Former Hanshin Tigers and Daimai Orions outfielder Kenjiro Tamiya died of a brain hemorrhage Wednesday at a hospital in Ibaraki Prefecture. He was 82.
Tamiya led the Central League in 1958 with a .320 batting average, denying then-rookie Yomiuri Giants third baseman Shigeo Nagashima the Triple Crown.
The Ibaraki native started his professional career with Hanshin in 1949 as a pitcher and fell just short of becoming the first to throw a perfect game in Japanese baseball when he allowed a two-out single in the ninth inning against the Kokutetsu Swallows in 1950.
Tamiya was converted into a position player in 1952 due to shoulder problems and moved to Daimai in 1959.
He batted .300 seven times in 15 seasons and was a .297 career hitter with 106 home runs and 597 RBIs in 1,488 games.
In 2002, he was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame.