Shuzo Aono

From BR Bullpen

Shuzo Aono (青野 修三)

  • Bats Right, Throws Right
  • Height 5' 7", Weight 151 lb.

BR register page

Biographical Information[edit]

Shuzo Aono played in Nippon Pro Baseball for 13 years.

Aono was signed by the Toei Flyers in 1962, and he was named as their starting second baseman as a rookie. He hit .236/.311/.296 in 129 games in his rookie year, and he led the Pacific League in sacrifice bunts with 29; he would lead the league in this category for 5 straight years. In the 1962 Nippon Series, he was 6-for-22 with 2 RBI to help the Flyers beat the Hanshin Tigers in 7 games. Aono was selected into the 1963 NPB All-Star Game, but he didn't get any at-bats. He ended up hitting .268/.312/.371 with 27 doubles in 1963, and he set the NPB record by collecting 433 assists as a second baseman. He was 8th in hits (between Junzo Sekine and Kent Hadley) and 6th in doubles (tied with Yoshinori Hirose).

The Imabari native hit .271/.332/.381 in 1964, and his batting line was .275/.319/.373 in 1965. He was also selected into the 1965 NPB All-Star Game, and he was 0-for-2. Aono then hit .258/.317/.379 in 1966, and he ranked 9th in runs (between Jim Baumer and Masuho Maeda). He had a .272/.323/.341 in 1967, then he hit .236/.304/.320 in 1968. However, when Yutaka Ohashi joined the team in 1969, Aono lost his spot so he only played 24 games with the big club. Aono was then sent to the Nankai Hawks, and he hit .272/.335/.347 in 170 at-bats in 1970. He was mostly used as pinch-hitter with the Hawks, and he never had more than 100 at-bats in a season in the next three seasons. He was 2-for-2 in the 1973 Nippon Series, but the Hawks lost to the Yomiuri Giants in 5 games. Aono was traded to the Lotte Orions in 1974, but he only played 18 games for them then he announced his retirement.

Overall, Aono hit .260/.319/.354 with 785 hits and 45 homers in 13 seasons in the NPB.

Sources[edit]

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