Toshiharu Ueda
From BR Bullpen
Toshiharu Ueda
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 5' 9", Weight 171 lbs.
- High School Tokushima Kainan High School
- School Kansai University
- Born January 18, 1937
[edit] Biographical Information
Toshiharu Ueda was a classic Japanese manager who won three consecutive Japan Series titles between 1975-77. In all, he won five pennants managing the Hankyu Braves.
In Game 7 of the 1978 Nippon Series, Ueda protested a call made by umpire Yuichi Tanimura. Complaining that the home run hit by Katsuo Osugi was foul, Ueda argued for 79 minutes before Commissioner Kaneko was called on to rule on the matter. The home run was ruled fair, and in his next at bat, Osugi hit another home run that there was no doubt about.
Ueda was directly responsible for the early retirement of Yutaka Fukumoto. While announcing the retirement of Hisashi Yamada, Ueda accidentally announced that Fukumoto was also retiring. Fukumoto decided to go ahead and leave since it had already been announced even though he was intending on coming back for another season.
In 1996, Ueda asked for a leave of absence a month before the end of the season for family matters. It was later revealed that his wife and daughter had become involved with the Moonies.
Ueda was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 2003.
