Shiro Ito

Shiro Ito (伊藤 四郎)

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

• High School Yokkaichi Shogyo High School

• Born November 1, 1932 in Yokkaichi, Mie Japan
• Died May 30, 2011 in Kyoto, Kyoto Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Shiro Ito pitched in Nippon Pro Baseball for 10 years.

Ito was signed by the Nagoya Dragons in 1951, but he primarily stayed in the NPB Farm Leagues, only playing 24 games combined with the big club over four years. The Dragons sent him to the Tombo Unions in 1955, and he had a 3.88 ERA in 24 appearances. Ito broke out and had his career year in 1956. He was 21-19 with a 2.00 ERA, ranking 6th in the Pacific League in ERA (between Masayoshi Miura and Yoshinobu Uemura), 7th in wins (tied with Sadao Nishimura and Kazuhisa Inao), 6th in strikeouts (between Yasuo Yonekawa and Tetsuya Yoneda) and 3rd in appearances (9 behind Yukio Shimabara). Ito also pitched 2 1/3 shutout innings with a strikeout of Noboru Aota in 1956 NPB All-Star Game 2.

When the Unions merged with the Daiei Stars in 1957, Ito jumped to the Kintetsu Buffaloes, but he slumped to 2-11 with a 2.83 ERA. Ito had a 3-14 record with a 4.12 ERA in 1958, and he ranked 6th in losses (8 behind Mamoru Otsu). His ERA was 5.45 in 12 games in 1959, then the Buffaloes released him. The Nankai Hawks picked him up, but Ito only pitched 5 more games for them then he announced his retirement in 1961. He scouted for the Hawks from 1962 to 1997.

Overall, Ito was 29-52 with a 3.15 ERA, struck out 392 and pitched 748 1/3 innings in 10 years in NPB.

Sources

• Wiki Japan
• NPB.com Bio
• 1956 NPB All-Star Game