was a prominent Japanese

Nippon Professional Baseball is a professional baseball league and the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning simply ''Professional Baseball''; outside of Japan, NPB is often referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league ...

player who excelled as both a pitcher and a position player. Playing with the

Chunichi Dragons The are a professional baseball team based in Nagoya, the chief city in the Chūbu region of Japan. The team plays in the Central League of Nippon Professional Baseball. They have won the Central League pennant nine times (most recently in 2011 ...

franchise for most of his career, Nishizawa became one of Japan's most beloved athletes. His number 15 jersey is one of only two retired by the team.

Biography

Nishizawa debuted with

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region of Japan. It is the list of cities in Japan, fourth-most populous city in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020, and the principal city of the Chūkyō metropolitan area, which is the List of ...

at the age of 15 in 1936, the youngest player ever in the history of pro Yakyu. He achieved early fame as a

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

, developing into a twenty-game winner by 1939. His most memorable pitching feats occurred in 1942. On May 24 of that year, Nishizawa pitched a remarkable twenty-eight complete innings, totalling 311 pitches in a 4-4 tie against the Taiyō Baseball Club at Korakuen Stadium. Later that year, he tossed his first and only no-hitter, accomplishing the feat against the Hankyu Baseball Club. Despite a career earned run average of 2.23, the heavy workload combined with injuries sustained during two years of service in World War II forced him to switch positions to first base, and later the outfield. He didn't pitch again after 1947 (while his playing career continued through 1958). Nishizawa was traded mid-season 1946 to Gold Star (later known as the Kinsei Stars), playing with that franchise through the 1948 season. He rejoined the Dragons in 1949. After early struggles with the bat, Nishizawa developed into a feared hitter. He swatted a then-league record 46 home runs in 1950. His best season came in 1952, when he led the league in both batting average and

runs batted in A run batted in or runs batted in (RBI) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if th ...

. Two years later, Nishizawa led the Dragons to the 1954 Central League title, breaking an eight-year run by the

Yomiuri Giants The are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, they are one of two professional baseball teams based in Tokyo, the other being the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. They h ...

. He played his final game in 1958, but went on to manage Chunichi. The Dragons compiled a 253-217-10 record in Nishizawa's four seasons at the helm (1964–1967). He was elected to the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1977 despite the lackluster state of the

throughout much of his career. After he entered a professional baseball career, he graduated from

Nihon University , abbreviated as , is a private research university in Japan. Its predecessor, Nihon Law School (currently the Department of Law), was founded by Yamada Akiyoshi, the Minister of Justice, in 1889. The university's name is derived from the Ja ...

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nishizawa, Michio 1921 births 1977 deaths Nihon University alumni Japanese baseball players Baseball pitchers Chunichi Dragons players Daiei Stars players Managers of baseball teams in Japan Chunichi Dragons managers Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame inductees Nippon Professional Baseball players with retired numbers