Batting average .270 Total bases 4474 Height 1.75 m Hits 2543 Stolen Bases 266 Weight 73 kg | Runs batted in 1448 Name Sachio Kinugasa Inducted 1996 Home runs 504 Role Baseball player | |
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Similar People Koji Yamamoto, Yoshihiko Takahashi, Manabu Kitabeppu, Yutaka Fukumoto, Kiyoshi Nakahata | ||
Cal and sachio kinugasa talk about the bat cal used when breaking his record
Sachio Kinugasa (衣笠 祥雄, born January 18, 1947 in Kyoto, Japan) is a former Japanese baseball player with Hiroshima Carp. He is nicknamed Tetsujin, meaning "Iron Man". He played in a then world-record 2,215 consecutive games, passing Lou Gehrig's mark in 1987. (This record was later broken by Cal Ripken, Jr. in 1996.)
Contents
- Cal and sachio kinugasa talk about the bat cal used when breaking his record
- Ironman from japan sachio kinugasa honored at the cal ripken world series
- Biography
- Playing career
- Retirement
- Awards and accolades
- References
Kinugasa is mostly remembered for his consecutive game streak, but he ranks 7th in Nippon Professional Baseball in career home runs (504), 5th in career hits (2543), and 10th in career RBIs (1448), showing that he was one of the most consistent hitters in Japanese baseball. He was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1996.
Ironman from japan sachio kinugasa honored at the cal ripken world series
Biography
Kinugasa's father was an African American serviceman stationed in Japan after World War II. Kinugasa's mother was Japanese, and she raised him by herself.
Playing career
Kinugasa entered the Heian high school in Kyoto, and advanced to the Japanese National High School Baseball Championship twice in his senior year as a catcher. He was signed by the Hiroshima Carp in 1965, and spent several years in the minors before being converted to first base in 1968. He became the team's regular first baseman, hitting 21 home runs with a .276 batting average. In 1975, he moved to third base at the suggestion of manager Joe Lutz, and his efforts helped the Hiroshima Carp win their first ever league championship. He led the league in stolen bases in 1976, and won the MVP award in 1984 as his team won the Japanese championship series. Kinugasa's solid hitting and defense made him one of the central players of the Carp's golden age in the late 70s and early 80s.
His jersey number (28, later changed to 3) gave him the nickname, Tetsujin (Iron Man), after the robot manga "Tetsujin 28" (Known as Gigantor in the United States). Kinugasa was worthy of his nickname, playing in games even when he was badly injured. His consecutive game streak began in October, 1970, and ended when he retired in 1987, passing Lou Gehrig's record in the major leagues to become the world record. His streak of 2215 consecutive games played was broken in 1996 by Cal Ripken, Jr., who played in 2632 straight games in the major leagues.
Retirement
Kinugasa currently writes baseball related articles for newspapers, and sometimes appears on variety television shows. His eldest son, Tomoaki, has had a successful career as an actor.
Awards and accolades
Kinugasa was given the People's Honour Award for his performance in the professional leagues. He and Sadaharu Oh are the only baseball players to have received the award. His jersey number (3) was retired by the Carp in 1987.
There is a baseball stadium in Nagasaki named after Kinugasa.