Kentarō Ogawa

Kentarō Ogawa
Pitcher
Born: (1934-01-12)January 12, 1934
Kurume, Fukuoka, Japan
Died: October 7, 1995(1995-10-07) (aged 61)
Batted: right Threw: right
Nippon Professional Baseball debut
1964, for the Chunichi Dragons
Last appearance
May, 1970, for the Chunichi Dragons
NPB statistics
Win-Loss 95-66
ERA 2.62
Strikeouts 739
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Kentarō Ogawa (January 12, 1934 – October 7, 1995) was a Japanese professional baseball player. A right-handed submarine-style pitcher,[1] he played in Japan for the Chunichi Dragons. Ikenaga was one of the top pitchers in Nippon Professional Baseball before a scandal derailed his career. During his prime years from 1965–1969, Ogawa won 93 games, including winning 20 games or more twice.

Biography

Ogawa attended Fukuoka Prefectural Meizen High School, graduating in 1954.[1] He signed with the Toei Flyers, but instead of pursuing professional baseball, he went to work in the private sector.[1]

Deciding to return to professional baseball at age 30, he made his NPB debut for the Chunichi Dragons in 1964. In 1967 he went 29-12 with a 2.51 ERA and 16 complete games, winning the Eiji Sawamura Award. The next year he led the league in losses with 20, while still compiling a low 3.27 ERA and 9 complete games. In 1969 he returned to form, winning 20 games for the second time.

Black Mist scandal

In 1970 Ogawa started the season 2–1 with a 1.71 ERA.

On May 6 of that year, Ogawa was arrested for taking part in auto race-fixing. He was also implicated in baseball game-fixing.[1] On June 6, 1970, the NPB commissioner committee banned Ogawa for life.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 McKenna, Brian. Early Exits: The Premature Endings of Baseball Careers (Scarecrow Press, 2007), p. 17.

External links

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