Banned Players

Where exactly did you read this?

The only recent "banning" that I know of was Balvino Galvez being banned the remainder of a season for intentionally throwing a ball at an umpire. He was back the next season, though.

On October 7, 1969, news of a scandal involving the fixing of regular-season Japanese professional baseball games was announced. At the time, only one player--Nishitetsu Lions pitcher Masayuki Nagayasu--was named in connection with the scandal. However, Nagayasu and teammates Masaaki Ikenaga, Akio Masuda, and Yoshinobu Yoda eventually were given lifetime suspensions. Also, teammates Kazuhide Funada and Kimiyasu Wada were banned for six months. The biggest star involved was Ikenaga, who had a 99-62 record and a 2.36 earned run average in his first five seasons, and already was recognized as one of the top pitchers in the Pacific League. Ikenaga ultimately admitted that he accepted money for fixing games from former teammate Tsutomu Tanaka, but repeatedly said that it never influenced his play. The entire scandal came to be known as Kuroi Kiri Jiken (the Black Mist Scandal).

Thank you Mr. Johnson. Do you know of any English language books that provide a comprehensive history of Japanese baseball? I'm writing about the premature ending of baseball careers (for reasons other than normal injuries), but the writings I have found are limited. Also, I have your book but I cannot find Carlos Bauer's. I've seen you talk about it before. What exactly is an "all-time register?"

Thanks for your help.

This website and several others provide lists of Japanese baseball books in English that have been published. All of these books are useful in their own way, but no detailed, year-by-year history in English has been written. I've been working on such a book for the past year, and have finished my first draft. As for Carlos Bauer's book, it provides pretty thorough, yearly statistics for over 950 players. I think that it is a good resource, and complements my book very well.

I look forward to Dan's book, and second his comments on Bauer's. Bauer's book has to be purchased directly from the publisher, Baseball Press Books, P. O. Box 22493, San Diego, CA 92192-2493, USA. The price I am aware of for the book is $23.95. Shipping in the states is free, $2.50 for foreign orders. California residents need to add 8% sales tax. I have no connection to either Dan, Bauer, or Baseball Press, BTW.

If you want other info on the history of Japanese baseball, come see my articles at: http://www.baseballguru.com/jalbright/

Jim Albright