was a Japanese

Japanese people

The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...

 amateur pitcher originally from Ichinomiya, Aichi

Ichinomiya, Aichi

is a city located in Aichi, Japan. The city is often called Owari-Ichinomiya to avoid confusion with another Ichinomiya . The pre-expansion city was once part of now-defunct Nakashima District until September 1, 1921....

. He had 23 wins at Spring and Summer Koshien. In the National High School Baseball Championship

National High School Baseball Championship

The National High School Baseball Championship of Japan, commonly known as "Summer Kōshien" , is an annual nationwide high school baseball tournament...

 between 1931 and 1933, he won 14 consecutive games at Koshien Stadium

Koshien Stadium

is a baseball park located near Kobe in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. The stadium was built to host the national high school baseball tournaments, and opened on April 1, 1924. It was the largest stadium in Asia at the time it was completed, with a capacity of 55,000.The name Kōshien comes...

 and he became the only pitcher to win three consecutive championships.

Three consecutive victories in high school

Yoshida entered Chukyo Shogyo. He defeated Yoshiyuki Iwamoto

Yoshiyuki Iwamoto

was a Japanese baseball player and manager. He was born in Miyoshi, Hiroshima Prefecture.-Biography:Iwamoto took part in the National High School Baseball Championship in 1931, but his team was defeated by a team of Masao Yoshida, who was also inducted to Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame. He joined...

's Kōryō in his quarterfinal game of 1931. He won the first championship in 1931. He defeated Masaru Kageura

Masaru Kageura

was a Japanese baseball player from Matsuyama, Ehime. His team reached the final in the 1932 National High School Baseball Championship, but his team was defeated by Masao Yoshida in the final. He joined Tigers and he was a good rival for Eiji Sawamura in Giants. He was killed in the battle of the...

's Matsuyama Shogyo in his final game of 1932, and won the second championship in 1932. He defeated Fumio Fujimura

Fumio Fujimura

was a Japanese right-handed pitcher for the Osaka Tigers in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball.In the 1933 National High School Baseball Championship, Fujimura's team reached the quarterfinals but his opponent Masao Yoshida pitched a shutout in the game. In the final of 1934 National High School...

's Taishō in his quarterfinal game of 1933. On August 19, 1933, Yoshida pitched a shutout

Shutout

In team sports, a shutout refers to a game in which one team prevents the opposing team from scoring. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball....

 with 336 pitches and 25 innings in his semifinal game against Akashi. Although he was exhausted by this game, he achieved three consecutive championships next day. He had never joined Nippon Professional Baseball, and played as an amateur pitcher. In honor of his unprecedented pitches at Koshien, Yoshida was inducted to the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame

Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame

The Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a Museum which includes a library, reference rooms and Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame ....

in 1992. No high schools have ever achieved three consecutive victories since his teams.

External links

• Masao Yoshida (Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame)