Kimiyasu Kudoh
Encyclopedia
is a left-handed pitcher
for the Pacific League
's Saitama Seibu Lions of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He has recorded 224 career wins. Among other records, he is the oldest pitcher in NPB history to strike out 10 batters in a game, doing so at the age of 41 years and 11 months.
However, despite all his accolades, he has never won the Sawamura Award
, which is given to Japan's top pitcher.
. Kudoh's breakout season was in 1985, when he went 8-3 with a 2.76 ERA, striking out 104 in 137 innings pitched. That year, he won his first ERA title. The very next season saw Kudoh make his first All-Star team. He improved his wins total to 10 and while his ERA increased to 3.22, he won the first of back-to-back Japan Series MVP awards.
. Again he won the ERA title, an All-Star selection, and even led the league in wins, but would ultimately lose the coveted Sawamura Award
to young Yomiuri Giants
ace Masumi Kuwata
(15-6, 2.17). However, in another matchup between the Giants and the Lions in the Japan Series (one of many between the two in the 1980s), Kudoh and his Lions would come out on top, and Kudoh won the Series MVP.
After the season, Kudoh was awarded with the Masutaro Shoriki Award, given annually to the player who was deemed to contribute the most to baseball in Japan. The award is given each year by the Yomiuri Shimbun
, who owns the Giants.
. However, just like in 1987, Kudoh's Lions were victorious in a hard-fought Japan Series over Sasaoka and the Carp.
lefty Shinji Imanaka despite more excellent numbers from Kudoh (15-3, 2.06, 170 IP, 130 strikeouts). Also, he won his first Gold Glove in 1994. However, his contract was up at the end of the season. After 13 years with the Lions, Kudoh along with Koji Akiyama
and Hiromichi Ishige
were signed by the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks, who had been one of the worst teams in Japan for the better part of a decade.
slugger Sadaharu Oh
. In 1995, Kudoh was pegged as the team ace and he responded, going 12-5 with a 3.64 ERA. Moving from outdoor conditions at Seibu Dome
to the climate-controlled atmosphere of Fukuoka Dome
was a shock for Kudoh, and he was victimized by awful run support in 1996. Despite lowering his ERA to 3.51 and pitching 202 and 2/3 innings (the second-highest total in his career), Kudoh lost the highest amount of games in his career, going 8-15.
For the next three years, Kudoh lowered his ERA, culminating in a spectacular 1999 for the Hawks, who became more competitive in each successive year. The Hawks ace, who was in a contract year, was 11-7, but had a 2.38 ERA to lead the Pacific League. He also threw 196 and 1/3 innings to pace the team. He also won the first game of the 1999 Japan Series
against the Chunichi Dragons
as he struck out 13 batters. Despite an inspired attempt to keep him, the Hawks could not retain Kudoh. Instead, he signed with the Yomiuri Giants
, and was reunited with another former Seibu teammate, Kazuhiro Kiyohara
.
for the first time. Having never had to bat in his first 18 seasons as a pitcher, Kudoh went 84 straight at-bats without recording a hit. However, he was signed for his pitching, and in 2000, Kudoh showed that his big contract was worth it. Despite throwing only 136 innings, he won 11 games and struck out 148 with a 3.11 ERA.
However, the real attraction in 2000 was when he ended up facing the team he had played for one year prior, the defending Japan Series champion Fukuoka Daiei Hawks. He was crushed in Game 1 as the heavy underdog Hawks chased Kudoh. However, the Giants won four straight games after losing the first two at Fukuoka Dome for Kudoh's 10th Japan Series victory.
The 2001 season was one to forget for Kudoh as he posted career-worsts pretty much across the board. He missed significant time due to injury and ended the season with a 1-3 record and an 8.44 ERA. He also threw a career-low 21 and 1/3 innings.
