Japanese League Baseball Player. He became a national hero in Japan on November 11th, 1934, when he held a touring Major League All-Star team to only one run. Although only 18 years old at the time, he scattered five hits over nine innings and struck out nine, including Charley Gehringer, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Jimmy Foxx in a row. For seven seasons (1936 to 1943), he was the Tokyo Yomiuri Giants' ace pitcher, appearing in 105 games and earning a 63-22 record with 554 strikeouts and a 1.74 career ERA. He led the league in wins twice, strikeouts twice and ERA once. In his best season, Spring 1937, he started 24 games and completed all of them. He also led the league with 24 wins (against only 4 losses), 196 strikeouts, and a 0.81 ERA. He was awarded the MVP. After pitching a no-hitter in his rookie season, he repeated that performance during the 1937 and 1940 seasons. He enlisted in the Imperial Army and was killed in the South Pacific battle for the Ryukyu Islands when a ship he was aboard was torpedoed. Established in 1947, the annual award for the best pitcher is called the Sawamura Award in his honor. It is the equivalent of the Major Leagues' Cy Young Award. While his physical remains were not recovered, his spirit is enshrined at Yasukuni.
Japanese League Baseball Player. He became a national hero in Japan on November 11th, 1934, when he held a touring Major League All-Star team to only one run. Although only 18 years old at the time, he scattered five hits over nine innings and struck out nine, including Charley Gehringer, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Jimmy Foxx in a row. For seven seasons (1936 to 1943), he was the Tokyo Yomiuri Giants' ace pitcher, appearing in 105 games and earning a 63-22 record with 554 strikeouts and a 1.74 career ERA. He led the league in wins twice, strikeouts twice and ERA once. In his best season, Spring 1937, he started 24 games and completed all of them. He also led the league with 24 wins (against only 4 losses), 196 strikeouts, and a 0.81 ERA. He was awarded the MVP. After pitching a no-hitter in his rookie season, he repeated that performance during the 1937 and 1940 seasons. He enlisted in the Imperial Army and was killed in the South Pacific battle for the Ryukyu Islands when a ship he was aboard was torpedoed. Established in 1947, the annual award for the best pitcher is called the Sawamura Award in his honor. It is the equivalent of the Major Leagues' Cy Young Award. While his physical remains were not recovered, his spirit is enshrined at Yasukuni.
Bio by: Warrick L. Barrett
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