1996 Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes Roster
Team Record: 62-67
Finished 4th in the JPPL
Manager: Kyosuke Sasaki (62-67)
Location: Osaka, Japan
Ballpark: Nippon Life Stadium, Fujiidera Stadium
The Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes of the Japan Pacific League ended the 1996 season with a record of 62 wins and 67 losses, finishing fourth in the JPPL.
The Kintetsu Buffaloes scored 555 runs and allowed 571 runs, most in the circuit. Karl Rhodes paced Osaka with 27 home runs, while Norihiro Nakamura and Chris Donnels walloped 15 or more also. Karl Rhodes drove in 97 runs and topped batters with significant playing time by hitting .293. Luis Aquino led the squad with 11 wins, and Hiroki Sakai recorded a 3.3 ERA, tops among hurlers with significant time on the mound.
Players from the 1996 Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes who spent time in Major League Baseball during their careers included Luis Aquino, Karl Rhodes, Norihiro Nakamura and Chris Donnels.
Kyosuke Sasaki served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Motoyuki Akahori | R | R | April 7, 1970 | 5'11" | 158 | Fujieda, Shizuoka JP |
| Luis Aquino | R | R | May 19, 1964 | 6'0" | 155 | Santurce, PR |
| Yukio Arai | L | L | October 13, 1964 | 5'7" | 163 | Yokohama, Kanagawa JP |
| Chris Donnels | L | R | April 21, 1966 | 6'0" | 185 | Los Angeles, CA US |
| Masaaki Esaka | L | L | August 9, 1967 | 6'0" | 176 | Kyoto, Kyoto JP |
| Jiro Fujitate | R | R | June 22, 1971 | 5'11" | 205 | Osaka, Osaka JP |
| Kenji Furukubo | R | R | June 23, 1964 | 5'9" | 165 | Toyonaka, Osaka JP |
| Shunji Hatayama | L | L | June 11, 1964 | 5'10" | 171 | Kainan, Wakayama JP |
| Kenji Horie | R | R | August 8, 1970 | 5'10" | 167 | Fuchu, Hiroshima JP |
| Koichi Ikeue | R | R | June 12, 1967 | 6'3" | 185 | Kobe, Hyogo JP |
| Hiro Ishii | R | R | June 21, 1964 | 6'0" | 185 | Minami Akita-gun, Akita JP |
| Kenshi Kawaguchi | L | R | June 28, 1976 | 5'9" | 198 | Yame, Fukuoka JP |
| Shunsuke Kitamura | L | R | July 6, 1967 | 5'8" | 154 | Higashiyama Ward, Tokyo JP |
| Eiji Kiyokawa | L | L | September 21, 1961 | 5'9" | 165 | Kyoto, Kyoto JP |
| Isao Koda | L | R | May 29, 1965 | 5'11" | 176 | Higashi Sonogi-gun, Nagasaki JP |
| Hideo Koike | L | L | March 18, 1969 | 5'9" | 158 | Onishi, Aichi JP |
| Yasuo Kubo | R | R | April 8, 1958 | 5'10" | 182 | Kaho-gun, Fukuoka JP |
| Tetsuya Matoyama | R | R | October 1, 1970 | 5'10" | 182 | Himeji, Hyogo JP |
| Ryujiro Matsutani | R | R | July 10, 1964 | 6'0" | 178 | Osaka, Osaka JP |
| Shinichiro Minami | R | R | April 11, 1973 | 5'11" | 180 | Shingu, Wakayama JP |
| Hidekazu Mitsuyama | R | R | November 20, 1965 | 6'1" | 206 | Ikuno Ward, Osaka JP |
| Eiji Mizuguchi | R | R | January 9, 1969 | 5'8" | 171 | Nishi Uwa-gun, Ehime JP |
| Takayuki Murakami | R | R | August 26, 1965 | 5'10" | 178 | Omuta, Fukuoka JP |
| Takashi Muto | L | R | June 6, 1973 | 5'9" | 165 | Kawasaki, Kanagawa JP |
| Terushi Nakajima | R | R | July 27, 1962 | 6'2" | 202 | Mitagawa-machi, Saga JP |
| Norihiro Nakamura | R | R | July 24, 1973 | 5'10" | 205 | Osaka, Osaka JP |
| Hitoshi Nakane | R | R | August 28, 1966 | 5'10" | 176 | Sendai, Miyagi JP |
| Shinichi Nishikawa | L | L | February 26, 1967 | 5'9" | 170 | Ozu, Ehime JP |
| Tatsuji Nishimura | R | R | July 18, 1968 | 6'0" | 206 | Kure, Hiroshima JP |
| Daijiro Oishi | R | R | October 20, 1958 | 5'6" | 156 | Shizuoka, Shizuoka JP |
| Naoyuki Omura | L | L | February 13, 1976 | 5'8" | 159 | Nishinomiya, Hyogo JP |
| Katsuhito Osaka | R | R | June 14, 1968 | 5'10" | 180 | Osaka, Osaka JP |
| Satoru Ota | L | R | January 23, 1971 | 5'11" | 149 | Minami Ward, Kyoto JP |
| Karl Rhodes | L | L | August 21, 1968 | 6'0" | 175 | Cincinnati, OH US |
| Hiroki Sakai | R | R | September 22, 1971 | 5'9" | 154 | Kashiwa, Chiba JP |
| Shigeki Sano | R | R | April 30, 1968 | 5'9" | 200 | Matsuyama, Ehime JP |
| Yoshihiro Seo | R | R | August 15, 1973 | 5'11" | 180 | Osaka, Osaka JP |
| Kazuya Shibata | L | L | March 16, 1968 | 5'9" | 165 | , Hyogo JP |
| Ayahito Shinada | R | R | October 3, 1973 | 6'0" | 184 | Urawa, Saitama JP |
| Takahisa Suzuki | R | R | November 20, 1963 | 5'9" | 185 | Asahikawa, Hokkaido JP |
| Hiroshi Takamura | R | R | September 2, 1969 | 5'10" | 176 | Utsunomiya, Tochigi JP |
| Toru Takashima | R | R | April 18, 1970 | 5'7" | 165 | Utsunomiya, Tochigi JP |
| Masahiro Takumi | L | L | February 24, 1968 | 5'7" | 160 | Takaishi, Osaka JP |
| Masao Teramae | R | R | May 2, 1972 | 6'1" | 171 | Osaka, Osaka JP |
| Kazunori Yamamoto | L | L | October 18, 1957 | 5'10" | 165 | Kita-Kyushu, Fukuoka JP |
| Shintaro Yamasaki | L | R | May 19, 1966 | 6'0" | 165 | Shingu, Wakayama JP |
| Takashi Yoshida | R | R | November 28, 1966 | 5'9" | 160 | Toride, Ibaraki JP |
| Kazuhito Yoshimura | L | R | January 1, 1972 | 5'11" | 171 | Osaka, Osaka JP |
