Tsunemi Tsuda

Japanese baseball player
The basics

Quick Facts

IntroJapanese baseball player
PlacesJapan
wasAthlete Baseball player
Work fieldSports
Gender
Male
Birth1 August 1960, Shūnan, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan
Death20 July 1993Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan (aged 32 years)
Star signLeo
Stats
Height:181 cm
Weight:79 kg
Sports Teams
Hiroshima Toyo Carp (Japan)
The details

Biography

Tsunemi Tsuda (津田 恒実, Tsuda Tsunemi, August 1, 1960 – July 20, 1993) was a Japanese baseball player of the Hiroshima Toyo Carp of Japan's Central League.

He was one of the most famous Japanese right-handed pitchers. He was known as the "Stopper of Flame" (炎のストッパー, Honou-no-Stopper) because from his pitching style with the fastball. His nickname was "Tsune-Gon"(ツネゴン).

He was born in Shūnan, Yamaguchi. He retired in 1991, and died of brain tumor in 1993, when he was 32 years old.

His memorial plate, found at Hiroshima Municipal Stadium, is inscribed with the words "We will never forget about his fastball, smile, courage and bravery".

He led his team in two Japan Series and won one title (1984).

Career

  • 1st pitch: April 10, 1982.
  • 1st win: April 29, 1982.
  • Rookie of the Year Award winner: 1982
  • Comeback Player of the Year Award winner: 1986
  • Best Pitcher of Japan Series Award winner: 1986
  • Relief Man of the Year Award winner: 1989
  • Japan All-star game: 1983, 1986, 1987, 1988 and 1989
  • 49 W, 90 S, 19 CG, 2 Shutout and 542 K.

Statistics

YearTeamNo.GPWLSIPERKERATitles
1982Hiroshima15311160166.2721143.88Rookie of the Year
1983Hiroshima1519930132.245823.07
1984Hiroshima151434154.128304.64Japan Series Champion
1985Hiroshima142223142.031366.64
1986Hiroshima1449462269.116812.08Comeback Player of the Year, League Champion
1987Hiroshima1447341865.2121601.64
1988Hiroshima1447592072.131563.86
1989Hiroshima14511252883.015751.63Relief Man of the Year
1990Hiroshima1440006.2272.70
1991Hiroshima1420101.03127.00hospitalized before League Champion
TOTALS-286494190693.02555423.31-

Honours

  • The minor planet 79254 Tsuda was named in his memory on June 1, 2007.

Media

Books

  • Just One More Pitch - The Fastball Life of Red-Hot Reliever Tsuda Tsunemi (ISBN 4-87728-743-4) - NHK Books (1994)
  • The Last Strike (two years and three months with Tsuda Tsunemi) (ISBN 4-87728-607-1) - Keibunsha (1995)

Documentary and Drama

  • Just One More Pitch: The Fastball Life of Red-Hot Reliever Tsuda Tsunemi - NHK (1994)
  • The Last Strike - Fuji Television (2000)
The contents of this page are sourced from Wikipedia article on 03 Jun 2024. The contents are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license.