Ogawa attended Fukuoka Prefectural Meizen High School, graduating in 1954. He signed with the Toei Flyers, but instead of pursuing professional baseball, he went to work in the private sector.
Deciding to return to professional baseball at age 30, he made his NPB debut for the Chunichi Dragons in 1964. In 1967 he went 29-12 with a 2.51 ERA and 16 complete games, winning the Eiji Sawamura Award. The next year he led the league in losses with 20, while still compiling a low 3.27 ERA and 9 complete games. In 1969 he returned to form, winning 20 games for the second time.
On May 6 of that year, Ogawa was arrested for taking part in auto race-fixing. He was also implicated in baseball game-fixing. On June 6, 1970, the NPB commissioner committee banned Ogawa for life.
