Hiroyuki Oze (小瀬 浩之, Oze Hiroyuki, September 2, 1985 – February 5, 2010) was a Japanese baseball outfielder from Daitō, Osaka who played professionally for the Orix Buffaloes. He played two seasons for the club, hitting .262 in his rookie year in 2008[1] and .303 in 2009, his final professional season.[2] Before joining the Buffaloes, he played at Jinsei Gakuen High School and Kinki University, where he was drafted in 2007.[2] Oze received the memorable nickname "José" from Orix alum Ichiro Suzuki during the latter's visit to Buffaloes spring training.
| Hiroyuki Oze | |
|---|---|
 Oze in 2008 | |
| Outfielder | |
| Born: September 2, 1985 Daitō, Osaka, Japan | |
| Died: February 5, 2010 (aged 24) Miyakojima, Okinawa, Japan | |
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
| NPB debut | |
| July 15, 2008, for the Orix Buffaloes | |
| Last appearance | |
| October 9, 2009, for the Orix Buffaloes | |
| Career statistics | |
| Batting average | .287 |
| Stolen bases | 14 |
| Runs batted in | 30 |
| Hits | 94 |
| Teams | |
Oze died on February 5, 2010, in an apparent suicide by jumping from the tenth floor of his hotel during spring training in Miyakojima, Okinawa.[2]
References
edit- ^ Hiroyuki Oze Batting Statistics, Baseball Cube
- ^ a b c Orix Buffaloes outfielder Hiroyuki Oze found dead in Okinawa Archived 2010-02-07 at the Wayback Machine, Mainichi Daily News, February 5, 2010.