1978 Yokohama Taiyo Whales Roster
Team Record: 64-57
Finished 4th in the JPCL
Manager: Kaoru Betto (64-57)
Location: Yokohama-shi, Japan
Ballpark: Yokohama Stadium
The Yokohama Taiyo Whales of the Japan Central League ended the 1978 season with a record of 64 wins and 57 losses, finishing fourth in the JPCL.
The Whales plated 596 runs and surrendered 554 runs. Tomio Tashiro paced Yokohama with 27 home runs, while Hisaaki Fukushima, Makoto Matsubara, Yoshikazu Takagi and Keiji Nagasaki each walloped 15 or more, too. Tomio Tashiro drove in 104 runs. Makoto Matsubara topped batters with significant playing time with a .329 average. Osamu Nomura led the team with 17 wins, plus Akio Saito, too added 15 or more wins, too Akio Saito and Osamu Nomura earned a 3.14 ERA, tops among qualifying pitchers.
Félix Millán and Danny Walton 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 |
| Kazuhiko Endo | R | R | April 19, 1955 | 6'0" | 158 | Nishi Shirakawa-gun, Fukushima 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 |
| Fumiaki Kadota | R | R | February 6, 1956 | 6'1" | 182 | Kita Kyushu, Fukuoka JP |
| Makoto Matsubara | R | R | January 13, 1944 | 6'0" | 178 | Iino, Saitama JP |
| Félix Millán | R | R | August 21, 1943 | 5'11" | 172 | Yabucoa, PR |
| 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 |
| Osamu Nomura | R | R | August 9, 1946 | 6'0" | 171 | Hiratsuka, Kanagawa JP |
| Hiroshi Okawa | L | L | July 10, 1956 | 5'9" | 151 | Iyo-gun, Ehime JP |
| Akio Saito | R | R | February 23, 1955 | 6'0" | 187 | Kyoto, Kyoto JP |
| Mitsuhiro Sekimoto | R | R | May 1, 1949 | 6'0" | 165 | Itoigawa, Niigata JP |
| Hiroyoshi Shimizu | R | R | July 4, 1950 | 5'10" | 165 | , Tokyo 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 |
| Yoshio Tanaka | R | R | September 3, 1955 | 6'0" | 187 | Yazu-gun, Tottori 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 |
| Kenichi Wakabayashi | R | R | May 3, 1953 | 5'10" | 180 | Kofu, Yamanashi JP |
| Danny Walton | R | R | July 14, 1947 | 6'0" | 195 | Los Angeles, CA US |
| Daisuke Yamashita | R | R | March 5, 1952 | 5'9" | 171 | Shimizu, Shizuoka JP |
| Kaname Yashiki | S | R | June 11, 1959 | 5'10" | 165 | Kawanishi, Hyogo JP |
| Keisaburo Yoneda | R | R | January 13, 1943 | 5'9" | 160 | Osaka, Osaka JP |
