Kento Sugiyama
Encyclopedia
is a retired Japanese
professional baseball player from Numazu, Shizuoka
, Japan
. He played for the Seibu Lions
, Hanshin Tigers
, Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes, and Yokohama BayStars
during his 10-year career in the Japanese professional leagues.
Sugiyama was drafted in the first round of the 1992 amateur draft by the Seibu Lions
, and won the Japanese rookie of the year award in 1993, making 54 appearances with a 2.80 ERA. His pitching deteriorated from then on, and he was traded to the Hanshin Tigers
in mid-1999. He was traded to the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes in mid-2000, and was traded for the third time in his career in mid-2001 to the Yokohama BayStars
. He made 32 appearances with the BayStars in 2001, but retired at the end of the season.
He worked as a batting pitcher for the BayStars before becoming the pitching coach for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles
in 2006.
He won a bronze medal in the 1992 Summer Olympics
before entering the Japanese professional leagues.
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
professional baseball player from Numazu, Shizuoka
Numazu, Shizuoka
is a city located in eastern Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. As of 2009, the city has an estimated population of 205,636 and a population density of 1,100 persons per km². The total area was 187.11 km².- Geography:...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. He played for the Seibu Lions
Seibu Lions
The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based west of Tokyo in Tokorozawa, Saitama. Before 1979, they were based in Fukuoka in Kyushu. The team is owned by a subsidiary of Prince Hotels, which in turn is owned by the Seibu Group...
, Hanshin Tigers
Hanshin Tigers
The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team based in Koshien, Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and are in the Central League. Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd., the subsidiary of Hankyu Hanshin Holdings Inc., owns the Hanshin Tigers directly...
, Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes, and Yokohama BayStars
Yokohama BayStars
The are a professional baseball team in the Japanese Central League. Home field is the Yokohama Stadium, located in central Yokohama. The clubhouse is located near the stadium....
during his 10-year career in the Japanese professional leagues.
Sugiyama was drafted in the first round of the 1992 amateur draft by the Seibu Lions
Seibu Lions
The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based west of Tokyo in Tokorozawa, Saitama. Before 1979, they were based in Fukuoka in Kyushu. The team is owned by a subsidiary of Prince Hotels, which in turn is owned by the Seibu Group...
, and won the Japanese rookie of the year award in 1993, making 54 appearances with a 2.80 ERA. His pitching deteriorated from then on, and he was traded to the Hanshin Tigers
Hanshin Tigers
The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team based in Koshien, Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and are in the Central League. Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd., the subsidiary of Hankyu Hanshin Holdings Inc., owns the Hanshin Tigers directly...
in mid-1999. He was traded to the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes in mid-2000, and was traded for the third time in his career in mid-2001 to the Yokohama BayStars
Yokohama BayStars
The are a professional baseball team in the Japanese Central League. Home field is the Yokohama Stadium, located in central Yokohama. The clubhouse is located near the stadium....
. He made 32 appearances with the BayStars in 2001, but retired at the end of the season.
He worked as a batting pitcher for the BayStars before becoming the pitching coach for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles
Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles
The is a baseball team founded in 2004; it played its first season in the Japanese Pacific League in 2005. It is simply called Rakuten . The team was created to fill the void left by the merger of the Orix Blue Wave and the Kintetsu Buffaloes, after the 2004 season due to financial difficulties,...
in 2006.
He won a bronze medal in the 1992 Summer Olympics
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...
before entering the Japanese professional leagues.