Osamu Takechi

Osamu Takechi (武智 修)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 7", Weight 149 lb.

• High School Matsuyama Commercial High School

• Born August 29, 1925 in Matsuyama, Ehime Japan
• Died November 20, 1985

BR register page

Biographical Information

Osamu Takechi played in Nippon Pro Baseball for 14 years.

Takechi was signed by the Osaka Tigers in 1943, and he hit .164/.264/.181 in 69 games in his rookie year. Since the Tigers lost many pitchers during the war, he was used as a two-way player in 1944, and he hit .219/.293/.267 while having a 1.08 ERA in 25 innings. He was 6-5 with a 2.21 ERA in 1947 after returning to the league, and he hit .238/.273/.286 as an infielder. Takechi then jumped to the Kinsei Stars in 1948, and he hit .214/.242/.287 as a full-time infielder. He was sent to the Hankyu Braves after the 1948 season, and he was 7-4 with a 3.66 ERA in 1949 while batting .262/.303/.286.

When the Hiroshima Carp were founded in 1950, Takechi joined them and he hit .265/.319/.332 in 75 games. His ERA was 6.49 in 10 appearances in 1950, so the Carp turned him into a full-time batter. He was the only person to start a game at pitcher, hit in the heart of the order and get a hit and a RBI in that game before Shohei Ohtani decades later. Takechi improved to .314/.347/.414 in 1951, and he was 7th in batting (between Tokuzo Harada and Noboru Aota) in the Central League. He slumped to .255/.295/.345 in 1952, and he had a conflict with the Carp's ace, Ryohei Hasegawa. Therefore, the Carp traded him to the Kintetsu Buffaloes after the 1952 season.

Takechi bounced back and hit .281/.322/.387 in 1953, then he had a .247/.310/.335 batting line in 1954. He was selected into the 1955 NPB All-Star Games, and he had a 0-for-1 record. Takechi ended up hitting .300/.355/.360 in 1955, then his batting was .237/.323/.263 in 1956. He collected 56 RBI in 1956, and he set the NPB record for the most RBI without hitting any home runs in that season. Takechi slumped to .188/.235/.214 in 1957, then he announced his retirement. He coached Matsuyama Commercial High School after retiring.

Overall, Takechi hit .255/.307/.324 with 987 hits and 26 homers in 14 seasons in the NPB. He was 18-16 with a 3.47 ERA as a pitcher.

Sources

• NPB site
• Wiki Japan
• 1955 NPB All Star Game