Takahiro Yanagihara

Takahiro Yanagihara (柳原 隆弘)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 9", Weight 189 lb.

• School Osaka Shogyo University
• High School Chiben Gakuen High School

• Born June 12, 1955 in Oyodo, Nara Japan

BR Register page

Biographical Information

Takahiro Yanagihara was a backup outfielder for over a decade in Nippon Pro Baseball.

The Yakult Swallows took him in the first round of the 1977 NPB draft. In his NPB debut the next year, he pinch-hit for Kenichi Kajima. His first hit came as a pinch-hitter for Tetsuo Nishii, connecting off Hisao Niura. For the 1978 season, he was 3 for 20 with 4 walks, a double, two runs, one RBI and nine strikeouts. When Yakult won the 1978 Japan Series, he got into one game, a game 6 loss to the Hankyu Braves. He batted for Yasujiro Suzuki in the third and was retired by Shizuo Shiraishi.

In 1979, he was 4 for 30 with one walk and 16 strikeouts but did homer twice. His first dinger came against Yutaka Enatsu, a 3-run pinch-hit shot. Takahiro hit .195/.225/.351 in 80 plate appearances in 1980 and .137/.220/.164 in 83 plate appearances in 1981 then was 1 for 9 with three walks in 1982. He and Suzuki were then traded to the Kintetsu Buffaloes for Takashi Imoto.

He was 1 for 12 with a home run and walk for Kintetsu in 1983. He did very well in 1984 - .387/.400/.645 in 65 plate appearances, with 11 of his 24 hits going for extra bases. That earned him his longest playing time - 284 plate appearances and 95 games in 1985; he hit .249/.323/.386 with 8 home runs. His playing time fell from there - .206/.243/.3634 in 109 plate appearances and 53 games in 1986 then 0 for 10 in 1987 and one double in 8 at-bats in 1988. He joined the Nippon Ham Fighters in 1989 but spent the year in the minors then retired.

Yanagihara had hit .218/.279/.357 with 32 doubles, 19 homers, 76 runs and 71 RBI in 722 plate appearances over 351 games. He struck out in 176 of 652 AB.

Sources: Old Japan Baseball Daily website, Japanese Wikipedia