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Masao Nakamoto

 

Date and Place of Birth: August 25, 1920, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan
Date and Place of Death:    1944
Baseball Experience: Japanese Professional League
Position: Pitcher
Rank: Unknown
Military Unit: Unknown
Area Served: Unknown

Masao Nakamoto (also known as Masao Iwao) was born on August 25, 1920 in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. He attended Kagoshima-Jitsugyo high school and played baseball for the Moji Tetsudo Kanrikyoku industrial league team before signing with Nankai for the Fall 1938 season.

The right-hander was 4-7 with a 2.94 ERA in 15 appearances his rookie year. In 1939, Nakamoto was 18-19 in 46 games with a 2.21 ERA, and followed that in 1940 with a 12-24 record in 48 appearances, despite a superb 1.99 earned run average.

Nakamoto entered military service after the 1940 season but returned to pitch for Nankai in 1943. Showing that he had not hurled a pro game in over two seasons, the 23-year-old was 0-3 in seven appearances. In 1944, Nankai Electric Railway (owners of the Nankai team) merged with Kansai Express Railroad to form Kinki Nippon Railroad, and the team's name was changed to the Kinki Nihon. Nakamoto was 3-10 in 15 appearances with Kinki Nihon that year and had an ERA of 2.16.

He returned to military service during 1944 and died when his transport ship was sunk by Allied forces that same year.

Date Added: February 11, 2013

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