Shō Kusaka (草加 勝, Kusaka Shō; born November 21, 2001) is a professional Japanese baseball player. He plays pitcher for…
Shō Kusaka (草加 勝, Kusaka Shō; born November 21, 2001) is a professional Japanese baseball player. He plays pitcher for the Chunichi Dragons. Kusaka was the first-round draft pick for the Chunichi Dragons in the 2023 Nippon Professional Baseball draft.
Japanese people database × places of origin
Famous People from Okayama Prefecture
Okayama Prefecture: 33 people
Chusei Mannami (万波 中正, Mannami Chūsei; born April 7, 2000) is a Congolese-Japanese professional baseball outfielder for…
Chusei Mannami (万波 中正, Mannami Chūsei; born April 7, 2000) is a Congolese-Japanese professional baseball outfielder for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He was born to a Japanese mother and a father from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Hōsei Takata (髙田 萌生, born July 4, 1998) is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher who played for the Yomiuri Giants…
Hōsei Takata (髙田 萌生, born July 4, 1998) is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher who played for the Yomiuri Giants and Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball from 2018 to 2022.
Atsuya Hirohata (廣畑敦也, Hirohata Atsuya; born December 3, 1997) is a professional Japanese baseball player. He is a…
Atsuya Hirohata (廣畑敦也, Hirohata Atsuya; born December 3, 1997) is a professional Japanese baseball player. He is a pitcher for the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
Takashi Umino (海野 隆司, Umino Takashi; born July 15, 1997) is a Japanese professional baseball catcher for the Fukuoka…
Takashi Umino (海野 隆司, Umino Takashi; born July 15, 1997) is a Japanese professional baseball catcher for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
🎓 Tokai University🏫 Kanzei High School📅 Born July 15🎂 Born 1997📍 From Okayama, Okayama Prefecture💼 Baseball
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Daigo Kamikawabata (上川畑 大悟, Kamikawabata Daigo; born January 12, 1997) is a Japanese professional baseball infielder…
Daigo Kamikawabata (上川畑 大悟, Kamikawabata Daigo; born January 12, 1997) is a Japanese professional baseball infielder for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
Yuma Tongu (頓宮 裕真, Tongu Yuma; born November 17, 1996) is a Japanese professional baseball player for the Orix…
Yuma Tongu (頓宮 裕真, Tongu Yuma; born November 17, 1996) is a Japanese professional baseball player for the Orix Buffaloes of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He plays catcher and infielder, specifically on every infield position outside of shortstop.
Hikaru Ohta (太田 光, Ohta Hikaru; born October 14, 1996) is a professional Japanese baseball player. He plays catcher for…
Hikaru Ohta (太田 光, Ohta Hikaru; born October 14, 1996) is a professional Japanese baseball player. He plays catcher for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.
Yūya Ogō (小郷 裕哉, Ogō Yūya; born October 3, 1996 in Kurashiki, Okayama, Japan) is a professional Japanese baseball…
Yūya Ogō (小郷 裕哉, Ogō Yūya; born October 3, 1996 in Kurashiki, Okayama, Japan) is a professional Japanese baseball player. He plays outfielder for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.
Kōya Fujii (藤井 皓哉, Fujii Kōya; born July 29, 1996) is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the Fukuoka SoftBank…
Kōya Fujii (藤井 皓哉, Fujii Kōya; born July 29, 1996) is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He has previously played in NPB for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp.
Takuya Kuwahara (鍬原 拓也, Kuwahara Takuya; born March 26, 1996) is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the…
Takuya Kuwahara (鍬原 拓也, Kuwahara Takuya; born March 26, 1996) is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He previously played for the Yomiuri Giants.
Chen Chieh-hsien (Chinese: 陳傑憲; pinyin: Chén Jiéxiàn; born January 7, 1994) is a Taiwanese professional baseball…
Chen Chieh-hsien (Chinese: 陳傑憲; pinyin: Chén Jiéxiàn; born January 7, 1994) is a Taiwanese professional baseball outfielder and captain for the Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions of the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL).
