Taketoshi Ogami

Taketoshi Ogami (大神 武俊)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 8", Weight 138 lbs.

• High School Hakata Technical High School

• Born November 1, 1932 in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Japan
• Died January 16, 2003

BR register page

Biographical Information

Taketoshi Ogami pitched in Nippon Pro Baseball for 5 years.

Ogami was signed by the Nankai Hawks in 1952, and he entered the rotation as a rookie. He was 8-5 with a 3.15 ERA in his rookie year, and the Hawks named him the starter of the 1952 Nippon Series Game 1. He was the second rookie to start in a Nippon Series opener (following Nobuo Oshima), and only Takahiro Norimoto has done it since in NPB history (through 2023). Ogami allowed 2 runs in 2 innings, and he ended up with a no-decision. He then allowed 3 runs in 2 innings in Game 4, and the Hawks were beaten by the Yomiuri Giants in 6 games.

The Fukuoka native improved to 19-8 with a 2.23 ERA in 1953, and he led the Pacific League in winning percentage and walks. He also ranked 2nd in wins (5 behind Tokuji Kawasaki), 5th in ERA (between Atsushi Aramaki and Jonas Gaines), 7th in strikeouts (between Kawasaki and Junzo Sekine) and 6th in complete games (16, 10 behind Giichi Hayashi). In the 1953 Nippon Series, Ogami started in Game 1, and he only allowed a run in 5 1/3 innings. He then relieved Hiroshi Nakahara in Game 3, and he pitched 1 2/3 shutout innings. Ogami outdueled Hideo Fujimoto as he shutout the Giants with 5 strikeouts in Game 6, then he succeeded Masaharu Obata in the 6th inning of Game 7. However, he surrendered a clutch RBI single to Tetsuharu Kawakami in the 7th inning, and the Hawks lost the series again.

Ogami was selected into the 1954 NPB All-Star Games, but he didn't appeared in either of the games. He was 14-7 with a 2.27 ERA in 1954, then he slumped to 3-1 with a 3.93 ERA in 1955. He pitched 2 shutout innings in 1955 Nippon Series Game 5, then he allowed a run in a inning in Game 6. The Giants beat the Hawks again in 7 games. Ogami only pitched oneagame in 1956, then he announced his retirement. He coached Fukuoka University from 1969 to 1974 and from 1982 to 1990 after retiring. Ogami passed away in 2003 due to stomach cancer.

Overall, Ogami was 44-21 with a 2.59 ERA, struck out 268 and pitched 639 innings in 5 seasons in NPB.

Sources

• Wiki Japan
• NPB.com Bio