Satoshi Takahashi (02)

Satoshi Takahashi (高橋 里志)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 10", Weight 167 lbs.

• High School Tsuruga Technical High School

• Born May 17, 1948 in Tsuruga, Fukui, Japan
• Died January 31, 2021 in Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Satoshi Takahashi played in Nippon Pro Baseball for 17 years and once led the league in wins and another time in ERA.

Takahashi was drafted by the Nankai Hawks in the 4th round of the 1967 NPB draft, but he struggled in his early career. He only pitched 19 games with a terrible 6.33 ERA in 1971, and never pitched more than 5 games in the other seasons before the Hawks released him in 1972. Satoshi decided to retire after that season, but the manager of the Hiroshima Carp, Takeshi Koba, continuously tried to persuade him, and Takahashi finally agreed to joined the Carp in 1974.

After returning to the mound and spending two seasons in the NPB Farm Leagues, Takahashi improved and had a 8-7 record with a 3.67 ERA in 1976. The young righty became the ace of the Carp in 1977, won a Central League-leading 20 wins with a solid 3.73 ERA. He also led the league in starts, complete games and innings, ranked 8th in ERA (1.41 behind Hisao Niura) and 2nd in strikeouts (20 behind Kojiro Ikegaya). Takahashi also appeared in 1977 NPB All-Star Game 3, when he pitched 1 2/3 innings and allowed a solo shot to Shimatani Kinji.

The Fukui native slumped to 10-14 with a 5.36 ERA in 1978, and struggled again as he had a 3-5 record with a 5.59 ERA in 1979. He only pitched 12 games in 1980 and the Carp traded him to the Nippon-Ham Fighters for Kazushi Saeki. Takahashi was used as a middle-inning reliever and he had a 3.88 ERA in 22 appearances in 1981. In the 1981 Nippon Series, he pitched 1 2/3 inning in Game 3 and completed an inning in both Game 4 and Game 6, but he couldn't stop the Yomiuri Giants from beating them in 6 games.

Takahashi had his last productive campaign in 1982, having a 8-5 record and won the Pacific League ERA title with a 1.84 ERA, .26 ahead of runner-up Mikio Kudo. He was the first pitcher in NPB history to win an ERA title in one league and lead the league in wins in the other league. He slumped to 5-7 with a 5.99 ERA in 1983, and the Fighters released him after he only pitched 12 games in 1984. The Kintetsu Buffaloes picked him up, and he recorded a 4.47 ERA in 35 games in 1985. However, Takahashi only pitched a game for the Kintetsu in 1986, and he announced his retirement after that season.

Overall, Takahashi was 61-61 with a 4.44 ERA, struck out 603 and pitched 1,166 2/3 innings in 17 years in the NPB.

Related Sites

• Wiki Japan
• NPB.com Bio