Zenzo Hasegawa

Zenzo Hasegawa (長谷川 善三)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 6", Weight 123 lb.

• High School Yonago Higashi High School

• Born January 6, 1923 in Tottori Prefecture Japan
• Died February 12, 1998

BR register page

Biographical Information

Zenzo Hasegawa played 12 seasons in Nippon Pro Baseball, appearing at every position except catcher and first base.

Hasegawa debuted as a pitcher for Nankai in 1941, going 0-2 with a 3.15 ERA. He walked 19 in 19 1/3 IP. The next year, he went 0-1 with a 2.63 ERA. Hasegawa was 0-1 with a 2.93 ERA overall as a pitcher. In 1942, though, he was in the transition to shortstop. He hit .219/.283/.240 with only two runs produced in 106 PA.

In 1943, the 20-year-old batted just .137/.193/.165 in 80 games, with 10 runs and 9 RBI. He led the Japanese Professional Baseball League in sacrifice hits. He missed the next two years. Hasegawa returned to action in 1946, batting .270/.354/.343 for a career year in terms of raw stats; he had joined the Osaka Tigers that campaign. In 1947, Zenzo produced a a .193/.259/.245 clip and led the JPBL again in sacrifices. He remained a regular with Osaka despite that, though 1948 spelled more trouble with a .199/.250/.248 line. In 1949, Zenzo hit .219/.264/.288.

Moving on to the Nishitetsu Clippers in 1950, Hasegawa hit .207/.236/.279 in 111 games. He led the Pacific League in sacrifice hits but also set a record with a five-error performance on March 16. In 1951, he hit .190/.246/.230 for the club, now known as the Nishitetsu Lions.

Playing for the Mainichi Orions in the 1952 season, the 29-year-old veteran put up a .255/.319/.339 batting line in his last year playing regularly. In 1953, he hit .206/.235/.252 in 65 games.

When the expansion Takahashi Unions were formed in 1954, they drafted Hasegawa but Zenzo only was 0 for 6 in two games to complete his career. Overall, he had batted .209/.270/.266 in 927 games.

After retiring, Hasegawa coached and scouted for Nishitetsu.

Principal Source: Japanbaseballdaily.com by Gary Garland