.273/.334 in 1961, but he slumped to .199/.238/.242 in 1962. Kamata was 4-for-31 in the 1962 Nippon Series, and the Tigers lost to the Toei Flyers in 7 games.

The Awaji native bounced back with a .260/.282/.313 batting line in 1963, but he struggled again in 1964 as his batting line was .176/.196/.203. Kingo Motoyashiki took his starting spot, and Kamata only had 213 at-bats with a .211/.252/.254 batting line. He jumped to the Kintetsu Buffaloes after hitting .200/.248/.264 in 1966, and he recorded a .250/.266/.305 batting line in 1968. Kamata batted .228/.261/.290 in , and he hit .227/.263/.299 in 1969. He returned to the Tigers in 1970, and he hit .290/.333/.382 for them in that season. Kamada's batting line was .269/.296/.288in 62 games in 1971, but he only played 8 games in 1972 and he retired. He later coached the Buffaloes from 1993 to 1994.

Overall, Kamata hit .234/.261/.295 with 1,041 hits and 24 homers in 16 years in NPB. He was believed to be the first infielder to do backhand tosses in Nippon Pro baseball.

Sources

• Wiki Japan
• NPB.com Bio