Tatsuhiro Shibata (柴田 竜拓, Shibata Tatsuhiro; born December 16, 1993 in Okayama, Okayama, Japan) is a professional…
Tatsuhiro Shibata (柴田 竜拓, Shibata Tatsuhiro; born December 16, 1993 in Okayama, Okayama, Japan) is a professional Japanese baseball player. He plays infielder for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars.
Kōki Moriya (守屋 功輝, Moriya,Kōki; born November 25, 1993) is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher. He played…
Kōki Moriya (守屋 功輝, Moriya,Kōki; born November 25, 1993) is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Hanshin Tigers from 2016 to 2021.
Nodoka Harada (原田 のどか, Harada Nodoka, born 9 August 1991) is a Japanese softball player. She competed in the 2020…
Nodoka Harada (原田 のどか, Harada Nodoka, born 9 August 1991) is a Japanese softball player. She competed in the 2020 Summer Olympics and won a gold medal.
Hiromi Oka (岡 大海, Oka Hiromi; born July 15, 1991) is a Japanese professional baseball outfielder for the Chiba Lotte…
Hiromi Oka (岡 大海, Oka Hiromi; born July 15, 1991) is a Japanese professional baseball outfielder for the Chiba Lotte Marines in the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) league.
Kyōhei Kamezawa (亀澤 恭平, Kamezawa Kyōhei; born October 15, 1988) is a Japanese professional baseball player. He played…
Kyōhei Kamezawa (亀澤 恭平, Kamezawa Kyōhei; born October 15, 1988) is a Japanese professional baseball player. He played for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks and Chunichi Dragons for the Nippon Professional Baseball(NPB). On December 2, 2019, he became a free agent.
🎓 International Pacific University🏫 岡山県作陽高等学校📅 Born October 15🎂 Born 1988📍 From Tsuyama, Okayama Prefecture💼 Baseball
🌐 Wikipedia in other languages:Japanese (ja) ↗
Tsuyoshi Ueda (上田 剛史, Tsuyoshi Ueda; born July 22, 1988 in Okayama, Okayama Prefecture, Japan) is a Zainichi Korean…
Tsuyoshi Ueda (上田 剛史, Tsuyoshi Ueda; born July 22, 1988 in Okayama, Okayama Prefecture, Japan) is a Zainichi Korean former professional baseball outfielder. An ethnic Korean, his birth name is Hanja: 周剛史. On December 2, 2020, he become free agent.
Yuya Fukui (福井 優也, Fukui Yuya; born February 8, 1988 in Aida District, Okayama, Japan) is a former professional…
Yuya Fukui (福井 優也, Fukui Yuya; born February 8, 1988 in Aida District, Okayama, Japan) is a former professional Japanese baseball player.
Kei Nomoto (野本 圭, Nomoto Kei; born July 7, 1984) is a retired Japanese professional baseball outfielder who played for…
Kei Nomoto (野本 圭, Nomoto Kei; born July 7, 1984) is a retired Japanese professional baseball outfielder who played for the Chunichi Dragons in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball. He is now part of scouting department with the Dragons.
🎓 Komazawa University🏫 Okayama Minami High School📅 Born July 7🎂 Born 1984📍 From Okayama, Okayama Prefecture💼 Baseball
🌐 Wikipedia in other languages:Japanese (ja) ↗
Shinji Takahashi (髙橋 信二, Takahashi Shinji; born August 7, 1978 in Tsuyama, Okayama, Japan) is a Nippon Professional…
Shinji Takahashi (髙橋 信二, Takahashi Shinji; born August 7, 1978 in Tsuyama, Okayama, Japan) is a Nippon Professional Baseball catcher for the Orix Buffaloes in Japan's Pacific League.
Saburo Ohmura (大村 三郎, Ohmura Saburo; born June 1, 1976) also known as Saburo (サブロー) is a Japanese former professional…
Saburo Ohmura (大村 三郎, Ohmura Saburo; born June 1, 1976) also known as Saburo (サブロー) is a Japanese former professional baseball outfielder who currently serves as the manager for the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He played in NPB for the Marines and the Yomiuri Giants from 1995 to 2016.
