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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