Collecting and Translating the 1973 Calbee Bat-Backs (Part 4)

     Continuing on through the Giants lineup we come to two more long-tenured mainstays, second baseman Shozo Doi and catcher Masaaki Mori. Doi is somewhat infamous for his brief managerial career; he served an unpopular three-year stint with the Orix Blue Wave that was defined by his stubborn unwillingness to call up a young Ichiro Suzuki for tenuous reasons. 

    Mori, a defense-first catcher, amassed a ludicrous 21 Japan Series Championships during his career as a player, coach and manager—good for 8 more than Sadaharu Oh and 7 more than Shigeo Nagashima. Perhaps because of his very modest offensive production, he is not quite as eminent a figure as it seems he should be.

First, one more of Takada. 

#22  Takada - Outfielder (Giants)

Takada, The “Magician of the Fence”

The Giants faithful are not just fans of ‘ON.’ Ask any fan what it is they love about Takada and they will tell you: defense. Especially on a line drive, watch Takada snag the would-be double and hurl it to second. On a flyball towards the left field bleachers, he’ll make the catch with a perfectly timed jump right at the fence. He isn’t called ‘The Magician of the Fence’ for nothing. 

 

#23  Doi - Second Baseman (Giants)

Team-Player Doi

Although small in stature, Doi made the Giants starting lineup. Just like the old saying, “Little grains of sansho tingle and burn,” he causes pains for the opposing team. With a runner on first it’s hard to know what to do against him. His hitting prowess alone keeps opponents on their toes and filled with trepidation, but if he's allowed to bunt, he won’t miss either. Though undersized, Doi’s grit can put bigger men to shame. Never underestimate someone smaller than you.

    Sansho refers to Japanese peppercorns. Usually put on grilled fish or meat, even a little bit of sansho can cause a distinctive tingling numbness in the mouth. The expression basically means, ‘size doesn’t matter.’

 

#24  Doi - Second Baseman (Giants)

 

Doi’s Batting Record

#25  Mori - Catcher (Giants)

Wingman Mori

 Mori’s name will be mentioned among the greatest catchers in baseball history. Now in his 19th year as a backstop, he has unquestionably become the starting nine’s wingman. As the defensive cornerstone this season also, he must train his understudies Yoshida and Ano well. After all, he is the team’s battery coach too. Busy with his dual role, he has been counting on Yoshida a lot more.

     Japanese baseball teams usually have more coaching roles than their Western counterparts, a ‘battery coach’ who works with both pitchers and catchers being once such example. As in Western baseball however, player-coaches like Mori (and player-managers) are a thing of the past.

 

 #26  Mori - Catcher (Giants)

Mori’s 10-Year Batting Record