Junzo Sekine Explained

Junzo Sekine
関根 潤三
Position:Pitcher / Outfielder / Manager
Birth Date:15 March 1927
Birth Place:Tokyo, Japan
Death Place:Tokyo, Japan
Bats:Left
Throws:Left
Debutleague:NPB
Debutdate:March 15
Debutyear:1950
Debutteam:Kintetsu Pearls
Finaldate:November 55
Finalyear:1965
Finalteam:Yomiuri Giants
Statyear:1965
Statleague:NPB
Stat1label:Win–loss record
Stat1value:65-94
Stat2label:Earned run average
Stat2value:3.43
Stat3label:Strikeouts
Stat3value:645
Stat4label:Batting average
Stat4value:.279
Stat5label:Home runs
Stat5value:59
Stat6label:Runs batted in
Stat6value:424
Teams:
As player
As coach
As manager
Awards:
Hoflink:Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame
Hoftype:Japanese
Hofdate:2003

was a Japanese professional baseball player who played as two ways as a pitcher and outfielder. He spent the majority of this career with the Kintetsu Pearls/Kintetsu Buffalo/Kintetsu Buffaloes.

As a rookie in 1950, Sekine attracted attention by batting 3rd, 4th, or 5th in the Kintetsu Pearls' lineup while pitching in the game. Sekine focused on pitching from 1950 to 1957, but spent the latter half of his career (1958 to 1965) as a position player. His best year as a pitcher was 1954, when he went 16–12 with a 2.44 earned run average and 118 strikeouts. His best years as a hitter were in 1962–1963, when he hit and .301 and .296 respectively, with a total of 21 home runs and 115 RBI.

Sekine was elected to the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 2003.

Sekine died on April 9, 2020, in Tokyo, at the age of 93.[1]

Notes and References

  1. News: Former manager and Hall of Famer Junzo Sekine dies at 93. The Japan Times. April 9, 2020. April 9, 2020.