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Japanese Great Inao Passes Away At 70

Discussion in the NPB News forum
Japanese Great Inao Passes Away At 70
NPB Hall of Fame pitcher Kazuhisa Inao passed away at age 70 of cancer.

Inao went 276-137 with a 1.98 ERA in 756 games with the Nishitetsu Lions from 1956 to 1969. He was elected into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1993.

Source: Mainichi Daily News
Comments
Re: Japanese Great Inao Passes Away At 70
[ Author: BigManZam | Posted: Nov 14, 2007 12:24 PM | CLM Fan ]

That's a shame. He was one of the greats. When people talk about the best Japanese pitchers of all time, Inao is always one of the first names to come up.

Are there more details about the type of cancer Inao had?
Re: Japanese Great Inao Passes Away At 70
[ Author: westbaystars | Posted: Nov 14, 2007 1:45 PM | YBS Fan ]

Today's (November 14, 2007) paper version of Nikkan Sports has the first three pages dedicated to Inao-san. On the front page is says that Inao first started feeling pain in his left shoulder in mid-October. After visiting a hospital in Fukuoka, he was diagnosed with a dislocated cervical spine (頸椎).

After providing commentary for the Pacific League Climax Series on October 16 the pain started to become worse, and Inao was hospitalized from October 30th.

By this time, numbness had progressed down to his left leg. While undergoing further tests while hospitalized, a malignant tumor was found. He received radiation treatment, but had a turn for the worse on November 12.

I'm afraid that that's as detailed a report as Nikkan Sports provides. There may be more detailed follow up reports coming out in the coming days.

In the mean time, I'm sure I speak for all of us in wishing his family the best. Inao was truly one of the greatest pitchers of all time.
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