1997 Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes Roster
Japan Pacific League (JPPL) - Class: Foreign Major
Team Record: 68-63
Finished 3rd in the JPPL
Manager: Kyosuke Sasaki (68-63)
Location: Osaka, Japan
Ballpark: Nippon Life Stadium, Fujiidera Stadium
1997 Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes StatisticsTeam Record: 68-63
Finished 3rd in the JPPL
Manager: Kyosuke Sasaki (68-63)
Location: Osaka, Japan
Ballpark: Nippon Life Stadium, Fujiidera Stadium
The Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes of the Japan Pacific League ended the 1997 season with a record of 68 wins and 63 losses, finishing third in the JPPL.
The Kintetsu Buffaloes scored 603 runs and surrendered 574 runs. Phil Clark led Osaka with 23 home runs, while Norihiro Nakamura and Karl Rhodes walloped 15 or more, too. Karl Rhodes drove in 102 runs. Phil Clark paced batters with significant playing time by hitting .331. Hideo Koike topped the team with 15 wins, and Akira Okamoto recorded a 2.83 ERA, best among qualifying pitchers.
Players from the 1997 Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes who spent time in the Majors during their careers included Johnny Ruffin, Norihiro Nakamura, Bob Milacki, Akinori Otsuka, Phil Clark and Karl Rhodes.
Kyosuke Sasaki served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Osamu Abe | L | L | December 19, 1962 | 6'0" | 165 | |
| Motoyuki Akahori | R | R | April 7, 1970 | 5'11" | 158 | Fujieda, Shizuoka JP |
| Yukio Arai | L | L | October 13, 1964 | 5'7" | 163 | Yokohama, Kanagawa JP |
| Phil Clark | R | R | May 6, 1968 | 6'0" | 180 | Crockett, TX US |
| Jiro Fujitate | R | R | June 22, 1971 | 5'11" | 205 | Osaka, Osaka JP |
| Kenji Furukubo | R | R | June 23, 1964 | 5'9" | 165 | Toyonaka, Osaka JP |
| Koichi Ikeue | R | R | June 12, 1967 | 6'3" | 185 | Kobe, Hyogo JP |
| Satoshi Iriki | R | R | June 3, 1967 | 5'10" | 176 | Miyakonojo, Miyazaki JP |
| Hiroshi Ishige | R | R | July 13, 1970 | 6'2" | 205 | Choshi, Chiba JP |
| Koichi Isobe | L | R | March 12, 1974 | 5'9" | 181 | Higashi, Hiroshima JP |
| Kenshi Kawaguchi | L | R | June 28, 1976 | 5'9" | 198 | Yame, Fukuoka JP |
| Eiji Kiyokawa | L | L | September 21, 1961 | 5'9" | 165 | Kyoto, Kyoto JP |
| Isao Koda | L | R | May 29, 1965 | 5'11" | 176 | Higashi Sonogi-gun, Nagasaki JP |
| Hideo Koike | L | L | March 18, 1969 | 5'9" | 158 | Onishi, Aichi JP |
| Yasuo Kubo | R | R | April 8, 1958 | 5'10" | 182 | Kaho-gun, Fukuoka JP |
| Kat Maekawa | L | L | September 25, 1978 | 6'0" | 215 | Osaka, Osaka JP |
| Tetsuya Matoyama | R | R | October 1, 1970 | 5'10" | 182 | Himeji, Hyogo JP |
| Hideyuki Mifune | R | R | October 18, 1966 | 5'10" | 173 | Kumamoto, Kumamoto JP |
| Bob Milacki | R | R | July 28, 1964 | 6'4" | 220 | Trenton, NJ US |
| Shinichiro Minami | R | R | April 11, 1973 | 5'11" | 180 | Shingu, Wakayama JP |
| Eiji Mizuguchi | R | R | January 9, 1969 | 5'8" | 171 | Nishi Uwa-gun, Ehime JP |
| Kazuto Moriyama | S | R | December 19, 1973 | 5'10" | 165 | Nima-gun, Shimane JP |
| Takayuki Murakami | R | R | August 26, 1965 | 5'10" | 178 | Omuta, Fukuoka JP |
| Takashi Muto | L | R | June 6, 1973 | 5'9" | 165 | Kawasaki, Kanagawa JP |
| Norihiro Nakamura | R | R | July 24, 1973 | 5'10" | 205 | Osaka, Osaka JP |
| Hitoshi Nakane | R | R | August 28, 1966 | 5'10" | 176 | Sendai, Miyagi JP |
| Shinichi Nishikawa | L | L | February 26, 1967 | 5'9" | 170 | Ozu, Ehime JP |
| Hiroshi Nishioka | L | L | September 27, 1969 | 5'9" | 160 | Osaka, Osaka JP |
| Daijiro Oishi | R | R | October 20, 1958 | 5'6" | 156 | Shizuoka, Shizuoka JP |
| Akira Okamoto | R | R | May 3, 1973 | 6'0" | 190 | Kobe, Hyogo JP |
| Naoyuki Omura | L | L | February 13, 1976 | 5'8" | 159 | Nishinomiya, Hyogo JP |
| Akinori Otsuka | R | R | January 13, 1972 | 6'0" | 200 | Chiba, Chiba JP |
| Karl Rhodes | L | L | August 21, 1968 | 6'0" | 175 | Cincinnati, OH US |
| Johnny Ruffin | R | R | July 29, 1971 | 6'3" | 172 | Butler, AL US |
| Hiroki Sakai | R | R | September 22, 1971 | 5'9" | 154 | Kashiwa, Chiba JP |
| Shigeki Sano | R | R | April 30, 1968 | 5'9" | 200 | Matsuyama, Ehime JP |
| Yoshihiro Seo | R | R | August 15, 1973 | 5'11" | 180 | Osaka, Osaka JP |
| Kazuya Shibata | L | L | March 16, 1968 | 5'9" | 165 | , Hyogo JP |
| Ayahito Shinada | R | R | October 3, 1973 | 6'0" | 184 | Urawa, Saitama JP |
| Hironori Suguro | R | R | September 23, 1963 | 5'11" | 167 | Funabashi, Chiba JP |
| Takahisa Suzuki | R | R | November 20, 1963 | 5'9" | 185 | Asahikawa, Hokkaido JP |
| Hiroshi Takamura | R | R | September 2, 1969 | 5'10" | 176 | Utsunomiya, Tochigi JP |
| Masahiro Takumi | L | L | February 24, 1968 | 5'7" | 160 | Takaishi, Osaka JP |
| Masao Teramae | R | R | May 2, 1972 | 6'1" | 171 | Osaka, Osaka JP |
| Masaki Yachi | L | L | April 29, 1972 | 5'10" | 158 | Kyoto, Kyoto JP |
| Kazunori Yamamoto | L | L | October 18, 1957 | 5'10" | 165 | Kita-Kyushu, Fukuoka JP |
| Shintaro Yamasaki | L | R | May 19, 1966 | 6'0" | 165 | Shingu, Wakayama JP |
| Takashi Yoshida | R | R | November 28, 1966 | 5'9" | 160 | Toride, Ibaraki JP |
| Yuji Yoshioka | R | R | July 29, 1971 | 6'2" | 209 | Adachi Ward, Tokyo JP |
