| Tetsuharu Kawakami | |
|---|---|
 Tetsuharu Kawakami | |
| First basemen | |
| Born: March 23, 1920 Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto, Japan | |
| Died: October 28, 2013 (aged 93) Inagi, Tokyo, Japan | |
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
| Japanese Baseball League (JBL) debut | |
| Spring, 1938, for the Tokyo Kyojin | |
| Last appearance | |
| 1958, for the Yomiuri Giants | |
| JBL/Nippon Professional Baseball statistics | |
| Batting average | .313 |
| Hits | 2,351 |
| Home runs | 181 |
| Runs batted in | 1,319 |
| Runs | 1,028 |
| Stolen bases | 220 |
| Teams | |
| As Player
As Manager | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Member of the Japanese | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame | |
| Induction | 1965 |
Tetsuharu Kawakami (川上 哲治, Kawakami Tetsuharu, March 23, 1920 – October 28, 2013) was a Japanese baseball player and manager, known for his red bat, and his nickname dageki no kamisama (打撃の神様, "the God of Batting/Hitting").
He was a professional player for 18 years, winning the batting title five times, two home run crowns, three RBI titles, and had six titles for the most hits in a season. He was the MVP of the 1953 Japan Series. He was the first player in Japanese pro baseball to achieve 2,000 hits and was named the league's MVP three times.[1] As manager of the Yomiuri Giants from 1961 to 1974, he led the Giants to eleven championships, with nine of them being in consecutive years. He has the most Japan Series championships as a manager.
Kawakami was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1965.
- ^ "Ex-Giants skipper Kawakami, 'God of Batting,' dies at 93". Kyodo News. Retrieved October 30, 2013.