Shizuo Shiraishi

Shizuo Shiraishi (白石 静生)

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 5' 10", Weight 185 lb.

• High School Naruto High School

• Born May 22, 1944 in Kamiita, Tokushima Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Shizuo Shiraishi was a one-time All-Star in Japan.

Shiraishi played for Shikoku Tetsudo Kanrikyoku in the industrial leagues after high school. He was taken by the Hiroshima Carp in the second round of the 1965 NPB Amateur Draft, the first NPB draft; they got Makio Sano in round one. He was 1-2 with a 5.40 ERA in 24 games as a rookie in 1966, walking only 13 in 50 IP and going 3-for-9 at the plate.

In 1967, he improved to 5-7, 3.77 while starting regularly; he walked 22 in 98 innings that year. He had a 5-8, 3.47 record in 1968 and 11-13, 3.44 in 1969. He threw eight complete games, tied for 7th in the Central League with Masaji Hiramatsu, Shoichi Ono and Tomoo Wako. Continuing to make strides, he made the CL All-Star team the next year. In 1970 NPB All-Star Game 3, he replaced Yoshiro Sotokoba with two outs in the second. He gave up a hit, an uncharacteristic two walks and two runs (both earned) in 1 1/3 IP (an improvement on Sotokoba) before turning it over to Hidetake Watanabe. For the 1970 season, he was 13-11 with a 2.83 ERA, setting career highs in wins, IP (209 2/3) and K (124). He tied for 6th in the CL in wins, tied Sotokoba for 6th in starts (30), tied for 10th in complete games (7), was 7th in IP (between Kazumi Takahashi and Sohachi Aniya) and 10th in strikeouts (between Senichi Hoshino and Minoru Murayama).

Shiraishi fell to 8-12, 3.57 for the Carp in 1971 and was 6-11 with a 4.03 ERA in 1972. He rebounded to 8-7, 3.71 in 1973 and was 2-6 with a 4.50 ERA in 1974. He ran into conflict with manager Joe Lutz over wanting acupuncture treatments for his injured shoulder. He was then traded with Yataro Oishi to the Hankyu Braves for Yoshihiro Kodama, Hiroki Watanabe and Yukinobu Miyamoto.

In 1975, he had a 3-8, 3.82 record. His second season with Hankyu, he was 4-5 with two saves and a 4.39 ERA in 1976. In Game 5 of the 1976 Japan Series, he relieved Hisashi Yamada and allowed one run in 2 1/3 IP despite three hits and three walks; Yoshinori Toda took over. Hankyu beat the Yomiuri Giants in seven. He had his best season for Hankyu in 1977 at 7-6, 3.30. He allowed only one run in seven innings in the 1977 Japan Series and also was 1-for-2 with a run scored. He won Game 5, the clincher, over Yomiuri and Hisao Niura; he relieved Yoshinori Sato while Yamada closed it out.

The southpaw was 3-5 with a 5.01 ERA in 1978. He went the distance (5 H, 4 BB, 5 K, 3 R, 2 ER) to beat Yasujiro Suzuki and the Yakult Swallows in Game 6 of the 1978 Japan Series, though, to tie the Series. Hankyu dropped Game 7, though. He was 8-5 with a 4.16 ERA in 1979 and 3-3 with a 7.02 ERA in a rough 1980.

He had gone 93-111 with a 3.81 ERA in 394 NPB games (269 starts). After his playing career ended, he ran a restaurant and briefly managed the Tokushima Indigo Socks (2007-2008).