In Memoriam ’23] “He was a true professional”… Mitsuo Tatsukawa, who played his wife, talks about the shocking ball “received from Manabu Kitabeppu.

Manabu Kitabeppu
Died on June 16 at the age of 65

Manabu Kitabeppu passed away on June 16, 2011, at the age of 65. He was the ace of the Hiroshima Toyo Carp, a professional baseball team, and won a total of 213 games, the most of any player on the team.

His wife, Mitsuo Tatsukawa, who worked with Mr. Kitabeppu and supported the Carp during its golden era, recalls episodes with Mr. Kitabeppu.

He was a true professional who cared about winning.
Mitsuo Tatsukawa, former professional baseball player

I remember the first time I took a pitch in the bullpen 45 years ago, and I still remember the shock. His control was outstanding. That’s why I was so nervous when I worked with him. All of his pitches were top-notch, so if he got hit by a pitch, it would be the catcher’s fault.

There were times when I gave him boring signs and he ignored me after the game (laughs). He was an aggressive pitcher who attacked the inside pitch, so I tried to lead as aggressively as I could.

Also, he was always taciturn in the locker room before pitching, saying, “I get distracted if I talk too much. It was my role to tell the younger players to be quiet. He was a professional with a strong desire to win.

He was a big drinker and drank a lot on days when the team won. He often went out to dinner not only with the players, but also with the team staff and the people behind the scenes. I think he knew very well that you can’t win if you don’t take care of the people around you.

We were born on the same day and had the same blood type. We were like brothers. There was no pitcher I got along with better than him. Maybe I praised him a little too much (laughs). I just wish we could have had one more drink and talked about baseball one last time.

From the December 29, 2023 issue of FRIDAY