Masaichi Kaneda facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Masaichi Kaneda金田 正一 |
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Masaichi Kaneda. taken in 1956.
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| Pitcher | |||
| Born: Kim Kyung-Hong August 1, 1933 Heiwa, Nakashima, Aichi, Empire of Japan |
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| Died: October 6, 2019 (aged 86) Tokyo, Japan |
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| debut | |||
| August 23, 1950, for the Kokutetsu Swallows | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| October 18, 1969, for the Yomiuri Giants | |||
| NPB statistics | |||
| Win–loss | 400–298 | ||
| Earned run average | 2.34 | ||
| Strikeouts | 4,490 | ||
| Teams | |||
As player
As manager
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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 Baseball Hall of Fame |
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| Induction | 1988 | ||
Masaichi Kaneda (金田 正一, Kaneda Masaichi, August 1, 1933 – October 6, 2019) was a famous Japanese professional baseball pitcher. He was one of the best pitchers in Japanese baseball history. Kaneda is the only Japanese pitcher to have won 400 games in his career. He was added to the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1988.
People called him "The Emperor" because he was so dominant. He holds many Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) career records. Kaneda won 400 games even though his team, the Kokutetsu Swallows, was not very strong. About 90% of his wins were with the Swallows. Kaneda threw and batted with his left hand.
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Early Life and Start in Baseball
Masaichi Kaneda was born in Heiwa, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. His parents were of Korean background. He left high school in 1950 and joined the Kokutetsu Swallows. This team is now known as the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. The Swallows were a weak team when Kaneda joined them.
Kaneda quickly became known as Japan's best pitcher. He had a very fast fastball and a special drop curveball. In his early years, he sometimes had trouble controlling his pitches. He walked over 190 batters in both 1951 and 1952. As he got better, his control improved. However, he still holds the record for the most walks in Japanese baseball history.
People did not use speed guns in Japan until after Kaneda retired. But he said his fastball could reach 110 miles per hour. In his first year, a player from the Osaka Tigers complained. He said Kaneda's pitches seemed too fast. He thought the pitcher's mound was too close to home plate. The game stopped so an umpire could measure the distance. It turned out the mound was in the correct spot. Later, another player, Noboru Aota, said Kaneda's fastball was faster than Eiji Sawamura's.
A Pitching Powerhouse
Even with a weak team, Kaneda was amazing. He won 20 or more games for 14 seasons in a row. In 1958, he won an incredible 31 games. Despite his great pitching, he still lost at least 10 games every year for his first 15 seasons. In six of those seasons, he lost 20 or more games. This shows how much the team struggled. The Swallows did not have a winning record until 1961. Even then, they only finished third in the Central League.
Kaneda pitched a no-hitter against the Osaka Tigers in September 1951. A no-hitter means the other team gets no hits. He also pitched a perfect game on August 21, 1957. This game was against the Chunichi Dragons. A perfect game means no batter reaches base at all. This was only the fourth perfect game in Japanese professional baseball history. During this game, he had a stomach ache. In the ninth inning, the Dragons protested a call, causing a long delay. After the break, Kaneda told his teammates, "Only 6 strikes, so you guys get ready to go home." He then finished the perfect game.
In the first game of the 1958 season, Kaneda struck out Yomiuri Giants rookie Shigeo Nagashima four times. He did the same thing in 1959 to Sadaharu Oh in Oh's first professional game. Oh later became one of Japan's greatest hitters.
Towards the end of his career, Kaneda's arm started to hurt. This was from pitching so much and using his curveball often. He learned to throw an underhanded changeup to help with his arm.
Record-Breaking Career
In 1965, Kaneda became a free agent. He then joined the Yomiuri Giants. He helped the Giants win the league championship for nine years in a row. He retired in 1969 after getting his 400th win. The Giants retired his jersey number, 34, in 1970. This means no other Giants player will wear that number.
Kaneda holds many important NPB records. These include:
- Most complete games (365)
- Most wins (400)
- Most losses (298)
- Most strikeouts (4,490)
- Most innings pitched (5,526 and two-thirds)
- Most walks (1,808)
He also had 82 shutouts, which is only one less than the all-time record. He hit 36 home runs as a pitcher, which is the most for any Japanese pitcher. He is also one of the few pitchers to play in over 1,000 games. Kaneda led the league in strikeouts 10 times. He led in wins three times and in ERA (Earned Run Average) three times. He also won the Eiji Sawamura Award three times.
Life After Playing
After retiring as a player, Kaneda worked as a baseball commentator. He then became a manager for the Lotte Orions. This team is now called the Chiba Lotte Marines. He managed them from 1973 to 1978, and again from 1990 to 1991. In 1974, the Orions won the Japan Series championship. Kaneda's younger brother, Tomehiro Kaneda, was a pitcher for the Orions and won the MVP award that year. The Orions even used uniforms designed by Kaneda for 19 seasons.
In 1978, Kaneda started the Meikyukai. This is one of Japan's baseball halls of fame. The Meikyukai honors players who played during the Shōwa period (1926–1988). Players are automatically added if they reach certain career totals. These include 2,000 hits, 200 wins, or 250 saves in the Japanese professional leagues.
Personal Life
Masaichi Kaneda's parents were Korean. His Korean name was Kim Kyung-Hong. He became a Japanese citizen in 1959. All three of his younger brothers also played professional baseball in Japan. Kaneda had three children. His son became an actor. His nephew, Akihito Kaneishi, also had a successful career as a professional baseball player.
