Hiromichi Ishige

Who is Hiromichi Ishige?

Hiromichi Ishige is a retired Japanese professional baseball player and manager in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball.

A 7-time Best Nine, 10-time Gold Glove winner, one-time MVP and 14-team All-Star, Ishige left a fabulous track record in 16 years as a shortstop and third baseman in the Pacific League.

Ishige was drafted by the Lotte Orions in the third round of the 1974 NPB draft but went to college instead. He won a Tokyo Metropolitan University League batting title and made six Best Nines in college. He was then picked in the first round of the 1980 NPB draft by the Seibu Lions.

Ishige made the All-Star team as a rookie with Seibu and would make it all 14 seasons he was with them. He hit .311/.380/.531 that first year with 21 homers and 25 steals. He won a Gold Glove, made his first Best Nine and won Rookie of the Year honors. Ishige's production slipped to a .259/.337/.401 line in 1982 though he stole 22 in 26 tries and won a Gold Glove and Best Nine. He hit .296/.321/.370 in his first Japan Series to help Seibu take the 1982 Series but was thrown out in two of three steal attempts.

In 1983, Hiromichi hit .303/.593/.503 with 29 steals in 34 tries, 16 homers, 86 runs, another Gold Glove, a third Best Nine spot and tied Yutaka Fukumoto and Hiromi Matsunaga the PL lead with 7 triples. He hit .276/.276/.379 as Seibu won another Japan Series but was 0 for 1 in steals. The next year, Ishige batted .259/.338/.498 with 91 runs, 26 homers and 26 steals; Keijiro Yumioka beat him out for the Best Nine that time.