Yoshitaka Mizuo

Yoshitaka Mizuo (水尾 嘉孝)

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 5' 11", Weight 180 lb.

• School Fukui University of Technology
• High School Meitoku Gijuku High School

• Born May 2, 1968 in Kashihara, Nara Japan

BR Register page

Biographical Information

Yoshitaka Mizuo pitched in Nippon Pro Baseball and for the Japanese national team.

Mizuo represented Japan in the 1990 Baseball World Cup and 1990 Goodwill Games, though he did not appear in the former event. The Taiyo Whales drafted him in the first round of the 1986 NPB draft. Mizuo spent most of the first three years of his career in the NPB Farm Leagues due to a waist injury, only having 20 appearances combined with the big club. The Whales traded him with Atsunori Itoh, Tomiji Iizuka to the Orix BlueWave for Takashi Watabe and Kenji Horie in 1994.

Mizuo still stayed in the ni-gun in the first two years with the BlueWave, only pitching a game in each season. He broke out in 1997, as he recorded an elite 2.26 ERA in a Pacific League-leading 68 appearances. He improved to a 1.89 ERA in 55 games in 1998. His ERA rose to 3.00 in 1999, and he missed half of the 2000 season due to a left elbow injury.

He allowed 12 runs in 17 1/3 innings after coming back, and the BlueWave released him after the 2000 season. The Seibu Lions picked him up, and the Nara native bounced back with a 3.99 ERA in 48 appearances. Mizuo had a solid 1.80 ERA in 35 games in 2002, but he suffered a waist injury and missed nearly the entire 2003 season. The Lions released him after that season. Mizuo joined the Anaheim Angels in 2004, but he only had a terrible 6.18 ERA with the AAA Salt Lake Stingers. He was demoted to the Arkansas Travelers, but he still struggled as his ERA rose to 6.48. Mizuo announced his retirement after the 2006 season.

Overall, Mizuo was 7-9 with a 3.42 ERA and pitched 252 1/3 innings in 12 seasons in NPB.

Sources

• NPB site
• Wiki Japan
• Defunct IBAF site