1977 Taiyo Whales Roster
Japan Central League (JPCL) - Class: Foreign Major
Team Record: 51-68
Finished 6th in the JPCL
Manager: Kaoru Betto (51-68)
Location: Kawasaki, Japan
Ballpark: Kawasaki Stadium
1977 Taiyo Whales StatisticsTeam Record: 51-68
Finished 6th in the JPCL
Manager: Kaoru Betto (51-68)
Location: Kawasaki, Japan
Ballpark: Kawasaki Stadium
The Taiyo Whales of the Japan Central League ended the 1977 season with a record of 51 wins and 68 losses, finishing sixth in the JPCL.
The Whales scored 643 runs and conceded 687 runs, most in the circuit. Tomio Tashiro walloped 35 home runs for Taiyo, while Yoshikazu Takagi, Makoto Matsubara, Daisuke Yamashita, Keiji Nagasaki and John Sipin each added 15 or more also. Makoto Matsubara accounted for 110 RBI. Yoshikazu Takagi paced all regular batters with a .323 average. Masaji Hiramatsu topped the squad with 10 wins and a team-best 3.96 earned run average, best among pitchers with enough qualifying appearances.
John Sipin and Bob Reynolds both played in Major League Baseball during their careers.
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 |
| Masaji Hiramatsu | R | R | September 19, 1947 | 5'9" | 162 | Takahashi, Okayama JP |
| Isao Ito | R | R | May 14, 1942 | 5'11" | 176 | Sendai, Miyagi JP |
| Takayuki Iwai | R | R | May 30, 1953 | 5'9" | 158 | Usa, Oita JP |
| Tadakatsu Kotani | R | R | April 8, 1945 | 5'10" | 182 | Akashi, Hyogo 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 |
| Masayuki Miura | R | R | September 18, 1951 | 6'0" | 213 | , Akita JP |
| Michio Miura | L | L | May 3, 1955 | 6'0" | 178 | Kobe, Hyogo JP |
| Shiro Miyamoto | L | L | May 28, 1952 | 5'10" | 143 | Matsuzaka, Mie JP |
| Keiji Nagasaki | L | L | May 13, 1950 | 5'10" | 176 | Haruno-machi, Kochi JP |
| Masayuki Nakatsuka | L | L | June 29, 1945 | 5'8" | 176 | Takamatsu, Kagawa JP |
| Takashi Nemoto | R | R | June 14, 1954 | 5'9" | 160 | , Chiba JP |
| Yoshio Noguchi | R | R | May 5, 1948 | 5'8" | 167 | , Kumamoto JP |
| Hiroshi Okawa | L | L | July 10, 1956 | 5'9" | 151 | Iyo-gun, Ehime JP |
| Hideyuki Okue | R | R | August 11, 1950 | 5'11" | 162 | Okayama, Okayama JP |
| Bob Reynolds | R | R | January 21, 1947 | 6'0" | 205 | Seattle, WA US |
| Akio Saito | R | R | February 23, 1955 | 6'0" | 187 | Kyoto, Kyoto JP |
| Ko Saito | R | R | November 25, 1957 | 5'11" | 176 | Nishiwaki, Hyogo JP |
| Mitsuhiro Sekimoto | R | R | May 1, 1949 | 6'0" | 165 | Itoigawa, Niigata JP |
| Tamio Shibata | R | R | April 5, 1949 | 5'11" | 176 | , Tokyo JP |
| Hiroyoshi Shimizu | R | R | July 4, 1950 | 5'10" | 165 | , Tokyo JP |
| John Sipin | R | R | August 29, 1946 | 6'1" | 175 | Watsonville, CA US |
| Tomotaka Sugiyama | R | R | August 22, 1947 | 6'0" | 185 | , Shizuoka JP |
| Yoshikazu Takagi | L | L | March 13, 1949 | 5'10" | 180 | Aiko-gun, Kanagawa JP |
| Shigeyuki Takahashi | R | R | May 16, 1945 | 6'2" | 190 | Asahi, Chiba JP |
| Hiroaki Takeuchi | R | R | October 22, 1953 | 5'8" | 165 | Tano-gun, Gunma JP |
| Masao Tamura | R | R | May 3, 1953 | 5'11" | 173 | Wakayama, Wakayama JP |
| Akira Tanaka | R | R | July 20, 1944 | 5'7" | 140 | Kisarazu, Chiba JP |
| Kiyoshi Tanioka | R | R | April 11, 1951 | 5'8" | 176 | Ipponmatsu-machi, Gunma JP |
| Tomio Tashiro | R | R | July 9, 1954 | 6'1" | 193 | Odawara, Kanagawa JP |
| Yasuhiko Tsuji | R | R | June 18, 1942 | 5'7" | 182 | Nagoya, Aichi JP |
| Tatsuo Uzawa | R | R | July 13, 1952 | 5'9" | 160 | Togane, Chiba JP |
| Kenichi Wakabayashi | R | R | May 3, 1953 | 5'10" | 180 | Kofu, Yamanashi JP |
| Hidetake Watanabe | R | R | September 16, 1941 | 6'0" | 190 | , Shizuoka JP |
| Daisuke Yamashita | R | R | March 5, 1952 | 5'9" | 171 | Shimizu, Shizuoka JP |
| Toshikazu Yano | R | R | April 21, 1950 | 5'8" | 158 | Omuta, Fukuoka JP |
| Keisaburo Yoneda | R | R | January 13, 1943 | 5'9" | 160 | Osaka, Osaka JP |
