 What a
pleasant surprise. A reserve outfielder who had
never amounted to much in his first four pro
seasons, Mitsuru Manaka got a big break when
center fielder Tetsuya Iida kept injuring himself
in 1997. Appearing
in 87 games (often playing first few innings
before Iida stepped in), the left-handed lead-off
hitter batted .338 in 228 at bats with three
triples, three home runs and eight steals.
Though never much of a power hitter,
Manaka even compiled a .452 slugging percentage.
Despite needing to work a bit on his plate
discipline (32 strikeouts, 15 walks), Manaka
earned a respectable .384 on base percentage.
Manaka must have been rubbing his
rabbit's foot in October, because a shoulder
injury prevented Iida from appearing in the Japan
Series.
Filling in, Manaka batted .333 with
one double and two RBIs in 21 at bats. Without
Manaka and Yakult's other reserve players
patching up holes so effectively, it's doubtful
the team would have ever made it to the Japan
Series.
|
|
 |
| #
31 |
| Outfielder |
| Born:1-6-1971 |
| Height:
170 cm |
| Weight:
75 kg |
| Bats:
Left |
| Throws:
Left |
 |
|
