Kenichi Aoshiba
| Date and Place of Birth: | September 1, 1912 in Sonobe-machi, Kyoto, Japan |
| Date and Place of Death: | November 1, 1945, Pyongyang Military Hospital, Pyongyang, North Korea |
| Baseball Experience: | Japanese Professional League |
| Position: | Pitcher |
| Rank: | Unknown |
| Military Unit: | Unknown |
| Area Served: | Pacific |
Kenichi Aoshiba was born on September 1, 1912 in Sonobe-machi, Kyoto,
Japan. He attended Otani Chugakkou high school and Ritsumeikan
University before playing industrial league baseball with Toyo Bearing
and Dairen Jitsugyo. When an American League all-star team toured Japan
in 1934, Aoshiba was selected for the All-Nippon team pitching staff.
Hurling against Babe Ruth, Earl Averill, Lou Gehrig, Charlie Gehringer
and Jimmie Foxx, Aoshiba made six appearances for an 0-3 won-loss
record.
In 1934, he was signed by the Dai Nippon Tokyo Yakyu Club – Japan’s
first professional baseball team and forerunner of the Tokyo Giants.
After Aoshiba toured the United States with Dai Nippon in 1935 and the
sprig of 1936, the
Japanese Professional Baseball League started in 1936 and Aoshiba
pitched for the Giants until 1938.
In the fall of 1938, the 26-year-old was drafted for military service.
He died of disease at the Pyongyang Military Hospital in North Korea on
November 1, 1945.
Kenichi Aoshiba (left) with the Tokyo Giants during a game against the Seattle Rainiers in Seattle, April 1936
Thanks to Astrid van Erp for help with this biography.
Date Added: February 8, 2013. Updated August 18, 2017
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