Kazuhisa Inao

I would have to respectfully disagree. I think that Inao was truly a unique pitcher. Just look at the season he had when he threw 404 innings with 1.69 ERA. He releved, and started, and threw 24 complete games. He won 42 games, but also had 8 ties. That's 50 decisions that he didn't lose. That's amazing.

I suppose you could draw some kind of parallel between him and Denny McClain, but Inao certainly lasted longer. Wilbur Wood was similiar in that he threw a huge number innings as a starter and reliever, but he was nowhere near as good as Inao.

I hope this study you're doing highlights some of the points that makes it independant from MLB. The leagues are balanced differently and the style of play is different as well. All of the players you've studied were stars in there own right, and great in their own ways.

Actually, Lefty Grove is a nice comparison, as Lefty also started and relieved in a time in which hitters could reach the seats, and also had some monster seasons.

Jim Albright

PLNara, you're saynig Inao had a season when he had an extremely low ERA and hardly lost. Take a look at Grove in 1931, when he won 31 and lost 4, had almost 300 innings, had twenty-seven complete games, a 2.06 ERA when the league average was 4.38 (and he was close in 1930, too). You're trying to compare one season rather than a whole career.

Well, I can't argue with that. Lefty Grove was a great pitcher, and he had a great year in 1931. I just think Inao is kind of beyond comparison, and he's one of the players who gives NPB it's unique history.

Inao had eight consecutive 20-win seasons, including four 30-win seasons. When he was playing, NPB had a 130-game schedule, so winning a high number of games had an even greater impact than it would've had in MLB.

Inao, for eight seasons, was a pretty unbelievable ace and workhorse. You might be able to find a statistical match, but I think it would be a lot tougher to find a pitcher who was of similar value to his team. As I said before, no disrespect to Grove, or anyone else.

Grove had seven consecutive 20-win years, then another two years later. But maybe you have a point, maybe I need to be looking at the older American pitchers who were workhorses?

YouGottaHaveWa wrote:

- Grove had seven consecutive 20-win years, then another two years later. But maybe you have a point, maybe I need to be looking at the older American pitchers who were workhorses?"

Inao was right handed and Grove a lefty, but Grove is still about as good a choice as there is because:

1. he played in a time when hitters could put the ball in the seats, which deadball pitchers didn't face,
2. Grove was a starter who also served as a closer, which wasn't done much in the deadball era, and
3. Grove is the best of the pitchers used that way in that time.

Inao didn't face as many players capable of hitting homers as Grove did, and the pitchers had much better circumstances in the late 1950's and 60's in Japan than Grove faced from the mid 1920's to WW II -- and those are the reasons Inao could pitch so many more innings a season than Grove. Otherwise, Inao was the very best Japanese starter/closer ever in NPB, just like Grove was the best ever in that role in the majors.

Jim Albright