Hideo Iijima

Hideo Iijima (飯島 秀雄)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 9", Weight 160 lb.

• School Waseda University
• High School Meguro Gakuin High School, Mito Agricultural High School

• Born January 1, 1943 in Mito, Ibaraki Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Hideo Iijima was a sprinter in college, and he set the Japan record for 100 metres twice. He represented Japan in the Olympics twice. The Lotte Orions picked him in the 9th round of the 1968 NPB draft, and he was used as a pinch-runner in his entire career. He played 61 games with 26 runs and 10 steals in 1969, and he collected 12 steals in 21 tries with 19 runs in 1970. He scored twice in the 1970 Nippon Series, and the Giants beat the Orions in 5 games. Iijima only played 6 games in 1971, and he announced his retirement. While he scored 46 times in 117 games, he was only 23-for-40 in steal attempts, looking more like Herb Washington than some of the successful NPB pinch-running specialists. As he played in a spring training game against the Oakland A's, he may have given Charlie Finley the idea to sign Washington.

Sources

• Wiki Japan