Tsuneo Takabayashi

Tsuneo Takabayashi (高林 恒夫)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 8", Weight 160 lb.

• School Rikkyo University
• High School Rikkyo High School

• Born January 12, 1938 in Kanda, Tokyo Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Left fielder Tsuneo Takabayashi is the father of Olympic player Takayuki Takabayashi. He hit .432 in the fall of 1959 to claim the Tokyo Big Six University League batting title. He also won gold as a member of the Japanese national team in the 1959 Asian Championship.

Takabayashi joined the Yomiuri Giants in 1961 and hit .219/.279/.275 in 119 games. He led the Central League in sacrifice hits. He made the All-Star team, presumably due to his collegiate fame. In 1962, he played 80 games but only had 105 AB, batting .152/.233/.210. He moved to the Kokutetsu Swallows in 1963 and hit .222/.308/.299 as a regular. His 6 triples tied for Morimichi Takagi and Shigeo Nagashima for the lead in the Central League. In 112 games in 1964, he batted .207/.289/.292 and stole 16 bases in 21 tries. He finished his NPB career in 1965 by hitting .234/.313/.291 in 132 games and being caught in 11 of 21 attempts to steal.

In 581 games in NPB, Takabayashi had hit .217/.295/.285 with 37 stolen bases in 65 attempts.

After retiring, he ran a used book store in Jimbo-cho, Tokyo.

Source: Japanbaseballdaily by Gary Garland