Toshio Kanbe

Toshio Kanbe (神部 年男)

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 5' 9", Weight 171 lb.

• High School Takasago High School

• Born March 24, 1943 in Kako-gun, Hyogo Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Toshio Kanbe pitched for 12 seasons in Nippon Pro Baseball and was a 3-time All-Star.

Kanbe played for Mitsubishi Seishi and Fujitetsu Hirohata in the industrial leagues. He then was drafted by the Kintetsu Buffaloes in the 2nd round of the 1969 NPB draft. As a rookie in 1970, he was 8-7 with a 3.24 ERA and .227 opponent average. In 1971, Tanbe tied Osamu Higashio and Tomehiro Kaneda for the Pacific League lead with 51 appearances, going 10-9 with a 3.21 ERA. He was 6th in the PL in ERA, right ahead of Keishi Suzuki.

In 1972, the left-hander went 13-9 with a 2.39 ERA. He finished second in the league in ERA, just .03 behind Toshihiko Sei. He made the PL All-Star team for the first time. Kanbe posted a 7-7, 2.94 record in 1973 and would have finished 10th in the league in ERA had he qualified.

Toshio was 12-7 with a save and a 2.38 ERA in 1974 and was again second in ERA, trailing only Michio Sato. He made his second All-Star team. He led the league with four shutouts. In 1975, the southpaw was 10-8 with a save and a 3.06 ERA. He made his third and last All-Star team. On April 20, he threw a no-hitter against the Nankai Hawks in a 1-0 win.

Kanbe fell to 8-12 with a save and a 3.26 ERA in 1976 and 5-9 with 3 saves and a 3.64 ERA in 1977. In his last Kintetsu campaign, 1978, Toshio was 7-5 with a 3.11 ERA.

Moving to the Yakult Swallows the year before Kintetsu finally made the Japan Series, he was 6-8 with a 4.32 ERA in 1979, 3-5 with a 3.89 ERA in 20 outings in 1980 and 1-3 with 10 saves and a 3.56 ERA in a relief role in 1981, his final season.

Kanbe was 90-89 with 16 saves and a 3.15 ERA in 370 career NPB games with a .248 opponent average and a 1.24 WHIP.

After his pitching career ended, Kanbe coached with Kintetsu and Orix.

Source: Japan Baseball Daily by Gary Garland