Takayuki Takabayashi
From BR Bullpen
Takayuki Takabayashi
- Born September 12, 1967 in Kanagawa Prefecture Japan
Takayuki Takabayashi is the son of Tsuneo Takabayashi. He never played in Nippon Pro Baseball but appeared for the Japanese national team in several events, usually hitting leadoff.
Takabayashi was the right fielder in the 1993 Intercontinental Cup, batting .364/.400/.667 with 10 runs and 4 steals in 10 games. He tied for third in the Cup in steals, trailing teammates Toshihisa Nishi and Tatsuya Ide. He was an All-Star outfielder in the 1993 Asian Championship, in which Japan won Gold.
He hit .314/.415/.800 in the 1994 Baseball World Cup with 5 homers, 9 runs and 16 RBI in 9 games. He also stole 3 bases in 3 tries. His 11th-inning home run in the quarterfinals helped put Japan in position for the Bronze Medal they eventually claimed. He tied Omar Linares for third in homers behind Orestes Kindelan and Antonio Pacheco and tied Kindelan for third in RBI, behind Lourdes Gourriel and Pacheco. He tied for third in steals.
In the 1995 Intercontinental Cup, Takabayashi batted .400/.405/.629 with 10 runs in 8 games and was 5th in the tournament in hits.
He had two outfield assists in the 1996 Olympics and helped Japan win a Silver Medal. He hit .184/.279/.500 in the tourney with 9 runs in 9 games. Four of his 7 hits were home runs.
In the 1997 Intercontinental Cup, the center fielder batted .378/.385/.486 with 9 runs in 9 games. He was 2 for 5 with two runs in the historic victory over the Cuban national team in the Gold Medal game.
