Takeshi Suzuki

Takeshi Suzuki (鈴木 武)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 6", Weight 145 lbs.

• High School Naruo High School

• Born February 28, 1932 in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Japan
• Died June 27, 2004 in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Takeshi Suzuki played in the Nippon Pro Baseball for 11 years and once led the league in steals.

Suzuki was signed by the Kintetsu Pearls in 1953, and he soon became their starting shortstop. He played all 120 games with a .274/.302/.351 batting line, and ranked 4th in the Pacific League in steals, 21 behind Larry Raines. The speedy shortstop had a .254/.284/.308 batting line in the next season, and led the league in steals with 71. In fact, Suzuki reached 60 steals near the All-Star break, but he stopped trying to swipe bags because a reporter sarcastically said that he was obsessed with personal record. He finished seven shy of Tadasuke Kiduka's PL record for swipes.

The Nishinomiya native collided with Atsushi Aramaki when he was fielding in the opening game of the 1955 season and his right ankle was fractured. Suzuki missed the entire season, and that injury took away some of his speed. He only hit .244/.292/.285 with 37 steals in 1956, and had a .276/.316/.337 line with 23 steals in 1957. He changed his position to second base when Chusuke Kizuka joined the team in 1957, and he slumped to .231/.277/.269 in 1958. When Hirofumi Naito jumped to Kintetsu from the Yomiuri Giants, Suzuki was moved back to shortstop, but he still struggled with a .239/.259/.279 batting line in 1959.

When Koji Shimada shined in 1960, Suzuki lost his spot so he only played 20 games before the All-Star break. The Kintetsu then traded him to the Taiyo Whales for cash. Although Suzuki's batting was still poor as his batting line was .210/.252/.250, he still contributed as a pinch-runner or 4th outfielder. In the 1960 Nippon Series, Suzuki went 2-for-14 and won his only Nippon Series title. Taiyo named him as their starting shortstop in 1961, and he hit .238/.271/.275 with 12 steals. However, when Francis Agcaoili and Mike Krsnich joined the team, Suzuki lost his spot and he announced his retirement after the 1963 season.

Overall, Suzuki had hit .243/.276/.289 with 246 steals and 875 hits in 11 seasons in NPB.

Related Sites

• NPB site
• Wiki Japan