Kazuo Kageyama | Sleeping Pill Overdose Death

Nankai Hawks infielder and interim coach Kazuo Kageyama was a Japanese baseball player who won multiple awards, including Pacific League Rookie of the Year during his time as a player. 

He died at the age of 38 from a sleeping pill overdose before he could become the manager in 1965. 

About Kazuo Kageyama

Kazuo Kageyama (蔭山 和夫) was born on January 16, 1927, in Osaka, Japan, and was an alumnus of Waseda University in Tokyo. 

He went on to become a Japanese professional baseball third baseman for ten years on the Million Dollar Infield with Tokuji Iida, Kazuto Tsuruoka, and Chusuke Kizuka. 

He was also the manager for the Nankai Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He was named manager in November 1965.

Nankai Hawks & All-Star Appearances

During his first year with the Hawks in 1950, he won the Pacific League Nippon Professional Baseball Rookie of the Year award. He made the Pacific League All-Star team in 1951 and was named to the Pacific League’s Best Nine award.

Despite falling in stats in 1952, he still made it to the All-Star Game and was again in the Best Nine. But in 1953, he lost the Best Nine honor to Futoshi Nakanishi who would become the top third baseman in the league. 

In 1954, Kageyama made his final All-Star team. In 1955 he played in the Japan Series but lost to Yomiuri for the fourth time in the past five years.

Although he was benched in 1959 (his last season), he did go on to be a Japan Series Champion the same year. His batting average was .264 with 302 RBIs and 53 home runs.

Interim Manager

In 1962, Kageyama became the interim manager for Nankai and moved the team from 5th to 2nd place. After the 1965 season, he replaced the manager of the team, Tsuruoka, but Kageyama died before he was able to start the position.

How Did Kazuo Kageyama Die?

Kazuo Kageyama died on November 17, 1965, at the age of 38. His cause of death was an overdose of sleeping pills. 

Kazuo Kageyama’s History Of Substance Abuse & Rehab

It’s unclear whether Kazuo Kageyama had a history of substance abuse before the event that led to his death. It’s also unknown whether Kazuo Kageyama ever sought out or received addiction treatment.

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