Teppei Mataki (又木 鉄平, Mataki Teppei; born February 12, 1999 in Fuefuki, Yamanashi, Japan) is a professional Japanese…Teppei Mataki (又木 鉄平, Mataki Teppei; born February 12, 1999 in Fuefuki, Yamanashi, Japan) is a professional Japanese baseball player. He plays pitcher for the Yomiuri Giants.
Yoshinobu Mizukami (水上 由伸, Mizukami Yoshinobu; born July 13, 1998, in Miyada, Nagano, Japan) is a professional Japanese…Yoshinobu Mizukami (水上 由伸, Mizukami Yoshinobu; born July 13, 1998, in Miyada, Nagano, Japan) is a professional Japanese baseball player. He is a pitcher for the Saitama Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
Yuki Watanabe (渡邊 佑樹, Watanabe Yūki; born November 8, 1995) is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the Fukuoka…Yuki Watanabe (渡邊 佑樹, Watanabe Yūki; born November 8, 1995) is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He previously played for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.
Hiroki Nakazawa (仲澤 広基, born January 22, 1987) is a Japanese professional baseball infielder for the Tohoku Rakuten…Hiroki Nakazawa (仲澤 広基, born January 22, 1987) is a Japanese professional baseball infielder for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball. He previously played with the Yomiuri Giants.
Masahide "Masa" Kobayashi (小林 雅英, Kobayashi Masahide; born May 24, 1974 in Ōtsuki, Yamanashi, Japan) is a former…Masahide "Masa" Kobayashi (小林 雅英, Kobayashi Masahide; born May 24, 1974 in Ōtsuki, Yamanashi, Japan) is a former professional baseball pitcher and pitching coach. From 1997 to 2007, Kobayashi played in the Nippon Professional Baseball league for the Chiba Lotte Marines. From 2008 to 2009, he played for Major League Baseball's Cleveland Indians. He was a member of the Japanese Olympic baseball team for the 2004 Summer Olympics and won a bronze medal. Kobayashi led the Pacific League in saves in 2005, with 29. He earned his 200th career save in 2006, becoming the third player in Japanese baseball to reach the mark, after Kazuhiro Sasaki and Shingo Takatsu. In 2007, his final season with the Marines, Kobayashi finished 2–7 with 27 saves and a 3.61 ERA in 49 relief appearances. He became the only Japanese professional pitcher to record 20 or more saves seven straight years. On November 2, 2007, Kobayashi declared free agency and expressed his interest in playing for a major league club for the 2008 season. On November 20, Kobayashi signed a two-year, $6.25 million deal with the Cleveland Indians. The deal included a $3.25 million club option for a third year. During the 2008 season, Kobayashi had an average season, going 4–5 with six saves and a 4.53 ERA in 57 relief appearances. He had a 3.05 ERA in the first half, but regressed in the second half, posting a 10.32 ERA in 15 games after the All-Star break. In 2009, Kobayashi made 10 appearances (9+2⁄3 innings) with no decisions or saves, and an ERA of 8.38. On May 16, he was removed from Cleveland's 40-man roster. He later cleared waivers and accepted an assignment to the Triple-A Columbus Clippers. He was released on July 18, 2009. Kobayashi signed a one-year contract with the Yomiuri Giants for the 2009 season. He made 16 appearances with the Giants, posting a 2.25 ERA. He later joined the Orix Buffaloes for the 2011 season.
Tatsuya Ide (井出 竜也, Ide Tatsuya; born October 1, 1971) is a Japanese former professional baseball outfielder, and…Tatsuya Ide (井出 竜也, Ide Tatsuya; born October 1, 1971) is a Japanese former professional baseball outfielder, and current first squad outfield defense and base running coach for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He previously played for the Nippon-Ham Fighters, Yomiuri Giants, and the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.
Shin Nakagomi (中込 伸, Nakagomi Shin; born February 16, 1970) is a retired Japanese professional baseball player and the…Shin Nakagomi (中込 伸, Nakagomi Shin; born February 16, 1970) is a retired Japanese professional baseball player and the former manager of Brother Elephants. In 2010, he was convicted of 5 charges of match fixing as a part of the 2009 game-fixing scandal and sentenced to 20 months in prison.
Teruyoshi Kuji (久慈 照嘉, Kuji Teruyoshi; born April 19, 1969 in Kōfu, Yamanashi, Japan) is a former Nippon Professional…Teruyoshi Kuji (久慈 照嘉, Kuji Teruyoshi; born April 19, 1969 in Kōfu, Yamanashi, Japan) is a former Nippon Professional Baseball infielder.
Norio Tanabe (田辺 徳雄, Tanabe Norio; born May 11, 1966 in Yamanashi, Japan) is a former Japanese Nippon Professional…Norio Tanabe (田辺 徳雄, Tanabe Norio; born May 11, 1966 in Yamanashi, Japan) is a former Japanese Nippon Professional Baseball player. He played for the Seibu Lions and Yomiuri Giants. In 1986, Tanabe was one of several Lions players who played on loan for the San Jose Bees. He led the club in hits, home runs, and runs batted in. In 2002, Tanabe rejoined the Lions as a coach. He was serving as the club's hitting coach when he took over as manager in June 2014. On September 27, 2016, Tanabe announced he would resign at the end of the season.
Tsuneo Horiuchi (堀内 恒夫, Horiuchi Tsuneo; born January 16, 1948) is a former professional baseball player in Japan's…Tsuneo Horiuchi (堀内 恒夫, Horiuchi Tsuneo; born January 16, 1948) is a former professional baseball player in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball and a politician. A right-handed pitcher, in 2008 he was voted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame.
Masanori Murakami (村上 雅則, Murakami Masanori, born May 6, 1944), nicknamed "Mashi", is a Japanese former baseball…Masanori Murakami (村上 雅則, Murakami Masanori, born May 6, 1944), nicknamed "Mashi", is a Japanese former baseball pitcher. He is notable for being the first Japanese player to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Sent over to the United States by the Nankai Hawks, Murakami saw success as a reliever for the San Francisco Giants, debuting at the age of 20 in 1964. In 1965, he struck out over one batter per inning pitched, posted an ERA under 4 and earned eight saves. Following this season, however, Murakami headed back to the Nankai Hawks due to contractual obligations, where his success continued for another 17 years.
