Tsuneo Kobayashi

Tsuneo Kobayashi (小林 経旺)

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 5' 10", Weight 156 lbs.

• High School Taichung Shogyo High School

• Born January 1, 1926 in Nagano, Nagano Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Tsuneo Kobayashi pitched in Nippon Pro Baseball for 11 years.

Kobayashi played for Taiwan Power in the Industrial League after he graduated from high school. The Kinsei Stars signed him in 1948, and he was 3-9 with a 2.37 ERA in his rookie year. Kobayashi jumped to the Taiyo Robins with his manager Shuichi Ishimoto in 1949, and he was 3-7 with a 6.07 ERA. He struggled again in 1950 as his ERA was 6.14 in 11 games, then he entered the rotation in 1951. Kobayashi was 18-15 with a 4.85 ERA in 1951, and he led the Central League in hits allowed, wild pitches and runs allowed. He also ranked 5th in wins (between Takehiko Bessho and Ryohei Hasegawa), 6th in strikeouts (between Hasegawa and Kiyoshi Matsuda), 3rd in innings (between Bessho and Shigeru Sugishita) and 3rd in losses (tied with Minoru Kasamatsu and Hiroyoshi Takano).

The Nagano native had a 12-27 record with a 3.69 ERA in 1952, and he set the CL record for most losses in a a season; he still held the record as of 2023. Kobayashi also led the league in hits and runs allowed, ranking 3rd in strikeouts (between Bessho and Sugishita) and 3rd in shutouts (6, tied with Sugishita). He slumped to 1-5 with a 4.84 ERA in 1953, and he went 2-6 with a 4.06 ERA in 1954. Kobayashi had a 2-14 record with a 4.10 ERA in 1955, and he tied Takashi Eda for 8th in losses. His ERA was 3.47 with a 4-13 record in 1956, and he was 0-7 with a 4.69 ERA in 1957. Taiyo released him after the 1957 season, and the Kintetsu Buffaloes picked him up. However, he was 0-2 with a 4.14 ERA in 1958, then he announced his retirement.

Overall, Kobayashi was 46-110 with a 4.24 ERA, struck out 549 and pitched 1,444 2/3 innings in 11 years in NPB. He was the only pitcher in NPB history to have 60 more losses than wins, and he was also the only pitcher to collect 100 or more losses while his career wins were less than 50. As of 2023, he ranked 83th in losses, tied with Hisanobu Watanabe and Yukinaga Maeda.

Sources

• Wiki Japan
• NPB.com Bio