Shigeru Mizuhara (水原 茂, Mizuhara Shigeru, January 19, 1909 – March 26, 1982) is a former professional baseball infielder and manager in Japan's Japanese Baseball League (JBL) and Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). As a player his team won nine JBL championships; as a manager his teams won five Japan Series championships.

Shigeru Mizuhara
水原 茂
Infielder / Manager
Born: (1909-01-19)January 19, 1909
Takamatsu, Kagawa, Japan
Died: March 26, 1982(1982-03-26) (aged 73)
Tokyo, Japan
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
JBL debut
1936, for the Tokyo Giants
Last NPB appearance
1950, for the Yomiuri Giants
JBL/NPB statistics
Batting average.243
Home runs12
Hits476
RBIs184
Stolen bases69
Teams
As player

As manager

Career highlights and awards
Member of the Japanese
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction1977
Election methodSelection Committee for the Players

Mizuhara was a star third baseman for Keio University.[1]

Mizuhara played his entire professional career for the Tokyo Giants/Tokyo Kyojin/Yomiuri Giants, from the Japanese Baseball League's beginnings in 1936 until 1950. Playing second base for Tokyo in 1942, Mizuhara was voted Most Valuable Player of the JBL. Mizuhara served in the Japanese military during World War II, eventually being captured by the Russians; while in the prisoner of war camp, he introduced baseball to his captors.[2]

The JBL reorganized to Nippon Professional Baseball in 1950, and Mizhuara became player-manager of the Giants (although he retired as a player after the season). As manager for the Giants from 1950 to 1960, the Toei Flyers from 1961 to 1967, and the Chunichi Dragons from 1969 to 1971, Mizuhara compiled a record of 1586–1123, for a .585 winning percentage. As manager, he guided his teams to five Japan Series championships, four of those with Yomiuri and one with Toei.

Mizuhara was elected to the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1977.[3]

Awards
Preceded by Japanese Baseball League MVP
1942
Succeeded by

References

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  1. ^ Whiting, Robert. You Gotta Have Wa (Vintage Departures, 1989), p. 45.
  2. ^ Whiting, p. 47.
  3. ^ "Hall of Famers List | The Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum". english.baseball-museum.or.jp. Retrieved 2020-04-14.
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