Akira Tanaka

Akira Tanaka

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 7", Weight 140 lb.

• High School Chiba Keizai High School

• Born July 20, 1944 in Kisarazu, Chiba Japan

Biographical Information

Akira Tanaka pitched in Nippon Pro Baseball for nine seasons.

Tanaka was picked by the Yomiuri Giants in the second round of the 1968 draft. He was 3-3 with a 2.95 ERA, .213 opponent average and .98 WHIP in 1969. He was not used in the 1969 Japan Series, which Yomiuri won. He went 1-0 with a 2.68 ERA in 20 relief outings in 1970 and again did not appear in a victorious Yomiuri effort in the 1970 Japan Series.

Tanaka moved to the Nishitetsu Lions in the off-season. He was 4-9 with a 4.17 ERA in 1971. He improved to 3-5 with a 2.39 ERA in 57 games in 1972, tying Toshio Kanbe for second in the Pacific League in ERA, .03 behind Toshihiko Sei. He made the PL All-Star team for the only time in 1973, which he finished 11-10 with a 2.57 ERA. He finished second in the league in ERA, .11 behind Tetsuya Yoneda. The right-hander went 12-5 with 9 saves (a new stat in Japan) and a 2.61 ERA in 1974, his last good year, walking only 26 in 131 innings. He ranked third in ERA behind Michio Sato and Kanbe.

Tanaka fell to 2-4, 4.00 in 1975. He then spent his final two seasons with the Taiyo Whales. In 1976, he surrendered 16 runs (14 earned) in 16 2/3 innings. He allowed four hits and one run in two innings in 1977.

Overall, Akira went 36-36 with a 3.10 ERA, .252 opponent average and 1.18 WHIP in 300 games (27 starts) in NPB. He struck out 330 and walked 179 in 737 1/3 innings. He hit .196/.218/.275.

Source: japanbaseballdaily.com