Shingo Ono

With the Eagles defeating the Marines today I no longer have an excuse to not do posts on the last two retirement players (not that either was playing for the Marines in the playoffs).  I'll do Ono tonight and try to get to Yabuta tomorrow.

Shingo Ono was a sixth round pick of the Marines back in the 1994 draft (and I always I feel compelled to mention that this draft was held in the fall of 1993).  His rookie card was from the 1994 BBM set (#528).  He did not have a Calbee card until his breakout season of 2000 (#157).

1994 BBM #528

Ono spent most of his first five seasons with the Marines pitching in the minors.  He had two appearances at the ichi-gun level in 1997 and 1998.  He make it into 10 games in 1999 and moved into the rotation as a regular starter in 2000.  As I mentioned before, 2000 was a breakout season for him as he went 13-5.  He remained in the rotation for much of the following 12 seasons (although there were a few that he mostly worked out of the bullpen).  The only season that he approached the win-loss record he had in 2000 was 2005 when he went 10-4.  He spent all of 2013 playing for the Marines ni-gun team and decided to retire partly because he had not been able to return to the top team.

1998 BBM #266

2006 BBM Marines #M86

2008 BBM Lotte 40th Anniversary #88

2010 Calbee #183

Not to keep harping on it, but 2000 was far and away his best season.  It was the only year that he made the All Star team and it was the only year that he lead the league in any category that BBM commemorates (Winning Percentage).

2000 BBM All Stars #A54

2001 BBM #26

He played in two Nippon Series for the Marines - 2005 and 2010, both won by the Marines.

2005 BBM Nippon Series #05