After putting up significant rehab time, the lefty rounded back into winning form in 2002. While he failed to win 10 games, the workload he was pegged with when he was signed was greatly alleviated thanks to a rejuvenated Kuwata and hotshot youngster Koji Uehara
. He would work 170 and 1/3 innings, his highest total since '99. Also for the first time since the '99 season, Kudoh posted an ERA under 3.00 at 2.91. For the 11th time, he also was part of a Japan Series-winning team. This time, he was on the other side as the Giants defeated the Lions in the Japan Series for the first time since 1994.
.
, the first time he had pitched outdoors regularly since his last days with Seibu in 1994. The 2007 season was the first and only time that Kudoh pitched over 100 innings with the BayStars. As the team's #5 starter, not much was expected of Kudoh, yet he still went 7-6 with a 3.91 ERA in 19 appearances with the 'Stars. He also won at least one game for the 23rd consecutive season, breaking Tetsuya Yoneda
's previous record of 22 consecutive seasons with a win.
's record of 26 seasons.
A new personal best for appearances was in order for Kudoh in 2009, in what was also his final season with Yokohama and 28th overall. Used as a situational lefty, Kudoh did not have much success, as he went 2-3 with a 6.51 ERA and the cagey veteran also managed to strike out 24 batters in 37 and 1/3 innings.
. The lefty had a small role in an injury-riddled Lions bullpen, but was ineffective again, as he went 0-2 with a 10.50 ERA in 10 appearances and just six innings. He did, however, extend his streak for the longest career in NPB history at 29 seasons. He was released at the end of the season.
Never known for overpowering pitches even in his prime (he topped out around 148 km/h or 92 mph), Kudoh instead relied on an array of breaking pitches and pinpoint control on his straight (four-seam) fastball
. Among his repertoire of breaking pitches were a late-breaking curveball
, a slider
, and occasionally he threw a sinker
/shuuto
.
Kudoh had his share of injuries, but the vast majority of them came late in his career, including endoscopic elbow surgery in 2008. By this time, he had already lost most of the velocity on his fastball and had to rely on veteran savvy and guile to get batters out.
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
for the Pacific League
Pacific League
The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues constituting Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship competes against the winner in the Central League for the annual Japan Series...
's Saitama Seibu Lions of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He has recorded 224 career wins. Among other records, he is the oldest pitcher in NPB history to strike out 10 batters in a game, doing so at the age of 41 years and 11 months.
However, despite all his accolades, he has never won the Sawamura Award
Sawamura Award
The , commonly known as the Sawamura Award, is an honor bestowed upon the top starting pitcher in Nippon Professional Baseball each year.The award was originally established by Japanese magazine "Nekkyū" in 1947 to honor the career of Eiji Sawamura, a power pitcher who enjoyed an illustrious career...
, which is given to Japan's top pitcher.
Rise to fame with Seibu
A 6th-round pick in the 1981 draft, Kudoh signed a contract with the Lions when his father was given a job by team owner Yoshiaki TsutsumiYoshiaki Tsutsumi
Yoshiaki Tsutsumi is a Japanese businessman. During the Japanese economic bubble in the late 1980s, Tsutsumi was the wealthiest person in the world for a brief period due to his extensive real estate investments through the Seibu Corporation, which he controlled...
. Kudoh's breakout season was in 1985, when he went 8-3 with a 2.76 ERA, striking out 104 in 137 innings pitched. That year, he won his first ERA title. The very next season saw Kudoh make his first All-Star team. He improved his wins total to 10 and while his ERA increased to 3.22, he won the first of back-to-back Japan Series MVP awards.
1987: The First Sawamura Near-Miss
In 1987, Kudoh notched his first of three seasons with 15 or more wins (15-4, 2.41, 175 strikeouts). He also was a dependable innings-eater for the Lions, as he tossed a career-high 223 and 2/3 innings. The only other time he crossed the 200-inning plateau was in 1996 with the Fukuoka Daiei HawksFukuoka SoftBank Hawks
The are a Japanese baseball team based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture. The team was bought on January 28, 2005 by the SoftBank Corporation.The team was formerly known as the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks. In 1988, Daiei bought the team from Osaka's Nankai Electric Railway Co., and its headquarters were...
