Collecting and Translating the 1973 Calbee Bat-Backs (Part 2)

    Part 2 of my ‘73 Calbee translation series highlights two ‘Giant’ arms. Shigeo Nagashima and Sadaharu Oh may have been the lineup linchpins who fueled Yomiuri’s suffocating 60’s and 70’s dynasty, but hurlers Tsuneo Horiuchi and Kazumi Takahashi also played a major role. Like Nagashima and Oh, Takahashi and Horiuchi debuted a year apart. Each won two Sawamura awards. Although lefty Takahashi edged righty Horiuchi in career ERA and strikeouts, Horiuchi is a Hall of Famer while Takahashi is not. This is most likely due to Horiuchi reaching 200 wins, though it’s possible that his MVP and even having played his whole career for the Giants put him over as well. More on the two mound mates later, but first another from the HR king. 

#11 Oh - First Baseman (Giants)

Oh's Defense

The Giants' defense is an iron wall. Above all, when it shifts for a bunt, the batter must worry about whether Oh at first or Nagashima at third will get the ball, no matter how he lays it down. Swing for the fences and risk striking out. Try to force a bunt and get caught in a double play. Oh’s defense at first is a model for other players.

 

#13  Horiuchi - Pitcher (Giants)

Cheerful Horiuchi

 Horiuchi, known as "the Little Rascal," has become a mainstay in the Giants rotation after winning 26 games in '72 and at least 10 games a season since his debut. A holder of 8 titles, not the least of which is MVP, he enjoyed the "Year of Horiuchi" in the Central League last season.  Gifted in mind, body and skill, Horiuchi has worked his way up to Giants' Ace. Keep an eye out for what he does next. 

 

#14  Horiuchi - Pitcher (Giants)

Horiuchi's Pitching Record

 #15  Horiuchi - Pitcher (Giants)

Will He Become a True Ace and Star of Korakuen?

It is said that a true ace always reaches the 20-win mark. Horiuchi will need to train extra hard this year to earn that distinction. He is doing his best to rival “Star of Koshien” Hyuma Hoshi in becoming the “Star of Korakuen.” Even a Giants ace must help maintain the field and retrieve balls. Let’s all cheer him on. 

    Hyuma Hoshi is not a real person but rather the main character of the classic baseball manga, Star of the Giants. It seems likely that this card instead references a “Star of Korakuen” (then the Giants’ home park) as a copyright consideration. The name Hoshi literally means star but is in fact an actual Japanese surname. The character’s name likely wasn’t copyrighted itself and so was used freely. 

 

#16  Takahashi (Kazu) - Pitcher (Giants)

 Lefty Ace! Kazumi Takahashi

 Takahashi achieved a 20 plus win season in 1969, three years earlier than even Horiuchi. Since then, he has gone on to become a lefty ace, posting 10 or more wins each season. Given his success as a fastball pitcher, he has even gotten invitations to the Big Leagues. His task for this year has been control. Like his name, he was seeing 3-1 a lot, so he needed to reduce his walk total and put batters away earlier. His efforts have paid off. As of June 15 this year, his top ranked ERA and his 9 victories, a mark he only reached more than halfway through last season, are proof of that. 

    The line, ‘Like his name, he was seeing 3-1 a lot...’ refers to Takahashi’s given name, Kazumi. The kanji that make up Kazu-mi mean literally One-Three. This quip only kind of works then, since one-three is certainly not a count indicating poor control. The Japanese text reads 1-3 although I reversed it to 3-1 for added clarity. Presumably it was thought that readers would understand 1 strike, 3 balls was meant in this case although it looks like the opposite.