Masaichi Kaneda

The greatest Japanese pitcher of all-time, Masaichi Kaneda invites easy comparison to turn-of-the-century hurler Cy Young. Aside from being the most dominant pitchers in their respective eras and leagues, Kaneda holds several of the red-flag Japanese pitching records: most career wins (400), strikeouts (4490), complete games (365), and innings pitched (5526 2/3).

The "god of pitching" is also way up there in several other categories, including shutouts (82, second), complete games without surrendering a walk (39, seventh), and lifetime earned run average (2.34 ERA, tenth) as well as some more notorious categories. Losing a record 298 games, Kaneda surrendered 4120 hits (second), 379 home runs (fifth), and 1706 runs (fourth).

Playing the with the Kokutetsu Swallows the first 15 years of his 19-season career (1950-69), Kaneda remains the team's all-time leader in wins (353), strikeouts (4065), ERA (2.27) and games (814). One of only four pitchers to win the Sawamura Award three times, the Swallows southpaw was named the Central League's best pitcher three straight years, 1956-58. While playing for Kokutetsu, Kaneda also led the league in strikeouts ten times (including 350 whiffs in 1955) and wins three times. The lefty mound master also picked up two of his three pitching titles with the Swallows, compiling a 1.63 ERA in 1957 and a 1.30 ERA a year later.

Fed up with the extreme workloads he endured with Kokutetsu, Kaneda declared himself a free agent after the 1965 season and signed a lucrative contract with the Yomiuri Giants. Refusing to follow the usual exhaustive pre-game practices, opting instead to train on his own, the individual-minded hurler became known as "Emperor Kaneda." Though his skills eroded in his last four years, he still pitched two great seasons in 1965 and '67, winning the league's pitching crown his first year on the Yomiuri staff with a 1.84 ERA.

Inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1988, Kaneda managed the Lotte Orions for a total of eight seasons in two different stints (1973-78 and 1990-91). Though largely unimpressive as a field general, the former pitching-great led the Orions to one Japan Series championship in 1974.