Tokuji Iida

Tokuji Iida (飯田 徳治; April 6, 1924 – June 19, 2000) was a Japanese Nippon Professional Baseball first baseman who batted and threw right-handed. Born in Yokohama, he played baseball at Asano High School and did not attend college.

Iida began his professional career with the Nankai Hawks of the Japanese Baseball League in 1947, where he spent most of his 16-year career. He found success quickly, leading the team in hits in 1949 and winning four consecutive Best Nine Awards from 1950 through 1953. He led the league in RBIs in 1951. In 1955 he was both a Best Nine Award winner and the Pacific League MVP, and was named the leading hitter of the Japan Series after hitting two home runs. In 1956 he played 154 games, setting an NPB record later shared with Kohei Sugayama and Shinya Sazaki. With the Hawks he won five Best Nine Awards and four Pacific League pennants. He finished his career with the Kokutetsu Swallows, his final season coming in 1963.

Iida played 1,246 consecutive games before finally taking a rest day on May 24, 1958.