Koji Shimada

Koji Shimada (島田 光二)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 8", Weight 165 lb.

• High School Yokkaichi High School

• Born April 12, 1936 in Yokkaichi, Mie Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Koji Shimada played in Nippon Pro Baseball for 13 years.

Shimada signed with the Kintetsu Pearls in 1955, and he hit .276/.304/.303 in 35 games in his first season. Shimada then had a .271/.333/.321 batting line in 75 games in 1956, and he played 70 games with a .222/.300/.307 batting line in 1957. He was Kintetsu's main shortstop in 1958, and his batting line was .219/.270/.277 in 105 games. Shimada struggled again in 1959 as he only batted .186/.251/.232, then he soon bounced back with a .287/.341/.387 batting line in 1960. He recorded a .227/.316/.273 batting line in 100 games in 1961.

Kintetsu named him their starting first baseman in 1962. Shimada crushed a career-high 10 homers with a .278/.330/.411 batting line that season, and he collected 4 triples with a 259/.329/.363 batting line in 1963. Shimada was 6th in triples in the Pacific League, tied with Kazuhiro Yamauchi, Shuzo Aono, Yoji Tamatsukuri, Shoichi Busujima, Motoaki Horigome and Koichi Iwashita. He hit .243/.338/.363 in 105 games in 1964, and he slumped to .205/.273/.260 in 1965. He was 14-for-66 in 1966, and he only played 6 games in 1967. Shimada then announced his retirement, and he coached in the Kintetsu system from 1967 to 1973 and from 1984 to 1988. When manager Takashi Iwamoto left the team in 1973 due to illness, Shimada was the interim manager for 18 games.

Overall, Shimada hit .243/.308/.329 with 593 hits and 32 homers in 13 seasons in NPB.

Sources

• Wiki Japan