is a Japanese former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

player, manager, and commentator. During his career, Tabuchi played for the

Hanshin Tigers The Hanshin Tigers (Japanese: 阪神タイガース ''Hanshin Taigāsu'') are a Nippon Professional Baseball team playing in the Central League. The team is based in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and is owned by Hanshin Electric Railway ...

and the

Seibu Lions The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based north of Tokyo in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture. Before 1979, they were based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture in Kyushu. The team is owned by a subsidiary of Seibu Railway, wh ...

. Tabuchi played catcher for the

from 1969 and 1978, where his combination with pitcher

Yutaka Enatsu is a former Japanese pitcher regarded as one of the best Japanese strikeout pitchers of all-time. In , he recorded 401 strikeouts, which is still the world record. Enatsu was a bit player in the Black Mist Scandal which embroiled Japanese baseb ...

was called the "Golden Battery". Always a long-range hitter, Tabuchi was nicknamed home run artist because of the high-in-the-sky, long trajectory of his home runs. Although his career total of 474

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s is far below

Sadaharu Oh Sadaharu Oh (Japanese: , ''Ō Sadaharu''; born May 20, 1940), also known as Wang Chen-chih (), is a Japanese-born former baseball player and manager Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"Ō Sadaharu"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 758. who ...

's 868, his frequency nearly matched Oh's. Tabuchi hit a home run once every 12.41 at-bats, while Oh did once every 10.66. In this statistic he is second only to Oh among sluggers who have logged 300 or more home runs. Known as Mr. Tiger (along with

Fumio Fujimura was a Japanese baseball infielder and pitcher who played 22 seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) from 1936 to 1958. He began his career as a stellar right-handed pitcher for the Osaka Tigers, but achieved his greatest fame as a hitter. ...

Minoru Murayama was a professional baseball player for the Osaka Tigers (later Hanshin Tigers) in Nippon Professional Baseball. His number ''11'' is retired with the Tigers. A pitcher with Hanshin from 1959 to 1972, he recorded a career 2.09 ERA and 192 caree ...

, and

Masayuki Kakefu (born May 9, 1955) is a Japanese former professional baseball third baseman in Nippon Professional Baseball or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''. Outside Japan, ...

), Tabuchi has served as the chairman of Hanshin Tigers Old Boys' Committee since November 2009.

Biography

Hanshin Tigers

Dubbed the "Hosei Trio" of

Hosei University is a private university based in Tokyo, Japan. The university originated in a school of law, Tōkyō Hōgakusha (, i.e. Tokyo association of law), established in 1880, and the following year renamed Tōkyō Hōgakkō (, i.e. Tokyo school of law ...

baseball team together with teammates Masaru Tomita and Koji Yamamoto, Tabuchi was named the first

draft Draft, The Draft, or Draught may refer to: Watercraft dimensions * Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel * Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail * Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a vessel ...

choice in 1968 by the Tigers, although he had commented earlier he would not join any other team than the

Yomiuri Giants The are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, they are one of two professional baseball teams based in Tokyo, the other being the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. They ...

. Joining the Tigers after all, he appeared in 81 games during the first season, delivering 22 homers, and marked the highest throw-out rate of attempted steals of the year, which enabled him win the Central League's Rookie of the Year. In a game against

Hiroshima Carp The is a professional baseball team based in Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Japan. They compete in the Central League of Nippon Professional Baseball. The team is primarily owned by the Matsuda family, led by , who is a descendant of Mazda ...

on August 26, 1970, Tabuchi was hit in his head and directly onto his left ear at bat. He was badly bleeding from his ear, and was carried to a hospital immediately where he stayed unconscious for two days. He was obliged to be hospitalized for three months with his left eardrum found severely damaged, missing out the rest of the season. This incident led to the introduction of ear-flapped helmet in Japan. The following year, Tabuchi was for the second time hospitalized for a period over a month, this time shortly before the season and suffering from

nephritis Nephritis is inflammation of the kidneys and may involve the glomeruli, tubules, or interstitial tissue surrounding the glomeruli and tubules. It is one of several different types of nephropathy. Types * Glomerulonephritis is inflammation of th ...

that allowed him join the team only in June. In 1973, Tabuchi marked the league's highest throw-out rate for the second time. In 1974, he blasted more than 40 shots over the fence, ending up at 45 homers, four round-trippers behind

. In 1975, Tabuchi was crowned to home run king of the

Central League The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League in the annual Japan Series. It currently consist ...

with 43 homers, putting a brief halt to

's winning another title after his thirteen-year streak beginning in 1962.Oh continued to win the title in the following two years, in 1976 and 1977, before retiring in 1980. () During Tabuchi's last seasons with the Tigers, he often turned the wrong ways while chasing after foul flies.

Seibu Lions

After the 1978 season, Tabuchi was traded to the

. With the Lions he won the

Japan Series The Japan Series ( , officially the Japan Championship Series, ), also the Nippon Series, :File:2014_JS_logo.png is the annual championship series in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top baseball league in Japan. It is a best-of-seven series ...

two years in a row, in 1982 and 1983.

Post-player career

After his 1984 retirement, he managed the

Fukuoka Daiei Hawks The are a Japanese professional baseball team based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture. They compete in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) as a member of the Pacific League. The team was formerly known as the Nankai Hawks and was based in Osaka. ...

and coached the Tigers. From 1985 to 1989, again from 1993 to 2001, and again beginning in 2004 he has been a commentator for Tokyo Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS). Tabuchi is the head batting coach of the

Japan national baseball team The is the national team representing Japan in international baseball competitions. It won the World Baseball Classic in 2006 and 2009, as well as WBSC Premier12 in 2019. The team is currently ranked 1st in the world by the World Baseball Sof ...

Data

*Jersey number: **22 (1969–1984) **81 (1990–1992) **88 (2002–2003, 2011-2012)

Awards and honors

* Rookie of the year,

, 1969 *Home run king, Central League, 1975 *

Matsutaro Shoriki Award Matsutaro Shoriki Award is named in honor of Matsutarō Shōriki, the owner of the Yomiuri Shimbun, whose achievements earned him the label of the real parent of present day Japanese professional baseball. The prize was founded in 1977. It is pre ...

, 1983

References

External links

Career statistics - NPB.jp
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tabuchi, Koichi 1946 births Living people Baseball people from Tokyo Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks managers Hosei University alumni Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame inductees Japanese baseball players Hanshin Tigers players Managers of baseball teams in Japan Nippon Professional Baseball designated hitters Nippon Professional Baseball Rookie of the Year Award winners Seibu Lions players