Junzo Sekine

{{Short description|Japanese baseball player (1927–2020)}}

{{Infobox baseball biography

| name = Junzo Sekine
関根 潤三

| image = Junzo Sekine 1959 Scan10018.jpg

| caption = Sekine in 1959

| position = Pitcher / Outfielder / Manager

| birth_date = {{birth date|1927|03|15}}

| birth_place = Tokyo, Japan

| death_date = {{death date and age|2020|04|09|1927|03|15}}

| death_place = Tokyo, Japan

| bats = Left

| throws = Left

| debutleague = NPB

| debutdate = March 15

| debutyear = 1950

| debutteam = Kintetsu Pearls

| finaldate = November 55

| finalyear = 1965

| finalteam = Yomiuri Giants

| statyear = 1965

| statleague = NPB

| stat1label = Win–loss record

| stat1value = 65-94

| stat2label = Earned run average

| stat2value = 3.43

| stat3label = Strikeouts

| stat3value = 645

| stat4label = Batting average

| stat4value = .279

| stat5label = Home runs

| stat5value = 59

| stat6label = Runs batted in

| stat6value = 424

| teams =

;As player

• Kintetsu Pearls/Kintetsu Buffalo/Kintetsu Buffaloes ({{npby|1950}} – {{npby|1964}})
• Yomiuri Giants ({{npby|1965}})

;As coach

• Hiroshima Toyo Carp ({{npby|1970}})
• Yomiuri Giants ({{npby|1975}} – {{npby|1976}})

;As manager

• Yokohama Taiyo Whales ({{npby|1982}} – {{npby|1984}})
• Yakult Swallows ({{npby|1987}} – {{npby|1989}})

|awards =

• 5× NPB All-Star (1953, 1959, 1960, 1962, 1963)

| hoflink = Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame

| hoftype = Japanese

| hofdate = 2003

| hofvote =

| hofmethod =

}}{{Expand Japanese|topic=bio|date=August 2020}}

{{nihongo|Junzo Sekine|関根 潤三|Sekine Junzō|March 15, 1927 – April 9, 2020}} was a Japanese professional baseball player who played as two ways as a pitcher and outfielder. He spent the majority of this career with the Kintetsu Pearls/Kintetsu Buffalo/Kintetsu Buffaloes.

As a rookie in 1950, Sekine attracted attention by batting 3rd, 4th, or 5th in the Kintetsu Pearls' lineup while pitching in the game. Sekine focused on pitching from 1950 to 1957, but spent the latter half of his career (1958 to 1965) as a position player. His best year as a pitcher was 1954, when he went 16–12 with a 2.44 earned run average and 118 strikeouts. His best years as a hitter were in 1962–1963, when he hit and .301 and .296 respectively, with a total of 21 home runs and 115 RBI.

Sekine was elected to the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 2003.

Sekine died on April 9, 2020, in Tokyo, at the age of 93.{{Cite news|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2020/04/09/baseball/japanese-baseball/former-manager-hall-famer-junzo-sekine-dies-93/|title=Former manager and Hall of Famer Junzo Sekine dies at 93|website=The Japan Times|date=April 9, 2020|accessdate= April 9, 2020}}