1973 Taiyo Whales Roster
Japan Central League (JPCL) - Class: Foreign Major
Team Record: 60-64
Finished 5th in the JPCL
Manager: Noboru Aota (60-64)
Location: Kawasaki, Japan
Ballpark: Kawasaki Stadium
1973 Taiyo Whales StatisticsTeam Record: 60-64
Finished 5th in the JPCL
Manager: Noboru Aota (60-64)
Location: Kawasaki, Japan
Ballpark: Kawasaki Stadium
The Taiyo Whales of the Japan Central League ended the 1973 season with a record of 60 wins and 64 losses, finishing fifth in the JPCL.
The Whales scored 423 runs and allowed 480 runs, most in the circuit. John Sipin walloped 33 home runs for Taiyo, while Shinichi Eto, Akira Ejiri and Makoto Matsubara each swatted 15 or more also. Makoto Matsubara accounted for 78 RBI. John Sipin led all qualifying hitters on the roster with a .295 average. Masaji Hiramatsu topped the team with 17 wins, and Shigeyuki Takahashi earned a 2.71 ERA, best among hurlers with significant time on the mound.
Clete Boyer and John Sipin both played in Major League Baseball during their careers.
Noboru Aota served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clete Boyer | R | R | February 9, 1937 | 6'0" | 165 | Cassville, MO US |
| Akira Ejiri | L | L | January 10, 1943 | 5'10" | 178 | Takahagi, Ibaraki JP |
| Shinichi Eto | R | R | October 6, 1937 | 5'10" | 176 | Yamaga, Kumamoto JP |
| Hisaaki Fukushima | R | R | April 10, 1947 | 5'10" | 185 | Higashi Muro-gun, Wakayama JP |
| Tadashi Furuta | R | R | July 31, 1946 | 5'8" | 143 | , Yamaguchi JP |
| Masaji Hiramatsu | R | R | September 19, 1947 | 5'9" | 162 | Takahashi, Okayama JP |
| Ichiro Hiraoka | L | L | August 14, 1945 | 5'8" | 156 | Odawara, Kanagawa JP |
| Isao Ito | R | R | May 14, 1942 | 5'11" | 176 | Sendai, Miyagi JP |
| Koji Kobayashi | R | R | September 8, 1950 | 5'10" | 162 | , Fukuoka JP |
| Akihito Kondo | R | R | April 1, 1938 | 5'6" | 143 | Takamatsu, Kagawa JP |
| Tadakatsu Kotani | R | R | April 8, 1945 | 5'10" | 182 | Akashi, Hyogo JP |
| Masaaki Koyama | R | R | July 28, 1934 | 6'0" | 160 | Takasago, Hyogo JP |
| Hiroshi Kurahashi | R | R | June 2, 1946 | 5'8" | 145 | , Miyagi JP |
| Masakatsu Kusaka | R | R | October 17, 1944 | 5'8" | 176 | Ishimaki, Miyagi JP |
| Shigekuni Mashiba | L | L | November 15, 1951 | 5'10" | 178 | Ozu, Shiga JP |
| Makoto Matsubara | R | R | January 13, 1944 | 6'0" | 178 | Iino, Saitama JP |
| Kosuke Matsuoka | R | R | February 9, 1943 | 5'7" | 167 | Kumamoto, Kumamoto JP |
| Hideo Matsushima | R | R | July 24, 1951 | 5'10" | 154 | , Shizuoka JP |
| Hideaki Miyahara | L | L | September 3, 1942 | 5'8" | 170 | , Chiba JP |
| Keiji Nagasaki | L | L | May 13, 1950 | 5'10" | 176 | Haruno-machi, Kochi JP |
| Masayuki Nakatsuka | L | L | June 29, 1945 | 5'8" | 176 | Takamatsu, Kagawa JP |
| Yoshio Noguchi | R | R | May 5, 1948 | 5'8" | 167 | , Kumamoto JP |
| Hideyuki Okue | R | R | August 11, 1950 | 5'11" | 162 | Okayama, Okayama JP |
| Yukio Osada | L | L | February 24, 1939 | 5'10" | 189 | Minami Tsuru-gun, Yamanashi JP |
| Katsuji Sakai | R | R | March 21, 1938 | 5'11" | 158 | , Fukuoka JP |
| Shozo Shigematsu | R | R | January 5, 1940 | 5'5" | 158 | Imabari, Ehime JP |
| Gentaro Shimada | R | R | August 25, 1939 | 5'10" | 182 | , Miyagi JP |
| Hiroyoshi Shimizu | R | R | July 4, 1950 | 5'10" | 165 | , Tokyo JP |
| John Sipin | R | R | August 29, 1946 | 6'1" | 175 | Watsonville, CA US |
| Yoshihiro Takagaki | R | R | November 6, 1948 | 5'10" | 170 | , Tottori JP |
| Shigeyuki Takahashi | R | R | May 16, 1945 | 6'2" | 190 | Asahi, Chiba JP |
| Kazuyoshi Takemura | R | R | December 19, 1949 | 5'11" | 162 | Aki-gun, Kochi JP |
| Hiroaki Takeuchi | R | R | October 22, 1953 | 5'8" | 165 | Tano-gun, Gunma JP |
| Kiyoshi Tanioka | R | R | April 11, 1951 | 5'8" | 176 | Ipponmatsu-machi, Gunma JP |
| Tatsuo Uzawa | R | R | July 13, 1952 | 5'9" | 160 | Togane, Chiba JP |
| Fujio Yamaguchi | R | R | July 16, 1942 | 5'7" | 162 | , Kagawa JP |
| Tsuneyoshi Yamamoto | R | R | March 20, 1940 | 5'7" | 167 | , Fukuoka JP |
| Ritsuo Yamashita | R | R | October 20, 1944 | 5'11" | 165 | Minami Uwa-gun, Ehime JP |
| Toshikazu Yano | R | R | April 21, 1950 | 5'8" | 158 | Omuta, Fukuoka JP |
| Keisaburo Yoneda | R | R | January 13, 1943 | 5'9" | 160 | Osaka, Osaka JP |
