Considered by many to be Japan's greatest pitcher ever, Kaneda holds many Japan Pro Baseball career records, including most wins (an astounding 400!), most losses (298), most innings pitched (5,526 2/3), most strikeouts (4,490) and
most walks (1,808). His lifetime ERA was 2.34. In the mid 1950s, he won three consecutive Sawamura (Japan Cy Young) awards and twice won 30 games in a season. Kaneda's Kabaya-Leaf card sits in the second tier of the set's rarity.
Due to its scarcity, it is often not a part of the near complete sets that Mel Bailey assembled for sale to U.S. collectors more than 50 years ago. This example was recently discovered in Japan, and was not part of Bailey's initial hoard.
Size: 2 3/8" x 3 3/8"
Condition: SGC 4.5 (VG/EX +)