Yasuhiko Kawai

Yasuhiko Kawai (河合 保彦)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 10", Weight 170 lb.

• High School Gifu High School

• Born October 3, 1933 in Gifu, Gifu Japan
• Died September 11, 1984

BR register page

Biographical Information

Catcher Yasuhiko Kawai was a 4-time All-Star in Nippon Pro Baseball.

Kawai was signed by the Nagoya Dragons in 1952, and he spent his first two seasons primarily in the NPB Farm Leagues, only having 42 at-bats combined with the big club. He hit .244/.321/.433 in 70 games as a backup behind Akira Noguchi in 1954, and he was 3-for-12 in the 1954 Nippon Series. The Dragons beat the Nishitetsu Lions in 7 games, and Kawai won his only Nippon Series title. Kawai was named their starting catcher in 1955, and he hit .192/.240/.289 in 113 games. He was also selected into the 1955 NPB All-Star Games, but he didn't get a single at-bat.

The Gifu native attended the All-Star Games in the next summer, and he was 0-for-2. He ended up hitting .189/.258/.283 in 1956, and he lost his starting spot when Takeo Yoshizawa shined in 1957. Kawai's batting line was .211/.317/.333 in 123 at-bats in 1957, and he played 60 games with a .197/.292/.339 batting line in 1958. The Dragons then traded him to the Lions for cash after the 1958 season. Kawai was selected into the 1959 NPB All-Star Games, and he was 0-for-1. He recorded a .186/.284/.284 batting line in 94 games in 1959.

The veteran catcher was a backup behind Hiromi Wada in 1960, so he only played 62 games with a .253/.333/.437 batting line. He was then named the starting catcher in 1961 when Wada was injured, and he hit .268/.293/.446 with a career-high 12 homers. Kawai was on the Pacific League roster for the 1962 NPB All-Star Games, but he didn't appear in either of the games. He ended up hitting .233/.305/.358 in 1962, then he slumped to .205/.304/.376 in 1963. He was 1-for-1 in the 1963 Nippon Series, and the Lions were beaten by the Yomiuri Giants in 7 games. Kawai only hit .205/.304/.376 in 1964, and his batting line was .173/.239/.317 and .216/.271/.291 respectively in the next two seasons. When prospects Katsutoshi Miyadera and Kimiyasu Murakami shined in 1967, Kawai only got 26 appearances and he announced his retirement. He coached the Lions from 1970 to 1971.

Overall, Kawai hit .212/.283/.337 with 507 hits and 58 homers in 16 seasons in the NPB.

Sources

• NPB site
• Wiki Japan
• 1959 NPB All Star Game