Zenpei Yamazaki

Zenpei Yamazaki (山崎 善平)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 8", Weight 150 lb.

• School Meiji University
• High School Chitose High School

• Born April 21, 1926 in Tokyo Prefecture Japan
• Died July 6, 2005

BR Register page

Biographical Information

Outfielder Zenpei Yamazaki played in Nippon Pro Baseball from 1950 to 1957, first coming up for 6 games with the Taiyo Whales in 1950, before coming back with the Nagoya Dragons in 1952, who became known as the Chunichi Dragons the following season, and with whom he spent the remainder of his career.

A graduate of prestigious Meiji University in Tokyo, he was not a particularly strong hitter, with a career batting average of .217 in 383 games and spent most of his career as a back-up, his 233 at-bats in 98 games as a rookie in 1952 both being career highs. That season, on June 3rd, he got his name into the record books when he stole six bases in a single game (including home twice); this represented almost a third of his total of 19 that season, against 4 times caught stealing. He stole 50 bases in his career, easily his most outstanding skill. His record was tied by Kozo Shoda in 1989. Despite setting this record, he never made the league top-10 in any major department.