Pennant Race! Collecting and Translating 1974 Calbee Series 1 (Part 3)

 #4  Sadaharu Oh - First Baseman (Giants)

Oh was a pitcher at his alma mater Waseda Jitsugyo High, where he helped his team win Spring Koshien in 1957. In ‘59 he joined the Giants as a pitcher.

[Baseball Museum]  Sakushin Gakuin High won the spring and summer National High School Baseball Tournaments back-to-back in 1962. In ‘65, Chukyo-Sho High became just the second to do so.

 

#15  Isao Shibata - Outfielder (Giants)

Shibata has declared that he will take back his stolen base title. It’s the return of the red-gloved gentleman thief!

[Baseball Museum]  Fukumoto (Hankyu) has the most stolen bases in a single season with 106—a world record.

 

怪盗 (kaitou), the Japanese word used to describe Shibata here, literally means “mysterious thief,” but this word is really only used in the context of a fictional archetype like Arsène Lupin, so I’ve opted for “gentleman thief” rather than a literal translation. Shibata did not regain the stolen base crown in ‘74, but he did go back-to-back  in ‘77 and ‘78 (34 both years) for a grand total of 6 throughout his 20 year career. Remarkably, the switch hitter was teammates with Sadaharu Oh for longer than Shigeo Nagashima.  

 

#17  Toshimitsu Suetsugu - Outfielder (Giants)

Suetsugu is the big hitter protecting ON in the Giants’ starting lineup. This season, for a complete change of pace, he’s been settling into the three hole and showing off his power.

[Baseball Museum]  There are 25 players on the bench for each club’s A-Team.

 

Suetsugu did bat third in 6 games of an 8-game stretch between May 10th and May 20th, but he definitely didn’t stick at Shigeo Nagashima’s usual slot, starting as the third hitter only 11 times in 1974. This seems to suggest that this blurb was written during that stretch. It should be said that Suetsugu was at this point a better hitter than Nagashima, but it’s apparent the latter was mostly afforded the honor of his usual spot (regardless of performance) for his swan song.

 

#19  Shozo Doi - Third Baseman (Giants)

A vital team player, Doi has been called a computer for his masterful defense.

[Baseball Museum]  Record for most home runs at the Summer National High School Baseball Tournament==① 19 (10th Tournament, 1924), ② 13 (50th Tournament, 1968), ③ 12 (45th Tournament, 1963)

 

#20  Yukinobu Kuroe - Shortstop (Giants)

Although pleased with youngster Kono’s development, veteran Kuroe, with his clutch hitting, is still going strong.

[Baseball Museum]  Called “Ushiwakamaru,” former Hanshin shortstop Yoshio Yoshida was just 165cm tall. He played for 17 years.

 

Unlike most other Giants players of the V9 era, Kuroe had a relatively short career, playing in only 8 full seasons of 11 total. He followed Shigeo Nagashima into retirement in 1974 hoping to gain a prominent coaching role, but to his disappointment was only made an assistant coach.

“Ushiwakamaru” is the birth name of Minamoto no Yoshitsune, a samurai of the 12th century whose life and exploits have come to be often exaggerated or even fictionalized. He is considered a kind of heroic archetype.