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| Shigeru Sugishita | |
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| Pitcher | |
| Born:(1925-09-17)September 17, 1925 Tokyo Prefecture,Japan | |
| Died: June 12, 2023(2023-06-12) (aged 97) Tokyo Prefecture, Japan | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| JBL debut | |
| April 3, 1949, for the Chunichi/Nagoya Dragons | |
| Last NPB appearance | |
| October 1, 1961, for the Daimai Orions | |
| NPB statistics | |
| Win–loss | 215–123 |
| Winning percentage | .636 |
| Earned run average | 2.23 |
| Strikeouts | 1,761 |
| Teams | |
| As player As manager | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Member of the Japanese | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame | |
| Induction | 1985 |
Shigeru Sugishita (杉下 茂,Sugishita Shigeru; September 17, 1925 – June 12, 2023) was a Japanese professional baseball pitcher and coach.[1] Renowned for hisforkball, Sugishita dominated theCentral League from 1950–1955,[2] winning more than 30 games twice (winning at least 23 games each season), and garnering threeEiji Sawamura Awards. Sugishita usually split his time between starting games and pitching in relief. He played 11 seasons, ten of them for theChunichi/Nagoya Dragons.[1]
Born inTokyo Prefecture, Sugishita attended Teikyo Shogyo High School andMeiji University.[2]
In 1950, Sugishita led theCentral League in strikeouts and innings pitched. In 1951, he went 28-13 with a 2.36 ERA, leading the Central League in victories and winning his firstEiji Sawamura Award. 1952 was another stellar campaign for Sugishita, as he went 32-14 with a 2.33 ERA, pitching in 61 games and throwing355+2⁄3 innings. That year he again won theSawamura Award.
In 1954, Sugishita won his thirdSawamura Award, going 32-12 with a 1.39 ERA. He pitched395+1⁄3 innings, had 27 complete games, 7 shutouts, and 273 strikeouts, and was namedMost Valuable Player of theCentral League. Capping off the season, he was theMVP of1954 Japan Series, pitching in four of the seven games and winning three of them, including the game-seven clincher. He is one of only three players in NPB history to win the Sawamura Award, the MVP award, and the Japan Series MVP in the same season.
Despite only being 32 years old, Sugishita retired from playing after the 1958 season and became the Dragons' manager. After guiding the team for two seasons, Sugishita was let go after the 1960 season, when the Dragons finished in fifth place.
In 1961, Sugishita returned to playing, pitching mostly in relief for theDaimai Orions. He went 4-6 with a respectable 2.44 ERA.
Sugishita went back to managing, leading theHanshin Tigers in 1966, and returning to Chunichi in 1968. His teams did not perform well, and Sugishita moved on to announcing baseball on television.
Shigeru Sugishita was elected to theJapanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985.
Sugishita died of pneumonia at a Tokyo hospital on June 12, 2023, at the age of 97.[3]
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| Academics | |
