Takashi Iwamoto

Takashi Iwamoto (岩本 堯)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 7", Weight 160 lbs.

• School Waseda University
• High School Tanabe High School

• Born April 20, 1930 in Tanabe, Wakayama Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Takashi Iwamoto played and managed in Nippon Pro Baseball.

Iwamoto was signed by the Yomiuri Giants with a 1.8 million yen signing bonus in 1953, and he hit .254/.314/.398 with 6 triples in his rookie year. He tied Katsuji Kojima, Tokuzo Harada, Tetsuharu Kawakami and Shinsuke Yogi for 3rd in triples. In the 1953 Nippon Series, Iwamoto was 7-for-16 with a triple against Taisei Nakamura in Game 5, and he got his first Nippon Series title as the Giants beat the Hawks in 7 games. Iwamoto then slumped to .225/.293/.317 in 1954, and he bounced back in 1955. He led the league with 10 triples, and his batting line was .266/.336/.431 with a career-high 12 homers. Iwamoto also tied Kawakami for 9th in homers. He was 10-for-24 in the 1955 Nippon Series, and the Giants beat the Hawks in 5 games again.

The Wakayama native had a .254/.324/.389 batting line in 1956, and he was 5-for-16 in the 1956 Nippon Series with a homer against Kazuhisa Inao in Game 6. The Nishitetsu Lions still beat the Giants in 6 games. However, Iwamoto struggled in 1957 after he was plunked at head, and his batting line fell to .199/.238/.315. He was 2-for-12 in the 1957 Nippon Series, and the Lions beat the Giants again in 5 games. After hitting .225/.291/.322 in 1958, Iwamoto was sent to the Taiyo Whales and he hit .225/.288/.297 in 1959. He recorded a .231/.275/.326 batting line in 1960, and he was 1-for-5 in the 1960 Nippon Series to help the Whales swept the Daimai Orions. Iwamoto only played 85 games with a .253/.303/.313 batting line in 1961, then he announced his retirement.

After retiring, Iwamoto became the batting coach of the Whales from 1963 to 1968, and he was the batting coach of the Kintetsu Buffaloes from 1969 to 1970. The Buffaloes named him their manager in 1971, and he led them to a 65-60 record. The Buffaloes was 2nd in the Pacific League in 1972, but they only went 35-73 in 1973. Iwamoto was fired after the 1973 season, and he became the batting coach of the Nippon Ham Fighters in 1974. He managed the minor league team of the Fighters in 1975 and the Giants from 1977 to 1980.

Overall, Iwamoto hit .236/.295/.347 with 679 hits and 49 homers in 9 years in NPB.

Sources

• Wiki Japan
• NPB.com Bio