Mitsuo Imazu

Mitsuo Imazu (今津 光男)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 6", Weight 149 lb.

• High School Hyogo Prefectural Amagasaki High School

• Born July 8, 1938 in Amagasaki, Hyogo Japan
• Died November 7, 2005 in Kiyose, Tokyo Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Mitsuo Imazu played in Nippon Pro Baseball for 17 years.

Imazu signed with the Chunichi Dragons in 1957, and he led the minor Western League with a 0.23 ERA. He then suffered from an elbow injury, and he was turned into an infielder. Imazu hit .174/.186/.245 in 1958, and he was 5-for-34 in 1959. He then had a .203/.253/.257 batting line in 1960, and he only played 56 games with a .205/.205/.282 batting line in 1962 after missing the entire 1961 season due to injuries. Imazu was a backup shortstop behind Akiteru Kono in 1963, and he hit .176/.210/.227 in 101 games. He then had a .178/.224/.254 batting line in 1964, and the Dragons released him.

The Hiroshima Carp picked him up, and Imazu struggled again as he hit .167/.224/.210 in 81 games. He still got the starting shortstop spot with his solid defense, and he recorded a .227/.264/.288 batting line in 1966. Imazu batted .185/.232/.240 with 13 steals in 1967, and he collected a career-high 25 steals with a .234/.278/.341 batting line in 1968. He led the Central League with 18 times caught stealing, and he was 3rd in steals (between Isao Shibata and Shigeru Takada). Imazu struggled at the plate again in 1969 as he had a .188/.231/.223 batting line with 19 steals, and he tied Toshio Naka for 4th in steals.

Imazu lost his spot because Toshiyuki Mimura shined in 1970, and he had a .198/.241/.255 batting line in 100 games. He batted .208/.296/.222 in 55 games in 1971, and he was 9-for-61 in 1972. Imazu then played 73 games with a .194/.216/.241 batting line in 1973, and he was sent to the Hankyu Braves. He hit .184/.215/.184 in 62 games in 1974, and he was 2-for-14 in 1975. He appeared in the 1975 Nippon Series Game 1 as a backup shortstop, and the Braves beat the Carp in 6 games. Imazu announced his retirement after the 1975 season, and he was the fielding coach for the Nippon Ham Fighters from 1976 to 1986. He was also the fielding coach for the Orix Braves from 1990 to 1991 and for the Kintetsu Buffaloes from 1992 to 1993. Imazu then coached the Ssangbangwool Raiders from 1996 to 1997.

Overall, Imazu hit .196/.236/.255 with 544 hits and 18 homers in 17 seasons in NPB.

Sources

• Wiki Japan