Kazuo Hoshiba

Kazuo Hoshiba (干場 一夫)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 7", Weight 138 lb.

• High School Asahikawa Higashi High School

• Born April 29, 1924 in Asahikawa, Hokkaido Japan
• Died November 12, 2013

BR register page

Biographical Information

Kazuo Hoshiba played in Nippon Pro Baseball for 3 years.

Hoshiba signed with the Osaka Tigers in 1950, and he was 10-4 with a 3.88 ERA in his first season. On April 22, when manager Kenjiro Matsuki didn't know whether their opponent, the Chunichi Dragons, would start lefty Hideo Shimizu or righty Tsuguhiro Hattori, so he assigned Hoshiba as the first leadoff batter. When the game started, Matsuki then used lefty Masayasu Kaneda to replace Hoshiba because the starter was Hattori. Hoshiba was the first player to be used as this role in NPB history. He went 4-6 with a 4.54 ERA in 1951, and he had a 3.07 ERA in 17 appearances in 1952. He announced his retirement because of a shoulder injury after the '52 season.

Overall, Hoshiba was 14-10 with a 3.98 ERA, struck out 62 and pitched 303 innings in 3 seasons in NPB.

Sources

• Wiki Japan