Koji Bonishi (坊西 浩嗣, Bōnishi Kōji) (born December 30, 1968) is a former baseball player based in Japan. He played for…
Koji Bonishi (坊西 浩嗣, Bōnishi Kōji) (born December 30, 1968) is a former baseball player based in Japan. He played for the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks in the Japan Pacific League.
🏫 Okayama Minami High School📅 Born December 30🎂 Born 1968📍 From Tamano, Okayama Prefecture💼 Baseball
🌐 Wikipedia in other languages:Japanese (ja) ↗
Hiroshi Yagi (八木 裕; born June 8, 1965) is a retired Japanese baseball player for the Hanshin Tigers. He was an All-Star…
Hiroshi Yagi (八木 裕; born June 8, 1965) is a retired Japanese baseball player for the Hanshin Tigers. He was an All-Star in 1990 and a member of the Tigers' 2003 championship team. In the later years of his career, he was known as the team's "God of Pinch Hitting". After retiring at the end of the 2004 season, he spent some time in the media before becoming a hitting coach for Hanshin in 2009. He was named as the hitting coach for the club's second team for the 2015 season. Yagi was hospitalized with swelling and bleeding on the brain after being hit in the head by a broken bat while in the dugout during a game on September 9, 2025.
🏫 Okayama Higashi Commercial High School📅 Born June 8🎂 Born 1965📍 From Tamano, Okayama Prefecture💼 Baseball
🌐 Wikipedia in other languages:Japanese (ja) ↗
Masahiro Kawai (川相 昌弘, Kawai Masahiro; born September 27, 1964) is a Japanese former professional baseball infielder…
Masahiro Kawai (川相 昌弘, Kawai Masahiro; born September 27, 1964) is a Japanese former professional baseball infielder, who currently is a coach for the Yomiuri Giants. He played for 23 years in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), primarily with the Yomiuri Giants. Known for his defense and bunting, he won several Gold Gloves, made two All-Star teams and set several sacrifice hit records. Kawai was a pitcher in high school. In 1982, the Giants took him in the first round of the draft. He was moved to the infield and debuted for the Giants in 1984, mostly as a defensive substitute and pinch-hitter, getting only 126 plate appearances over 159 games in his first four years. He got 81 plate appearances at age 23 in 1988, hitting .268/.307/.423. Masahiro became a regular for the 1989 Giants, batting .254/.312/.361 and won his first Gold Glove as the top defensive shortstop in the Central League. He hit .190/.261/.238 for Yomiuri as they won the 1989 Japan Series. The next season, he set a new Nippon Professional Baseball record with 58 sacrifice hits and put up a good .288/.356/.450 line with career highs in slugging, home runs (9) and steals (9). He made the first of his two All-Star appearances and won another Gold Glove. In the 1990 Japan Series, he went 2 for 10 with a walk and a game four home run, a rare bright spot as the Giants were swept. In 1991, the Yomiuri shortstop took home his third Gold Glove while hitting .251/.330/.312 with a career-best 36 RBI. He laid down 66 successful sacrifice hits, breaking his own record; his mark would later be topped by Shinya Miyamoto. The next year, Masahiro had a .258/.312/.345 and led the Central League with 42 sacrifice hits. Takahiro Ikeyama broke his Gold Glove run at short. Kawai hit .290/.350/.381 in 1993 and made his second All-Star appearance while winning his fourth Gold Glove. His 176 total bases and 23 doubles were career highs and his 45 sacrifice hits gave him the Central League lead for a fourth consecutive year. Masahiro scored a career-high 69 runs in 1994 and hit .302/.376/.357, setting highs in average and OBP as well. He finished 9th in the Central League in average and won his fifth Gold Glove. He only batted .091/.160/.136 in the 1994 Japan Series but Yomiuri still won. In 1995, the 30-year-old veteran produced at a .261/.348/.313 rate and lost the Gold Glove to Kenjiro Nomura. His 47 sacrifice hits led the league. The next season, Kawai batted just .232/.310/.277 and won