Masanori Sugiura

Masanori Sugiura (杉浦 正則, born May 23, 1968) is a retired Japanese Olympic baseball player from Kudoyama, Wakayama, Japan.

Sugiura was the ace pitcher of the Nippon Life Insurance Company baseball team, and was chosen to join the Japanese national team in the 1992 Summer Olympics, where he won a bronze medal. He returned to the olympics four years later, winning a silver medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics. Professional players were allowed to participate in the 2000 Summer Olympics, but Sugiura was still chosen as the captain of the Japanese national team, and the captain of the entire Japanese olympic team in 2000 Summer Olympics. The Japanese team did not win a medal that year.

Sugiura refused numerous offers to join the Japanese professional leagues, and retired in 2000. The Nippon Life Insurance Company baseball team won the Intercity Baseball Tournament twice during the 10 years Sugiura played with the team. He also marked a record five career wins in the olympic tournaments.

He served as a pitching coach for his team from 2001–2004, and became the manager in 2006.

References

Category:1968 births
Category:Living people
Category:Japanese baseball players
Category:Baseball players at the 1992 Summer Olympics
Category:Baseball players at the 1996 Summer Olympics
Category:Baseball players at the 2000 Summer Olympics
Category:Olympic baseball players of Japan
Category:Olympic bronze medalists for Japan
Category:Olympic silver medalists for Japan
Category:People from Wakayama Prefecture
Category:Olympic medalists in baseball
Category:Asian Games medalists in baseball
Category:Baseball players at the 1990 Asian Games
Category:Baseball players at the 1994 Asian Games
Category:Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics
Category:Medalists at the 1992 Summer Olympics
Category:Asian Games gold medalists for Japan
Category:Medalists at the 1994 Asian Games