Collecting and Translating the 1973 Calbee Flag-Backs (119, 143, 151, 155, 161)

Another batch of cards here mostly from the all-Giants 4th series. A reminder that you can see the archive of all '73 Calbees I have translated here, and introductions to the set here and here. 

#119  Kato - Pitcher (Taiheiyo)

“My Goal is 20 Wins”  Kato 

Last year, Kato achieved 17 wins out of nowhere on his way to Rookie of the Year, but rival teams have since studied him and he has managed barely half that this season. “No matter what, I want to win at least one more game than I did last year,” Kato has said. Armed with his guts and his fastball, he takes the mound with teeth clenched. “He stumbled out of the gate, but he’s a hard worker. I imagine by the end of the season he’ll have 20 wins,” predicts Manager Inao.

Kato only achieved 8 wins in ‘73, but went on to have a long and solid career, mainly with the Yomiuri Giants (to whom he was traded in 1976).

#143  Oh - First Baseman (Giants)

 

Player Directory

Among cards with this kind of “Player Directory” back with vital stats, these Series 4 Giants cards are unique in that they give the player's birth date. The rest give the player's age in years.

 

#151  Nagashima - Third Baseman (Giants)

A Picture-Perfect Man,  Nagashima 

Shigeo Nagashima, aka Cho-san: no matter what, he remains a picture-perfect man.  Each at-bat a performance, his eyes tracing the ball before jolting into action... Snagging a ball and delivering it to first, his defense at third is poetry in motion... He truly is a showman who rouses the fans. Here’s to him continuing to perform at his best, even if just for one more year.

 

 #155  Takada - Outfielder (Giants)

Takada and the Outfield Wall 

At ballparks around the league, to say nothing of Korakuen, the outfield wall is Takada’s best friend. At each park during practice before a game, he’ll always check at what angle a ball will ricochet back if reaches the wall. As many times as possible, he’ll bounce a ball into the wall at different angles to get a read on it. Come game time, he can smoothly handle a ball that comes at him from anywhere.

 

#161  Horiuchi - Pitcher (Giants)

Blessed With Good Fortune,  Horiuchi

The MVP and Sawamura Award winner last year, Horiuchi shined with a 26-9 record. Try as he might, things are not going as smoothly for him this season. That’s baseball, perhaps. Still, as ever, fortune smiles on Horiuchi, and he often shows us what he’s made of by getting out of a no-out, bases-loaded jam unfazed. He’s just that tough. He’s just that clutch. Something your average pitcher just can’t match.