. Again he won the ERA title, an All-Star selection, and even led the league in wins, but would ultimately lose the coveted Sawamura Award
Sawamura Award
The , commonly known as the Sawamura Award, is an honor bestowed upon the top starting pitcher in Nippon Professional Baseball each year.The award was originally established by Japanese magazine "Nekkyū" in 1947 to honor the career of Eiji Sawamura, a power pitcher who enjoyed an illustrious career...
to young Yomiuri Giants
Yomiuri Giants
The are a professional baseball team based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. The team competes in the Central League in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top level of professional play in Japan. They play their home games in the Tokyo Dome, opened in 1988. The English-language press occasionally calls the...
ace Masumi Kuwata
Masumi Kuwata
Masumi Kuwata is a former Japanese right-handed pitcher. He was formerly with the Yomiuri Giants of the Central League. He pitched 21 seasons with the Giants, beginning in 1986. In December 2006 Masumi signed a minor league deal with the Pirates...
(15-6, 2.17). However, in another matchup between the Giants and the Lions in the Japan Series (one of many between the two in the 1980s), Kudoh and his Lions would come out on top, and Kudoh won the Series MVP.
After the season, Kudoh was awarded with the Masutaro Shoriki Award, given annually to the player who was deemed to contribute the most to baseball in Japan. The award is given each year by the Yomiuri Shimbun
Yomiuri Shimbun
The is a Japanese newspaper published in Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, and other major Japanese cities. It is one of the five national newspapers in Japan; the other four are the Asahi Shimbun, the Mainichi Shimbun, Nihon Keizai Shimbun, and the Sankei Shimbun...
, who owns the Giants.
1988-1990
For the next two years, Kudoh posted mediocre records (10-10, 3.79 in 1988, 4-8, 4.96 in 1989). The 1989 season was the first time in his career that he had a losing record, and would not post another losing season until 1996. He rebounded in 1990 with a 9-2 record, but missed significant time due to injury. It was the first time since 1984 that Kudoh failed to reach 100 innings.1991 and the Second Sawamura Miss
Kudoh had a his best season in four years in 1991. He posted a career high in wins with 16, and got his ERA under 3.00 for the first time since 1987 (2.82). In 175 and 1/3 innings, Kudoh struck out 151 batters. However, he failed to meet some of the criteria needed to win the Sawamura Award again, and he ended up losing out to Shinji Sasaoka of the Hiroshima Toyo CarpHiroshima Toyo Carp
The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Central League. The team is primarily owned by the Matsuda family, led by , who is a descendant of Mazda founder Jujiro Matsuda. Mazda is the largest single shareholder , which is less than the portion owned by the Matsuda family . Because of that,...
. However, just like in 1987, Kudoh's Lions were victorious in a hard-fought Japan Series over Sasaoka and the Carp.
From Seibu to Daiei
For the next three years, Kudoh continued to pitch at a high level for Seibu. He once again lost out on the Sawamura Award in 1993, this time to Chunichi DragonsChunichi Dragons
The are a professional baseball team based in Nagoya, the chief city in the Chubu region of Japan. The team is in the Central League. They won the 2007 Japan Series and 2007 Asia Series.-History:...
lefty Shinji Imanaka despite more excellent numbers from Kudoh (15-3, 2.06, 170 IP, 130 strikeouts). Also, he won his first Gold Glove in 1994. However, his contract was up at the end of the season. After 13 years with the Lions, Kudoh along with Koji Akiyama
Koji Akiyama
Koji Akiyama is a retired Japanese professional baseball player. He played for the Seibu Lions and the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball...
and Hiromichi Ishige
Hiromichi Ishige
Hiromichi Ishige is a retired Japanese professional baseball player and manager in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball....
were signed by the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks, who had been one of the worst teams in Japan for the better part of a decade.
