Yoshihito Oda

Yoshihito Oda (小田 義人)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 10", Weight 167 lb.
• School Waseda University
• High School Shizuoka High School
• Born May 22, 1947 in Shizuoka, Shizuoka Japan
• Died June 5, 2018

BR Register page

Biographical Information

First baseman Yoshihito Oda played in Nippon Professional Baseball from 1973 to 1983. He represented Japan in the 1972 Amateur World Series. His breakout campaign was 1975, when he hit .319/.339/.465 with 16 home runs and 53 RBI in 122 games for the Nippon Ham Fighters. He lost the batting title by .0005 points to Jinten Haku. He never again reached such lofty totals and finished with a slash line of .256/.297/.381 with 67 home runs and 274 RBI in 887 games.

On June 22, 1974, he became Katsuji Sakai's 1,500th strikeout victim.

He later worked as a scout for the Yakult Swallows and Kintetsu Buffaloes, eventually becoming Yakult's scouting director.

Further Reading

• Article on his passing (in Japanese)