1971 Taiyo Whales Roster
Japan Central League (JPCL) - Class: Foreign Major
Team Record: 61-59
Finished 3rd in the JPCL
Manager: Kaoru Betto (61-59)
Location: Kawasaki, Japan
Ballpark: Kawasaki Stadium
1971 Taiyo Whales StatisticsTeam Record: 61-59
Finished 3rd in the JPCL
Manager: Kaoru Betto (61-59)
Location: Kawasaki, Japan
Ballpark: Kawasaki Stadium
The Taiyo Whales of the Japan Central League ended the 1971 season with a record of 61 wins and 59 losses, finishing third in the JPCL.
The Whales led the league with just 354 runs allowed. Taiyo scored 363 runs. Makoto Matsubara paced the squad with 23 home runs and accounted for 65 RBI. Akira Ejiri topped all qualifying hitters on the roster with a .280 average. Masaji Hiramatsu paced the team with 17 wins, while Katsuji Sakai recorded a 1.88 ERA, best among pitchers with enough qualifying appearances.
Johnny Werhas played in Major League Baseball during his career, the only member of the Taiyo Whales to do so.
Kaoru Betto served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akira Ejiri | L | L | January 10, 1943 | 5'10" | 178 | Takahagi, Ibaraki JP |
| Hisaaki Fukushima | R | R | April 10, 1947 | 5'10" | 185 | Higashi Muro-gun, Wakayama JP |
| Tadashi Furuta | R | R | July 31, 1946 | 5'8" | 143 | , Yamaguchi JP |
| Kenzo Hayashi | R | R | May 21, 1943 | 5'9" | 165 | Kyoto, Kyoto JP |
| Masaji Hiramatsu | R | R | September 19, 1947 | 5'9" | 162 | Takahashi, Okayama JP |
| Ichiro Hiraoka | L | L | August 14, 1945 | 5'8" | 156 | Odawara, Kanagawa JP |
| Yoshihiro Iizuka | L | R | January 26, 1945 | 5'8" | 150 | Utsunomiya, Tochigi JP |
| Nobuhiro Ishihata | L | L | July 29, 1944 | 5'10" | 171 | Fukushima, Fukushima JP |
| Isao Ito | R | R | May 14, 1942 | 5'11" | 176 | Sendai, Miyagi JP |
| Hiroshi Kito | L | L | April 18, 1943 | 5'10" | 171 | Ise, Mie JP |
| Akihito Kondo | R | R | April 1, 1938 | 5'6" | 143 | Takamatsu, Kagawa JP |
| Kazuhiko Kondo | L | L | March 2, 1936 | 5'10" | 173 | , Tokyo JP |
| Tadakatsu Kotani | R | R | April 8, 1945 | 5'10" | 182 | Akashi, Hyogo JP |
| Masakatsu Kusaka | R | R | October 17, 1944 | 5'8" | 176 | Ishimaki, Miyagi JP |
| Julio Linares | R | R | December 26, 1941 | 5'9" | 165 | San Pedro de Macoris, San Pedro de Macoris DO |
| Shigekuni Mashiba | L | L | November 15, 1951 | 5'10" | 178 | Ozu, Shiga JP |
| Makoto Matsubara | R | R | January 13, 1944 | 6'0" | 178 | Iino, Saitama JP |
| Kosuke Matsuoka | R | R | February 9, 1943 | 5'7" | 167 | Kumamoto, Kumamoto JP |
| Chikara Morinaka | S | R | October 20, 1939 | 5'9" | 162 | , Nara JP |
| Masayuki Nakatsuka | L | L | June 29, 1945 | 5'8" | 176 | Takamatsu, Kagawa JP |
| Manabu Nemoto | R | R | May 14, 1951 | 5'11" | 162 | , Ibaraki JP |
| Yoshio Noguchi | R | R | May 5, 1948 | 5'8" | 167 | , Kumamoto JP |
| Osamu Nomura | R | R | August 9, 1946 | 6'0" | 171 | Hiratsuka, Kanagawa JP |
| Isao Ohashi | R | R | March 25, 1941 | 5'8" | 178 | , Kochi JP |
| Yukio Osada | L | L | February 24, 1939 | 5'10" | 189 | Minami Tsuru-gun, Yamanashi JP |
| Katsuji Sakai | R | R | March 21, 1938 | 5'11" | 158 | , Fukuoka JP |
| Issei Sato | R | R | January 5, 1945 | 5'9" | 180 | , Tokyo JP |
| Shozo Shigematsu | R | R | January 5, 1940 | 5'5" | 158 | Imabari, Ehime JP |
| Yoshihiro Takagaki | R | R | November 6, 1948 | 5'10" | 170 | , Tottori JP |
| Shigeyuki Takahashi | R | R | May 16, 1945 | 6'2" | 190 | Asahi, Chiba JP |
| Kazuyoshi Takemura | R | R | December 19, 1949 | 5'11" | 162 | Aki-gun, Kochi JP |
| Kiyoshi Tanioka | R | R | April 11, 1951 | 5'8" | 176 | Ipponmatsu-machi, Gunma JP |
| Johnny Werhas | R | R | February 7, 1938 | 6'2" | 200 | Highland Park, MI US |
| Ritsuo Yamashita | R | R | October 20, 1944 | 5'11" | 165 | Minami Uwa-gun, Ehime JP |
| Yasukazu Yasuda | R | R | March 24, 1950 | 5'10" | 180 | , Yamaguchi JP |
| Keisaburo Yoneda | R | R | January 13, 1943 | 5'9" | 160 | Osaka, Osaka JP |
