Kentarō Ogawa

Kentarō Ogawa (January 12, 1934 – October 8, 1995) was a Japanese professional baseball player. A right-handed submarine-style pitcher,[1] he played in Japan for the Chunichi Dragons. Ogawa was one of the top pitchers in Nippon Professional Baseball before a scandal derailed his career. During his prime years from 1965–1969, Ogawa won 93 games, including winning 20 games or more twice.

Kentarō Ogawa
Pitcher
Born: (1934-01-12)January 12, 1934
Kurume, Fukuoka, Japan
Died: October 8, 1995(1995-10-08) (aged 61)
Batted: right
Threw: right
Nippon Professional Baseball debut
1964, for the Chunichi Dragons
Last appearance
May, 1970, for the Chunichi Dragons
NPB statistics
Win–loss95-66
ERA2.62
Strikeouts739
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Biography

Ogawa attended Fukuoka Prefectural Meizen High School, graduating in 1954.[1] He signed with the Toei Flyers, but instead of pursuing professional baseball, he went to work in the private sector.[1]

Deciding to return to professional baseball at age 30, he made his NPB debut for the Chunichi Dragons in 1964. In 1967 he went 29-12 with a 2.51 ERA and 16 complete games, winning the Eiji Sawamura Award. The next year he led the league in losses with 20, while still compiling a low 3.27 ERA and 9 complete games. In 1969 he returned to form, winning 20 games for the second time.

Black Mist scandal
Main article: The Black Mist Scandal (Japanese baseball)

In 1970 Ogawa started the season 2–1 with a 1.71 ERA.

On May 6 of that year, Ogawa was arrested for taking part in auto race-fixing. He was also implicated in baseball game-fixing.[1] On June 6, 1970, the NPB commissioner committee banned Ogawa for life.

See also

References
  1. McKenna, Brian. Early Exits: The Premature Endings of Baseball Careers (Scarecrow Press, 2007), p. 17.
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