Pennant Race! Collecting and Translating 1974 Calbee Series 1 (Part 8)

Part 8 of my 1974 Calbee Series 1 project. You can see the archive, which contains all the cards I have translated thus far, here.

In my last post I mentioned that in 1974, Yakult had changed their name from the Atoms to the Swallows—a fact that card #45 attests to. To that point, cards #46 and #47 here reveal an intriguing uni mystery: looking closely, you can see the players are wearing Atoms jerseys with Swallows caps! The sleeve patch on card #47 shows atoms clearly legible, but even without this, you can make out that these are not the pinstriped Swallows uniforms that debuted that year. Since I don’t think the hats/helmets are photoshopped, I guess simply that the team’s new hats had been made and they were still waiting on the jerseys?

#46  Wakamatsu - Outfielder (Yakult)

In terms of average, Wakamatsu rivals Oh. The rock of the line-up, he’s shooting for four consecutive years hitting .300. He may even double his home run total.

[Baseball Museum]  Wakamatsu has hit .300 ever year since he joined the team. In ‘72 he won the batting title (.329). (Harimoto, Kawakami, and Oh hold the record for most consecutive years hitting .300 with 8).

 

#47  Arakawa - Third Baseman (Yakult)

Arakawa has been working hard with his father. His defense is a question mark, but with coach Hiroka’s guidance perhaps he can improve it. This year it’s go time. He has the power to hit clean up, but given his weakened state due to injury, he should take extra care.

Takashi Arakawa was born Takashi Dezawa in Nagano. As a youth player he was noticed by Giants hitting coach Hiroshi Arakawa, the man who cultivated Sadaharu Oh’s flamingo stance. Hiroshi convinced Takashi’s parents to let him adopt their son and take him under his wing. Takashi (now an Arakawa) emerged as a major collegiate prospect out of Waseda University. He became the center of controversy when he openly stated that he would refuse to sign with any team but his adoptive father’s Yomiuri Giants. The Taiyo Whales drafted him anyway to secure his rights, but Arakwa stuck to his refusal and negotiations stalled. In July of 1970, Arakawa was jumped near his home. The assailant was never identified or caught, but it is assumed to have been someone who was upset with his attitude and actions regarding the draft. Arakawa did end up signing with the Whales, who flipped him to Swallows, where he was eventually joined by his father as a coach and later manager starting in 1973. Despite all the hype and controversy preceding it, Arakawa’s pro career was a tragically short one. He had shown promise (his best season, 1972, saw him hit .282/.840 with 18 HR in 83 games) but was out of pro baseball after just his fifth year (1975), mostly due to nagging vision issues likely exacerbated by the assault he suffered.

#50  Ikegaya - Pitcher (Hiroshima)

A high-profile Rookie of the Year candidate we’ve been waiting a year for, Ikegaya is Hiroshima’s headline prospect. He can go the distance with his fastball and shootball.

[Baseball Museum]  A shootball does not bend as noticeably as a curveball, but rather breaks late and inward on a right-handed batter.

 

#52  Yamamoto - Outfielder (Hiroshima)

Yamamoto is looking to add another Diamond Glove to his trophy case this year. He’s also looking to join the ranks of the .300 hitters. Last season, along with Kinugasa, he hit 19 home runs. With his average increasing every year, this season it’s go time.

 

Yamamoto did not achieve a .300 average in ‘74 but he did in ‘75 (.319, good for the batting title). His highest average was in 1980 with .336, but he lost out to Kenichi Yazawa (.369) for the title.

 

#53  Nomura - Manager・Catcher (Nankai)

Last year was Nomura’s fourth as a player-manager, and resulted in a Pacific League pennant. If he manages it two years in a row, he’ll stand with Manager Yamamoto (now Tsuruoka), in having achieved this feat.

[Baseball Museum]  Nomura has 21 home runs to go until 600. He also holds the record for most consecutive seasons hitting 20 or more, with 17.