1976-79 baseball anime, based on the manga by baseball manga specialist Shinji Mizushima (creator of the long running manga Abusan, though Dokaben itself has spawned multiple sequels.)
From the Nippon Animation website:
Taro “Dokaben” Yamada, who was a judoist while at junior high, enters Meikun High School and is talked into joining the baseball club. He displays his superb athletic abilities in baseball and becomes well-known as a hard hitter. He and his unique teammates establish Meikun a solid position as No.1 in the High School Baseball Championship games.
As I'm of the age of someone who grew up when UK sports comics were in their pomp, there's a certain appeal to me of these sorts of shows. Particularly when they're one step away removed from reality (the manga of Eyeshield 21 being a great example of this approach). Dokaben's idea of a judo enthusiast turning his skills to another sport seems like the sort of story that would have fit right into an IPC sports comic of the late 70s/early 80s.
I like that from looking at the opening animation you can kind of a get a feel for their personalities just from the character design. And I really like that the main character is a burly box headed dude. But alas, the chances of an English version of a 160+ episode 1970s sports anime seem very slight indeed.
Thanks for posting, I am desperately trying to find a copy of an episode of this anime, or some of the manga for sale. It is something I have seen around ever since my interest began in anime and manga ( the style is recognizable). Although, now I am actively seeking some stuff out, I can’t find any.