Part 6 of my 1980 Calbee Large survey. As I explained in the introduction, ‘80 Calbee Large came in two ‘blocks’ and we’ll look at cards from Block 2 (#49-96) for the first time here. Block 1 and Block 2 cards have some key differences. The most noticeable difference is the addition of writing on the front featuring the player’s name, team, and the series title of sorts. Block 2 cards also only come in borderless backs, as opposed to Block 1 cards which could feature a bat-and-ball border or be borderless. Further, the cards all come with player blurbs rather than just stats like most Block 1 cards. You might notice that the cards feature two sets of numbers on the back: A main number and a sub number indicating its order in a specific series. Convoluted numbering (or lack thereof) on Calbee issues peaked in the late 70’s but the trend continued until this release. Finally, while all ‘80 Calbee Large cards are quite scarce, the Block 2 cards are even more so. This is because Calbee switched the size during production. Block 2 is the only series of 1980 Calbee overall that comes in both large and small sizes. (Block 1 comes in large only while Blocks 3-6 come in small only).
#42 Makoto Shimada - Outfielder (Nippon Ham)
Shimada was a defense-first outfielder for the Fighters who won 6 Golden Glove awards throughout his career.#43 Nobuyuki Kagawa - Catcher (Nankai)
Known by the nickname “Dokaben,” Kagawa is an idol among young fans. Last year at the Spring National High School Baseball Tournament he hit 2 homers. At the summer tourney he became the first ever to hit a homer in 3 consecutive games. His 5 homers on the year is a Koshien record.
Kagawa was known as “Dokaben” because of his uncanny resemblance to that baseball manga’s stout, portly protagonist Taro Yamada. Dokaben itself refers to a kind of metal Japanese lunchbox that is traditionally popular with laborers. (The character Yamada got the nickname from the large lunchbox he would stuff in his bag). Kagawa showed promise at just 18, hitting .282 and 8 homers in 50 games his rookie season (1980), but struggled with his weight throughout his career and likely did not reach his full potential because of it. Yamada was out of baseball by 28. He died of a heart attack at age 52 in 2014.
#46 Kazuhiko Natori - Pitcher (Nankai)In his 4th year of college Natori won back-to-back Tokyo Big 6 League titles in spring and fall as “Meiji University’s ace.” This season is his first as a pro and he has suddenly inserted himself into not just the first team, but perhaps the fight for Rookie of the Year with Nippon Ham pitcher Kida as well.
Despite the promise this rookie card indicates, Natori unfortunately had a very brief career. Due to injuries, he appeared in just 5 more games his second year and was thereafter finished as a pro.
#47 Takao Obana - Pitcher (Yakult)Although he had a losing career record on the mound (112-135), Obana was nevertheless a solid pitcher for the Swallows for many years, with a 3.82 ERA.
#48 Koji Minoda - Outfielder (Hankyu)Minoda played mainly for the Hankyu Braves before making a late career jump to the Giants (a fashionable thing to do at the time). He hit .279 with 204 HR and won 8 fielding awards.
#50 Hirohisa Matsunuma - Pitcher (Seibu)Against Kintetsu on the 11th, Matsunuma achieved the season’s first complete game victory. Except for a hit from Manuel and a lone walk, it was a nearly flawless pitching performance.
#52 Makoto Matsubara - Infielder (Taiyo)Against Hanshin on the 23rd, Matsubara’s first home run of the season became his 2,000th career hit. That’s good for 12th all-time. He is the first to achieve that milestone by way of the long ball.
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