Takahiro Shirahata

Takahiro Shirahata (白幡 隆宗)

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 5' 8", Weight 190 lb.

• High School Nishogakusha High School

• Born May 27, 1962 in Koto, Tokyo Japan
• Died unknown

BR register page

Biographical Information

Takahiro Shirahata played in Nippon Pro Baseball for 8 years.

Shirahata signed with the Seibu Lions in 1981, and he stayed in the NPB Farm Leagues in his first three seasons. He also hit .284/.369/.351 in 112 games as a utility man for the San Jose Bees in 1983, and he had a .229/.317/.290 batting line there in 1984. Shirahata was 6-for-21 for Seibu in 1985, and he pinch-hit for Hatsuhiko Tsuji in the 8th inning of the 1985 Nippon Series Game 5. He was retired by Kiyooki Nakanishi, and the Lions lost to the Hanshin Tigers. Shirahata then went 2-for-12 in 1986, and he hit .294/.339/.413 in 50 games in 1987. He was 2-for-10 in the 1987 Nippon Series, and he won his only Japan Series title as the Lions beat the Yomiuri Giants in 6 games. Shirahata won the batting title of the Eastern League in 1988, but he only got 19 at-bats for the big club and he was traded to the Giants for Ko Okamoto. He hit .245/.268/.302 in 1989, but he only played 7 games in 1990 and he was released. The Taiyo Whales signed him, and Shirahata played 64 games with a .265/.319/.409 batting line in 1991. He was 4-for-17 in 1992 NPB|1992. Returning to the US, he batted .204/.250/.265 for the Sioux Falls Canaries in 1994. He then announced his retirement.

Overall, Shirahata hit .257/.309/.384 with 95 hits and 8 homers in 8 seasons in NPB and .256/.342/.320 in two minor league seasons. He played catcher, all four infield spots and the outfield during his career; LF/CF/RF breakdowns aren't available but it's possible he played every position except pitcher.

Sources

• Wiki Japan