1972 Taiyo Whales Roster
Japan Central League (JPCL) - Class: Foreign Major
Team Record: 57-69
Finished 5th in the JPCL
Manager: Takeshi Miyazaki (0-0), Noboru Aota (0-0), Kaoru Betto (0-0)
Location: Kawasaki, Japan
Ballpark: Kawasaki Stadium
1972 Taiyo Whales StatisticsTeam Record: 57-69
Finished 5th in the JPCL
Manager: Takeshi Miyazaki (0-0), Noboru Aota (0-0), Kaoru Betto (0-0)
Location: Kawasaki, Japan
Ballpark: Kawasaki Stadium
The Taiyo Whales of the Japan Central League ended the 1972 season with a record of 57 wins and 69 losses, finishing fifth in the JPCL.
The Whales scored 481 runs and surrendered 523 runs. Makoto Matsubara led Taiyo with 25 home runs, while Clete Boyer, Shinichi Eto and John Sipin each walloped 15 or more, too. John Sipin drove in 76 runs. Clete Boyer paced all regular hitters with a .285 average. Katsuji Sakai topped the team with 15 wins and a team-best 3.03 ERA, best among qualifying pitchers.
John Sipin and Clete Boyer both played in Major League Baseball during their careers.
Takeshi Miyazaki, Noboru Aota and Kaoru Betto served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clete Boyer | R | R | February 9, 1937 | 6'0" | 165 | Cassville, MO US |
| Akira Ejiri | L | L | January 10, 1943 | 5'10" | 178 | Takahagi, Ibaraki JP |
| Shinichi Eto | R | R | October 6, 1937 | 5'10" | 176 | Yamaga, Kumamoto 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 |
| 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 |
| Koji Kobayashi | R | R | September 8, 1950 | 5'10" | 162 | , Fukuoka 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 |
| Hiroshi Kurahashi | R | R | June 2, 1946 | 5'8" | 145 | , Miyagi JP |
| Masakatsu Kusaka | R | R | October 17, 1944 | 5'8" | 176 | Ishimaki, Miyagi JP |
| 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 |
| Hideo Matsushima | R | R | July 24, 1951 | 5'10" | 154 | , Shizuoka JP |
| Masayuki Nakatsuka | L | L | June 29, 1945 | 5'8" | 176 | Takamatsu, Kagawa JP |
| Yoshio Noguchi | R | R | May 5, 1948 | 5'8" | 167 | , Kumamoto JP |
| Isao Ohashi | R | R | March 25, 1941 | 5'8" | 178 | , Kochi JP |
| NObushi Oikawa | R | R | June 8, 1944 | 5'10" | 167 | Kamaishi, Iwate 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 |
| Motohiko Sato | R | R | January 1, 1943 | 5'10" | 154 | Kumamoto, Kumamoto JP |
| Shozo Shigematsu | R | R | January 5, 1940 | 5'5" | 158 | Imabari, Ehime JP |
| Gentaro Shimada | R | R | August 25, 1939 | 5'10" | 182 | , Miyagi JP |
| John Sipin | R | R | August 29, 1946 | 6'1" | 175 | Watsonville, CA US |
| Yoshihiro Takagaki | R | R | November 6, 1948 | 5'10" | 170 | , Tottori JP |
| Yoshikazu Takagi | L | L | March 13, 1949 | 5'10" | 180 | Aiko-gun, Kanagawa JP |
| Kazuyoshi Takemura | R | R | December 19, 1949 | 5'11" | 162 | Aki-gun, Kochi JP |
| Hiroaki Takeuchi | R | R | October 22, 1953 | 5'8" | 165 | Tano-gun, Gunma JP |
| Kiyoshi Tanioka | R | R | April 11, 1951 | 5'8" | 176 | Ipponmatsu-machi, Gunma JP |
| Tatsuo Uzawa | R | R | July 13, 1952 | 5'9" | 160 | Togane, Chiba JP |
| 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 |
