Masaru Kageura Explained

Masaru Kageura
景浦 將
Team:Hanshin Tigers
Position:Outfielder, Infielder, Pitcher
Birth Date:20 July 1915
Birth Place:Matsuyama, Japan
Death Place:Luzon, Philippines
Bats:Right
Throws:Right
Debutleague:JBL
Debutyear:1936
Debutteam:Osaka Tigers
Finalleague:JBL
Finalyear:1943
Finalteam:Hanshin Tigers
Statleague:Career hitting
Stat1label:Batting average
Stat1value:.271
Stat2label:Hits
Stat2value:307
Stat3label:Home runs
Stat3value:25
Stat4label:Runs batted in
Stat4value:222
Stat2league:Career pitching
Stat21label:Win–loss record
Stat21value:27-9
Stat22label:ERA
Stat22value:1.57
Stat23label:Strikeouts
Stat23value:134
Teams:As player
Highlights:
  • E.R.A. title (1936)
Hoflink:Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame
Hoftype:Japanese
Hofdate:1965

was a Japanese baseball player from Matsuyama, Ehime. An accomplished two-way player, Kaguera is one of two players (Eiji Sawamura being the other) who was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame after being killed in World War II.

Kageura's team reached the finals in the 1932 National High School Baseball Championship, but his team was defeated by Masao Yoshida in the championship game.

After getting his degree at Rikkyo University,[1] Kageura joined the Tigers of the nascent Japanese Baseball League (JBL) and he was a good rival for Eiji Sawamura of the Giants. Kageura won the 1936 JBL ERA title with a 0.79 mark. He did not play in the JBL from 1939 to 1942, returning to the Tigers for the 1943 season (although he did not pitch that season).

Kageura was killed in the Battle of Luzon, in the Philippines, in World War II. He was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame by the Special Committee in 1965.

Notes and References

  1. http://english.baseball-museum.or.jp/baseball_hallo/detail/detail_023.html Masaru Kageura entry