Sachio Kinugasa

Sachio Kinugasa (衣笠 祥雄, born January 18, 1947 in Kyoto, Japan) is a former Japanese baseball player with Hiroshima Carp. He is nicknamed Tetsujin, meaning "Iron Man". He played in a then world-record 2,215 consecutive games, passing Lou Gehrig's mark in 1987. (This record was later broken by Cal Ripken, Jr. in 1996.)

Kinugasa is mostly remembered for his consecutive game streak, but he ranks 7th in Nippon Professional Baseball in career home runs (504), 5th in career hits (2543), and 10th in career RBIs (1448), showing that he was one of the most consistent hitters in Japanese baseball. He was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1996.

Biography

Kinugasa's father was an African American serviceman stationed in Japan after World War II. Kinugasa's mother was Japanese, and she raised him by herself.

Playing career

Kinugasa entered the Heian high school in Kyoto, and advanced to the Japanese National High School Baseball Championship twice in his senior year as a catcher. He was signed by the Hiroshima Carp in 1965, and spent several years in the minors before being converted to first base in 1968. He became the team's regular first baseman, hitting 21 home runs with a .276 batting average. In 1975, he moved to third base at the suggestion of manager Joe Lutz, and his efforts helped the Hiroshima Carp win their first ever league championship. He led the league in stolen bases in 1976, and won the MVP award in 1984 as his team won the Japanese championship series. Kinugasa's solid hitting and defense made him one of the central players of the Carp's golden age in the late 70s and early 80s.