Etsuo Nakai

Etsuo Nakai (中井 悦雄)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11", Weight 191 lb.

• School Kansai University
• High School Daitetsu High School

• Born June 24, 1943 in Osaka Prefecture Japan
• Died August 23, 1979 in Osaka Prefecture Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Etsuo Nakai pitched in Nippon Pro Baseball for 6 years.

Nakai signed with the Hanshin Tigers in 1963, and he went 13-1 in the minors while leading the Western League in wins and ERA. He reached the big club in September, and he set the Central League record for 31 consecutive innings without allowing any runs to open a season (broken by Shoki Murakami in 2023). Nakai ended up 4-1 with a 1.22 ERA in his rookie year, then he went 1-2 with a 3.66 ERA in 1964. However, he allowed pitched one more game in the next four seasons, and he went to the Nishitetsu Lions in 1969. Nakai pitched 31 games with a 3.75 ERA in his first season with the Lions, and he had a 3.24 ERA in 42 relief outings in 1970. He pitched 17 games with a 4.80 ERA in 1971, then he announced his retirement. The Tigers named him their minor league pitching coach in 1979, but he passed away due to a heart attack in the middle of the season.

Overall, Nakai was 9-6 with a 3.33 ERA, struck out 145 and pitched 245 2/3 innings in 6 seasons in NPB.

Sources

• Wiki Japan