Takeo Yoshizawa

Takeo Yoshizawa (吉沢 岳男)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 7", Weight 165 lb.

• High School Matsusho Gakuen High School

• Born July 15, 1933 in Matsumoto, Nagano Japan
• Died July 15, 1971 in Nagoya, Aichi Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Takeo Yoshizawa caught in Nippon Pro Baseball for 16 years.

Yoshizawa was signed by the Nagoya Dragons in 1953, and he spent his first season primarily in the NPB Farm Leagues, only having 4 appearances with the big club. He hit .207/.254/.270 as a backup behind Yasuhiko Kawai in 1955, then he slumped to .115/.158/.250 in 1956. Yoshizawa took the starting spot from Kawai in 1957, and he hit .195/.211/.237. He was also selected into the 1957 NPB All-Star Games, but he didn't have a single at-bat. Yoshizawa then recorded a .210/.249/.294 batting line in 1958. He set the Central League record in the next season as he was hitless in 47 consecutive at-bats, and he held it until Teruaki Sato broke it in 2021. He ended up hitting .171/.220/.234 in 1959.

The Nagano native was selected into the 1960 NPB All-Star Games, and he only got one at-bat though he appeared in all three games; Tadashi Sugiura retired him. He led the Central League in sacrifice flies with 6 in 1960, and his batting line was .211/.243/.298. Yoshizawa still played 119 games with a .190/.221/.239 batting line in 1961, but he had a conflict with manager Wataru Nonin so the Dragons traded him to the Kintetsu Buffaloes. He struggled at the plate in his first two seasons with Kintetsu, as he hit .185/.284/.232 and .198/.261/.290 respectively. Yoshizawa then improved to .258/.325/.318 in 104 games in 1964.

In the 1965 NPB All-Star Game3, Yoshizawa replaced Takeo Daigo as the catcher in the 12th inning, and he got a single against Gene Bacque. He ended up hitting .220/.257/.290 in 1965, then he slumped to .205/.253/.279 in 1966. Yoshizawa lost his spot when Takaomi Kimura joined the team in 1967, and he only played 57 games with a .219/.258/.298 batting line. He then hit .153/.222/.223 in 80 games in 1968, and he was also selected into the 1968 NPB All-Star Game; he was 0-for-1. He was a player-coach from 1967 to 1968. The Buffaloes then traded him back to the Dragons for Susumu Aikawa and Naruhide Sugi, and Yoshikawa announced his retirement after having a 1-for-9 record in 1969.

Overall, Yoshizawa hit .200/.250/.270 with 710 hits and 41 homers in 16 seasons in the NPB.

Sources

• NPB site
• Wiki Japan
• 1968 NPB All Star Game