There are 126 different cards of
Kenjiro Tamiya listed in Japanese Baseball Cards Checklist & Price
Guide, Vintage Edition 3.0. Of
those, only two are rookie color bromides.
One of the two is offered in this lot.
What is most interesting about the card offered here is that it depicts
Tamiya as a pitcher, rather than an outfielder.
Originally a pitcher, Tamiya a
lefthander, was converted to the outfield after a few years with the Tigers,
where he developed into an outstanding hitter. In his rookie year, Tamiya threw
160 innings finishing with an 11-7 record.
However, he barely pitched in 1950 and 1951, as arm troubles and poor
performance dictated a switch to the outfield.
Tamiya finally hit his stride as an
outfielder early in 1954, batting .300 or more in seven of the next
nine seasons. During his career, he was
selected to five Best 9 teams and led both the Central and Pacific Leagues in
many offensive categories, including OPS twice, batting average and slugging
percentage. Seven times he led the league in being hit by a pitch!
This is one of only a few cards in
which Tamiya is shown as a pitcher, and it is one of the most beautiful.
Size: 2 1/4” x 3”
Condition: Vg/Ex