Yasuhiro Kunisada

Yasuhiro Kunisada (国貞 泰汎)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 5", Weight 158 lb.

• High School Goko High School

• Born January 1, 1944 in Kure, Hiroshima Japan

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Biographical Information

Yasuhiro Kunisada was a three-time All-Star in Nippon Pro Baseball.

Kunisada debuted with the 1964 Nankai Hawks, hitting .247/.318/.374. He batted .294/.350/.412 He fell to .246/.277/.332 in 1965. In 1966, he put up a .264/.320/.362 line. He made the Pacific League All-Star team and was named to the Best Nine as the circuit's top second baseman. He went 4 for 20 with a homer in the 1966 Japan Series, which Nankai lost to the Yomiuri Giants.

Yasuhiro produced at a .274/.319/.412 rate in 1967 and .276/.332/.397 in 1968. The latter year, he again made the Best Nine, this time at third base. He batted .263/.335/.377 in 1969.

Moving to the Hiroshima Carp, the Kure native hit .255/.335/.324 in 1970 and .274/.329/.347 in 1971. He made the Central League's Best Nine at second base and also was picked for the All-Star team. In 1972, the veteran infielder hit .293/.366/.352. He was 5th in the CL in average, between Sachio Kinugasa and Isao Shibata. He suffered a shoulder injury in 1973 and never recovered, hitting .175/.260/.208 that year and going 10 for 47 with 3 walks in 1974. He ended up with the Taiheiyo Club Lions in 1975, batting only .195/.240/.221 in a back-up role.

Overall, Kunisada had hit .261/.321/.352 in 1,252 games in NPB. He later was a baseball commentator, ran a bar and coached youth baseball.

Source: Japanbaseballdaily