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| Yoshio Yoshida 吉田 義男 | |
|---|---|
 Yoshida in 1956 | |
| Shortstop | |
| Born:(1933-07-26)July 26, 1933 Kyoto,Kyoto Prefecture,Japan | |
| Died: February 3, 2025(2025-02-03) (aged 91) | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| NPB debut | |
| March 28, 1953, for the Osaka Tigers | |
| Last appearance | |
| 1969, for the Hanshin Tigers | |
| NPB statistics | |
| Batting average | .267 |
| Hits | 1864 |
| Home runs | 66 |
| RBIs | 434 |
| Managerial record | 484–511–56 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| As player As manager | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Member of the Japanese | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame | |
| Induction | 1992 |
Yoshio Yoshida (吉田 義男,Yoshida Yoshio; July 26, 1933 – February 3, 2025) was a Japaneseprofessional baseball player and manager who spent his entire career with theHanshin Tigers of Japan'sNippon Professional Baseball (NPB). His number 23 was retired by the Tigers. He worked for theAsahi Broadcasting Corporation as a live radio and television baseball commentator. Yoshida died of a stroke on February 3, 2025, at the age of 91.[1]
Yoshida was famous for his steady batting and his defense atshortstop, and received the NPBBest Nine Award nine times, in 1955–60, 1962, 1964–65.[citation needed] He was often compared with the famous 12th century general,Minamoto no Yoshitsune, and they called Yoshida "Ushiwakamaru", Yoshitsune's name as a child.[citation needed]
After retirement, he became the manager of the Hanshin Tigers in three different stints (1975–1977, 1985–1987, 1997–1998). Among his eight seasons as manager, the 1985 season was his best. The Tigers won the Central League pennant championship for the first time since 1964 and defeated theSeibu Lions in theJapan Series for their first ever championship. That year Yoshida was also named the winner of theMatsutaro Shoriki Award. In eight seasons, he went 484–511 (with 56 ties).[2][3]
From 1989 to 1995, Yoshida lived in Paris, and managed the French national baseball team, but his team failed to qualify for theOlympic Games twice; first for the1992 Summer Olympics atBarcelona and again for the1996 Summer Olympics atAtlanta; despite this, he earned the secondary nickname "Monsieur". He was selected as a member of theJapanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1992.
| International | |
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| National | |
| Academics | |
| Other | |