Yoshio Yoshida, one of the best defensive shortstops in Nippon Professional Baseball history and a longtime manager of the Central League’s Hanshin Tigers passed away Monday of a stroke, his former club announced Tuesday. He was 91.
As a manager in NPB, Yoshida led the Tigers to their first Japan Series title in 1985, defeating the Seibu Lions four games to two. He was the organization’s manager from 1975-77, 1985-87, and 1997-98.
“I was shocked by the sudden news,” current Tigers manager Kyuji Fujikawa said in a statement on the team’s website. “Yoshida-san was not only our predecessor but also someone I looked up to and hoped to greet again, offering guidance and encouragement. His legacy deserves to be carried forward, and I’ll do my best this season to honor his memory.”
From 1989 to 1995, Yoshida lived in Paris, France, and helped grow the sport of baseball in the country. He managed the French National Baseball team, but the club failed to qualify for the Summer Olympics in Barcelona in 1992 and Atlanta in 1996. In multiple interviews, Yoshida said building the team from the ground up was difficult.
“Everyone was just playing because they enjoyed it,” Yoshida said in an interview with Samurai Japan in January 2015 about managing in France.“Various things would happen. If you signed for them to bunt, they would ask, “Why do I have to be sacrificed?” If a grounder took a bad bounce, they would say, “It’s not my fault,” and wouldn’t go to catch it. They had the instinct that they wanted to hit the ball far and throw good balls, but their team play was weak. They weren’t regular about meeting times. It was like sandlot baseball, so to bring them together as one was very hard work.”
As a player, Yoshida spent his entire 17-year NPB career with the Osaka/Hanshin Tigers from 1953-1969. Not known for his power, Yoshida hit 66 home runs in 2,007 games. He led NPB in stolen bases in 1954 with 51 and again in 1956 with 50. Additionally, he led NPB with 147 hits in 1955.
Yoshida made NPB All-Star appearances every season from 1954-66, turning his impressive play on the field into nine Best Nine Award selections (1955-60, 1962, 1964, 1965). The shortstop finished his career with a .267/.321/.355 slash line and 1,864 hits. Yoshida struck out just 325 times in 7,833 plate appearances.
After his managerial career, Yoshida worked as a radio and television baseball commentator for the Asahi Broadcasting Corporation. The Tigers retired Yoshida’s number, 23, in 1987, and he was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1992.
