Nobuo Oshima

Nobuo Oshima (大島 信雄)

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 5' 8", Weight 140 lbs.

• School Keio University
• High School Gifu Shogyo High School

• Born October 2, 1921 in Ichinomiya, Aichi, Japan
• Died January 9, 2005 in Meguro, Tokyo, Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Nobuo Oshima pitched in Nippon Pro Baseball for 6 years and won an ERA title.

Oshima was signed by the Shochiku Robins in 1950 and soon became their ace. He was 20-4 with a 2.03 ERA and led the Central League in ERA and winning percentage. He also ranked 8th in wins (19 behind Juzo Sanada) and 3rd in shutouts (3 behind Takehiko Bessho). In the first Nippon Series - the 1950 Nippon Series, Oshima became the first rookie to start in the opening game. Only Taketoshi Ogami (2 years later) and Takahiro Norimoto (2013) had also done it. He only allowed 3 runs in 12 innings in Game 1, but Tadashi Wakabayashi of the Mainichi Orions also completed the game so he got the loss. His next appearance was in Game 4, and he completed the game again with only 3 runs to beat Wakabayashi. Oshima then relieved Sanada in Game 5, pitched 1/3 inning with a walk. In the last game of the series - Game 6, Oshima relieved Takashi Eda and pitched 8 innings, but third baseman Sanada's error in the 11th inning gave the Orions the win and the Nippon Series title. Oshima won the first PL Rookie of the Year, AND became the oldest player to win a ROY in NPB history (still a record as in 2023).

The Aichi native was still productive in 1951 as he went 15-13 with a 2.74 ERA. However, the Shochiku met a financial problem, so they decided to get rid of some high-salary players like Oshima, Sanada and Yoshiyuki Iwamoto. The Chunichi Dragons picked him up, but he only had a 12-11 record with a 2.82 ERA in 1952. He slumped to 12-9 with a 3.83 ERA in 1953, and he only collected 5 wins with a 2.68 ERA in 1954. Oshima started in the Game 3 of the 1954 Nippon Series, but he allowed 2 runs in 5 innings and lost to Hisafumi Kawamura and the Nishitetsu Lions. That was his only appearance in the series, and the Dragons beat the Lions in 7 games to give Oshima his only Nippon Series title. After allowing 7 runs in 5 innings in the 1955 season, Oshima announced his retirement and became a broadcaster. He also worked for the Dragons as their pitching coach from 1969 to 1971.

Overall, Oshima was 64-41 with a 2.82 ERA, struck out 273 and pitched 884 1/3 innings in 6 years in the NPB.

Related Sites

• Wiki Japan
• NPB.com Bio