Toshihide Yamane

Toshihide Yamane (山根 俊英) ("The Magician")

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 9", Weight 165 lb.

• School Tottori Agricultural College
• High School Tottori Nishi High School

• Born March 1, 1928 in Yonago, Tottori Japan
• Died March 5, 2009 in Japan

BR Register page

Biographical Information

Toshihide Yamane was a Japanese pitcher turned coach who later became a manager in the Chinese Professional Baseball League.

Yamane was a pitcher with the Mainichi Orions from 1951 to 1956 and the Taiyo Whales during 1957 and 1958. He was 4-4 with a 3.64 ERA in 1951 and led the Pacific League with 4 wild pitches. In 1952, he had a 12-6, 3.14 record, and he was 8th in the league in ERA (between Giichi Hayashi and Jimmy Newberry), 10th in wins (11 behind Masaaki Noguchi) and 9th in strikeouts (between Hiroshi Nakahara and Junzo Sekine). Yamane attended the 1952 NPB All-Star Game, and he 4 shutout innings in Game 1. He completed 2 innings with a run allowed in Game 2, and it was the only All-Star representation in his career. He led the circuit with 7 wild pitches.

In 1953, Yamane was 1-6 despite a 3.44 ERA. He went 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA in 3 games in 1954. In 1955, Toshihide went 3-5 with a 2.37 ERA, walking only 19 in 91 innings. During the 1956 season, he was 6-5 with a 1.42 ERA, walking 28 in 113 2/3 IP. Had he qualified, he would have been third in the PL in ERA. Yamane went 3-4 with a 3.17 ERA 1957. He allowed 17 hits and 9 runs in 6 1/3 IP in 1958 to wrap up his career on the hill.

He then became a pitching coach in several NPB organizations including the Orions, Whales, Yakult Atoms, and Toei Flyers. Yamane joined the front office of the Yokohama Taiyo Whales in 1981. In 1992, Yamane became the pitching coach for the Brother Elephants in the CPBL. From 1993 to 1995, he was the Elephants' manager. During his tenure as coach and manager, the Elephants won three straight Taiwan Series (1992-1994). From 1997 to 1999, Yamane was the pitching coach for the Kaoping Fala in the rival Taiwan Major League. Yamane later returned to Japan to coach and lecture Japanese youth league players. He died of lung cancer in 2009. Although he passed away on March 5, his death was not announced by the Japanese media until more than a month later. The Elephants held a moment of silence for him prior to their game on April 26.

Overall, Yamane was 30-30 with a 2.92 ERA, struck out 220 and pitched 621 2/3 innings in 8 seasons in NPB.

Further Reading

• Taiwan Baseball Wiki
• Tribute and obit
• Wiki Japan