his sixth and final Gold Glove; he also led in sacrifice hits for the sixth time (56). He was 4 for 13 with 4 walks in the 1996 Japan Series. He capped his 7th sacrifice hit title in 8 years and the last of his career by laying down 45 in 1997, when he hit .288/.355/.392. Masahiro batted .256/.301/.327 during the 1998 season and he failed to reach 100 games played for the first time in six years as Daisuke Motoki was used regularly at short; Kawai remained the starter. He became the chairman of the board of the Japan Professional Baseball Players Association that winter; he would hold the job for three years before Kazuyoshi Tatsunami took his place. By 1999, though, he was on the bench usually, hitting .295/.371/.302 in 149 AB and 82 games, in a backup role again after a decade as the starter. Tomohiro Nioka was now the starting shortstop and would hold the role for years. Kawai had only 58 AB in 54 games in 2000, batting .190/.294/.207 (he was 0 for 1 with a sacrifice in the 2000 Japan Series) and 52 AB in 73 games the next season, hitting .288/.315/.462. His career had come full-circle from defensive sub in the 1980s to starter in the 1990s to defensive sub in the 2000s. In 2002, the 37-year-old produced at a .219/.246/.289 rate in 132 AB over 88 games, backing up Nioka at short, Motoki at third and Toshihisa Nishi at second base. In the 2002 Japan Series, he played one game at third as a defensive sub. His brightest moment may have been in 2003; though he hit only .238/.247/.300 in 80 AB over 72 games and was rarely playing short (primarily subbing for Akira Eto and Motoki at third), he won national acclaim when he laid down his 512th career sacrifice hit. This broke Eddie Collins' world record and got significant media attention in Japan. Robert Whiting, perhaps using a fair bit of hyperbole, says that it "was greeted with as much fanfare as if he had surpassed the home run record. There were fireworks on the Tokyo Dome electronic scoreboard and a flowery ceremony involving Kawai's wife and children, accompanied by tears of joy all around." Yomiuri then tried to pressure him to retire but he refused and the club released him after 20 years with them. Kawai caught on with the Chunichi Dragons for 2004 and hit .261/.393/.391 in 23 AB, playing 80 games, almost exclusively as Tatsunami's backup at third base. In the 2004 Japan Series, he played three games at third and did not bat. In 2005, the 40-year-old again was the defensive substitute at third. He hit .294/.294/.412 in 17 AB over 69 games. For his final season, he batted .273/.304/.273 in 22 AB in 51 games. He played one game in the 2006 Japan Series and, very fittingly, laid down a successful sacrifice bunt in his final plate appearance after 23 years in Nippon Professional Baseball. His career offensive line read .266/.333/.345 with 533 sacrifice hits in 1,909 games. Ken Hirano (451) was second all-time in Nippon Professional Baseball in sacrifice hits at the time of Kawai's retirement with no other player within 200. Kawai retired after the 2006 season and was hired by Chunichi as a coach.
Masaji Hiramatsu (平松 政次, Hiramatsu Masaji; born September 19, 1947) is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher…
Masaji Hiramatsu (平松 政次, Hiramatsu Masaji; born September 19, 1947) is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He played for the Taiyo Whales / Yokohama Taiyo Whales from 1967 to 1984. He won the Eiji Sawamura Award in 1970. In his career, he had 2,045 strikeouts (in 3,360.2 innings), which is currently 22nd among all NPB players in history. He was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 2017.
Hiromu Matsuoka (松岡 弘, Matsuoka Hiromu; born July 26, 1947) is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher in…
Hiromu Matsuoka (松岡 弘, Matsuoka Hiromu; born July 26, 1947) is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He played for the Sankei Atoms / Yakult Atoms / Yakult Swallows. He won the Eiji Sawamura Award in 1978.
