Ritsuo Horimoto

Ritsuo Horimoto
Pitcher
Born: January 20, 1935 Osaka Prefecture
Died: January 14, 2012 (aged 76) Yokohama, Kanagawa
Batted: Right Threw: Right
NPB debut
1960, for the Yomiuri Giants
Last appearance
1965, for the Tokyo Orions
NPB statistics
Win–loss record	63–59
Earned run average	3.18
Strikeouts	1,273
Teams
As player Yomiuri Giants (1960–1962) Daimai/Tokyo Orions (1963–1965) As coach (Yokohama) Taiyo Whales (1977–1978; 1991–1992) Nippon Ham Fighters (1993–1994) Uni-President Lions (1997) (CPBL)
Career highlights and awards
Eiji Sawamura Award (1960) Central League Rookie of the Year Award (1960) 1961 Japan Series champion

Ritsuo Horimoto (堀本律雄 Horimoto Ritsuo, January 20, 1935 – January 14, 2012) was a Japanese baseball pitcher.

He played for the Yomiuri Giants from 1960 to 1962, winning both the Central League Rookie of the Year Award and the Eiji Sawamura Award in his first season. The Giants won the Japan Series the next year, and traded him for Toshio Yanagida at the end of the 1962 season. Horimoto closed his playing career with the Orions franchise, and coached the Yokohama Taiyo Whales in two stints from 1977 to 1978 and 1991 to 1992. He then joined the Nippon Ham Fighters coaching staff for two seasons, 1993 and 1994, followed by a return to coaching in 1997 with the Uni-President Lions, a Chinese Professional Baseball League team.

Horimoto died of pneumonia in Yokohama on January 14, 2012, at the age of 76.^[1][2]

References

1. "元巨人投手の堀本律雄さん死去　新人で２９勝挙げ沢村賞". Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). January 16, 2012. Retrieved April 24, 2016.
2. "元巨人投手の堀本律雄氏死去＝プロ野球" (in Japanese). Yahoo! Japan. January 16, 2012. Retrieved April 24, 2016.

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference (Minors)
• BR Bullpen