Takao Kajimoto, a former top hurler and manager of the Hankyu Braves, died of respiratory failure at a Kobe hospital Saturday morning, his family said.
He was 71. Kajimoto joined the Pacific League club now known as the Orix Buffaloes in 1954 after graduating from Tajimi Kogyo high school and immediately posted his first career win in the Braves' season opener and went on to collect 20 wins that year.
The lefty soon became one of the Nishinomiya-based team's top stars along with right-hander Tetsuya Yoneda and set a record nine straight strikeouts in a game against the Nankai Hawks in 1957.
Kajimoto posted 15 wins in 1967, leading the Braves to win their first Pa League pennant.
He had a 254-255 win-loss record in his 20-year career in which he made 867 appearances, the third highest on record. Former Hankyu Braves manager Toshiharu Ueda said upon hearing of Kajimoto's death, "There are values in his many victories with a weak team that was Hankyu. He was the best pitcher."