Teruo Iko

Teruo Iko (伊香 輝男)

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 5' 8", Weight 170 lb.

• School Doshisha University
• High School Doshisha Kori High School

• Born April 9, 1934 in Neyagawa, Osaka Japan
• Died June 1, 2009 in Minoh, Osaka Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Teruo Iko played in Nippon Pro Baseball for 12 years.

Iko signed with the Kintetsu Buffaloes in 1957, and he hit .230/.266/.295 in his first season. He then played 83 games with a .272/.326/.343 batting line as Kintetsu's starting center fielder in 1958, but he slumped to .222/.293/.276 in 1959 after he was moved to left field. Iko recorded a .227/.287/.319 batting line in 1960, and he hit .248/.303/.287 in 1961. He improved to .328/.380/.432 in 1962, but his batting line soon fell to .205/.266/.282 in 1963. Iko lost his spot after Masahiro Doi was turned into an outfielder, and he was used as a pinch-hitter in the rest of his career. Iko was 19-for-82 in 1964, and he went 16-for-79 in 1965. He played 84 games with a solid .307/.366/.373 batting line in 1966, and he was a pinch-hitter in every game. Iko set the NPB record for most consecutive pinch-hit appearances, and he would hold it until Kazuyoshi Tatsunami broke in 2007. He was 11-for-50 in 1967, but he only got 9 at-bats in 1968 and he announced his retirement. Iko later coached the Buffaloes in 1969, and he also coached their minors team in 1970.

Overall, Sasaki hit .248/.308/.315 with 375 hits and 10 homers in 12 seasons in NPB.

Sources

• Wiki Japan