Kazuto Tsuruoka (鶴岡 一人, Tsuruoka Kazuto, July 27, 1916 – March 7, 2000), also known as Kazuto Yamamoto, was a Japanese former professional baseball infielder and manager in the Japan Baseball League (JBL) and Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
| Kazuto Tsuruoka 鶴岡 一人 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Infielder / Manager | |
| Born: July 27, 1916 Kure, Hiroshima, Japan | |
| Died: March 7, 2000 (aged 83) Japan | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| JBL debut | |
| March 28, 1939, for the Nankai Club | |
| Last NPB appearance | |
| October 12, 1952, for the Nankai Hawks | |
| JBL/NPB statistics | |
| Batting average | .295 |
| Home runs | 61 |
| Hits | 790 |
| RBIs | 467 |
| Stolen bases | 143 |
| Teams | |
As player
As manager
| |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Member of the Japanese | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame | |
| Induction | 1965 |
| Election method | Selection Committee for the Players |
Tsuruoka played for the same franchise in 1939, and from 1946 to 1952, which during his career changed names from the Nankai Club to Kinki Great Ring, and ultimately to the Nankai Hawks. (Tsuruoka did not play professional baseball from 1940 to 1945.) In 1939 he won the JBL home run title with 10. Returning to the JBL after World War II, in 1946 he won the JBL Most Valuable Player Award, repeating the feat in 1948. His team won the JBL championship both those years.
In 1949, he was named player-manager of the Hawks. His playing career ended after the 1952 season, but he stayed on as the team's manager through the 1968 season, guiding the team to Japan Series championships in 1959 and 1964. His managerial record overall was 1773–1140, for a winning percentage of .609.
Tsuruoka was elected by the Selection Committee for the Players to the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1965.[1]
References
edit- ^ "Hall of Famers List | The Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum". english.baseball-museum.or.jp. Retrieved 2020-04-14.
External links
edit- Career statistics from Baseball Reference (Minors)