Senichi Hoshino (星野 仙一, Hoshino Sen'ichi; January 22, 1947 – January 4, 2018) was a Japanese Nippon Professional…
Senichi Hoshino (星野 仙一, Hoshino Sen'ichi; January 22, 1947 – January 4, 2018) was a Japanese Nippon Professional Baseball player and manager. As a player, he shined as a highlight pitcher on varying levels of struggling seasons for the Chunichi Dragons. He won the Eiji Sawamura Award for his saves in 1974 as the team won their first Central League pennant in twenty years. He pitched his final season in 1982, the same year the Dragons went to the Japan Series. He became manager of the Dragons in 1987 and managed them to a Central League pennant in 1988 before departing the team in 1991. He returned in 1996 and managed for five years, leading them to the pennant again in 1999, where they lost again in the Japan Series. He resigned in 2001 and joined the Hanshin Tigers the following year. In 2003, he led the Hanshin Tigers to their first Central League pennant in eighteen years before retiring for health reasons at the close of the loss in the 2003 Japan Series. In 2007, he managed the Japanese national team for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In October 2010, Hoshino was hired as manager of the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles. He led the Eagles to a Pacific League pennant to become the second person to win league pennants with three teams. On his sixth trip to the Japan Series, he won the championship; he retired the following year and the Golden Eagles subsequently retired his number. He was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 2017.
Katsuo Osugi (大杉 勝男, Ōsugi Katsuo; March 5, 1945 – April 30, 1992) was a Japanese professional baseball first baseman…
Katsuo Osugi (大杉 勝男, Ōsugi Katsuo; March 5, 1945 – April 30, 1992) was a Japanese professional baseball first baseman in Nippon Professional Baseball. He played for the Toei Flyers / Nittaku Home Flyers / Nippon Ham Fighters from 1965 to 1974 and the Yakult Swallows from 1975 to 1983. He was the Japan Series MVP in 1978 on the strength of his four home runs with 10 RBIs and a .310 batting average as the Swallows won the Series in seven games for their first championship in franchise history. He was awarded the Best Nine Award five times. He was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997. Osugi's 486 career home runs places him ninth on the all-time NPB list.
Nobuo Yana (Japanese: 八名信夫, Hepburn: Yana Nobuo; born 19 August 1935) is a Japanese film actor. He is most famous for…
Nobuo Yana (Japanese: 八名信夫, Hepburn: Yana Nobuo; born 19 August 1935) is a Japanese film actor. He is most famous for playing villains. Before he started his acting career, he was a professional baseball player of Toei Flyer's. In 1956, he joined Toei Flyer's but in 1958, he retired because of an injury. He joined Toei film company and made his film debut in 1959. He debuted as a director with his film Dagashiya Koharu in 2018.
Hideshi Miyake (三宅 秀史, Miyake Hideshi; April 5, 1934 – March 3, 2021) was a Japanese Nippon Professional Baseball third…
Hideshi Miyake (三宅 秀史, Miyake Hideshi; April 5, 1934 – March 3, 2021) was a Japanese Nippon Professional Baseball third baseman and second baseman. He played for the Osaka/Hanshin Tigers from 1953 to 1967.
Noboru Akiyama (秋山 登, Akiyama Noboru; born February 3, 1934, died August 12, 2000) was a Japanese Nippon Professional…
Noboru Akiyama (秋山 登, Akiyama Noboru; born February 3, 1934, died August 12, 2000) was a Japanese Nippon Professional Baseball pitcher, originally from Okayama, Okayama. He played with the Taiyo Whales. He is a member of the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame.
Kiyoshi Doi (土井 淳, Doi Kiyoshi) is a former baseball player from Japan. He played in the Central League for Taiyō…
Kiyoshi Doi (土井 淳, Doi Kiyoshi) is a former baseball player from Japan. He played in the Central League for Taiyō Whales Doi played as a catcher. He coached the Whales in various stints and served as a manager for two seasons.
🎓 Meiji University🏫 Okayama Higashi Commercial High School📅 Born June 10🎂 Born 1933📍 From Okayama, Okayama Prefecture💼 Baseball💼 Analyst (Commentator)
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