| Tetsuya Yoneda | |
|---|---|
 Tetsuya Yoneda (taken on January 10, 1956) | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1938-03-03)March 3, 1938 (age 87) Tottori, Japan | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| NPB debut | |
| 1956, for the Hankyu Braves | |
| Last NPB appearance | |
| 1977, for the Kintetsu Buffaloes | |
| NPB statistics | |
| Win–loss | 350–285 |
| ERA | 2.91 |
| Shutouts | 64 |
| Innings pitched | 5130 |
| Strikeouts | 3388 |
| Teams | |
| As player | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Member of the Japanese | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame | |
| Induction | 2000 |
Tetsuya Yoneda (Japanese:米田 哲也, born March 3, 1938) is aJapanese former professionalbaseballpitcher who spent most of his career with theHankyu Braves in Japan'sNippon Professional Baseball. He was so tough that he was known asGasoline Tank[citation needed] and alsoHuman Tank.[citation needed] Yoneda was inducted into theJapanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000.[citation needed]
Yoneda attendedSakai High School.[1] He was signed out of high school by theHanshin Tigers, but his selection was invalidated after Hankyu complained of an impropriety; he then signed with Hankyu.[citation needed]
Yoneda won 21 games at age 19, and 23 games at age 20 in 1958.[citation needed] That year he also tossed 11shutouts, a Pacific League record that still stands.[citation needed]
Yoneda led thePacific League (PL) in losses in 1959 with 24 (despite a 2.12 ERA and 20 complete games, including five shutouts).[citation needed] He led the Pacific League in strikeouts in 1962 with 231.[citation needed] In 1963 Yoneda again led the PL in losses with 23.[citation needed] In 1966 Yoneda led the PL in wins with 25, and innings pitched with 310.[citation needed]
In 1968 Yoneda went 29–13, with a 2.79 ERA and 237 strikeouts.[citation needed] He had 22 complete games and 6 shutouts, winning the Pacific LeagueMost Valuable Player Award.[citation needed] The Braves made it to the Japan Series three straight years (1967–1969) losing all three times to the Yomiuri Giants.[citation needed]
During his career, Yoneda won 20 or more games eight separate times.[citation needed] In total, he won 350 games and accumulated 3,388 strikeouts.[citation needed] He is the career victories and strikeout leader for right-handed pitchers, and #2 on both all-time lists behindMasaichi Kaneda.[citation needed] Yoneda was also a strong hitter for a pitcher, slugging 33 home runs in his 22 seasons in NPB.[citation needed]Yoneda was a founding member ofMeikyukai in 1978.[citation needed]
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