1995-1999: Fukuoka Daiei Hawks
Kudoh's signing initiated a gradual turnaround by the long-hapless Daiei Hawks. Managing him was the legendary Yomiuri GiantsYomiuri Giants
The are a professional baseball team based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. The team competes in the Central League in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top level of professional play in Japan. They play their home games in the Tokyo Dome, opened in 1988. The English-language press occasionally calls the...
slugger Sadaharu Oh
Sadaharu Oh
Sadaharu Oh, or Wang Chenchih , is a retired Japanese-Taiwanese baseball player and manager. He batted and threw left-handed and primarily played first base. Oh, who was born in Sumida, Tokyo the son of a Taiwanese father and a Japanese mother, had originally signed with the powerhouse Yomiuri...
. In 1995, Kudoh was pegged as the team ace and he responded, going 12-5 with a 3.64 ERA. Moving from outdoor conditions at Seibu Dome
Seibu Dome
is the home field of the Saitama Seibu Lions professional baseball team located in Tokorozawa, Saitama, Japan.The stadium has a roof over the field and the stands, like other indoor ballparks. However, it lacks a wall behind the stands so that natural air comes into the field. This makes it...
to the climate-controlled atmosphere of Fukuoka Dome
Fukuoka Dome
The is a baseball field, located in Chūō-ku, Fukuoka, Japan. Built in 1993, the stadium can accommodate 35,695 spectators and was Japan's first stadium with a retractable roof....
was a shock for Kudoh, and he was victimized by awful run support in 1996. Despite lowering his ERA to 3.51 and pitching 202 and 2/3 innings (the second-highest total in his career), Kudoh lost the highest amount of games in his career, going 8-15.
For the next three years, Kudoh lowered his ERA, culminating in a spectacular 1999 for the Hawks, who became more competitive in each successive year. The Hawks ace, who was in a contract year, was 11-7, but had a 2.38 ERA to lead the Pacific League. He also threw 196 and 1/3 innings to pace the team. He also won the first game of the 1999 Japan Series
1999 Japan Series
Kimiyasu Kudoh took the mound for the Hawks and asserted his dominance from the beginning of the game. He would strike out 13 batters, and scattered six hits. His counterpart, Shigeki Noguchi, did not fare as well. Noguchi walked five batters in five and 2/3 innings, and while he only gave up...
against the Chunichi Dragons
Chunichi Dragons
The are a professional baseball team based in Nagoya, the chief city in the Chubu region of Japan. The team is in the Central League. They won the 2007 Japan Series and 2007 Asia Series.-History:...
as he struck out 13 batters. Despite an inspired attempt to keep him, the Hawks could not retain Kudoh. Instead, he signed with the Yomiuri Giants
Yomiuri Giants
The are a professional baseball team based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. The team competes in the Central League in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top level of professional play in Japan. They play their home games in the Tokyo Dome, opened in 1988. The English-language press occasionally calls the...
, and was reunited with another former Seibu teammate, Kazuhiro Kiyohara
Kazuhiro Kiyohara
is a former professional baseball player in Japan, having played in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball league for 23 seasons. He retired following the 2008 season.-Biography:...
.
2000-2006: Yomiuri Giants
Showing that he had plenty of good pitching left in him, Kudoh continued his winning ways, even after moving to the non-DH Central LeagueCentral League
The or is one the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League in the annual Japan Series. It currently consists of six teams from around the country,The Central League...
for the first time. Having never had to bat in his first 18 seasons as a pitcher, Kudoh went 84 straight at-bats without recording a hit. However, he was signed for his pitching, and in 2000, Kudoh showed that his big contract was worth it. Despite throwing only 136 innings, he won 11 games and struck out 148 with a 3.11 ERA.
However, the real attraction in 2000 was when he ended up facing the team he had played for one year prior, the defending Japan Series champion Fukuoka Daiei Hawks. He was crushed in Game 1 as the heavy underdog Hawks chased Kudoh. However, the Giants won four straight games after losing the first two at Fukuoka Dome for Kudoh's 10th Japan Series victory.
The 2001 season was one to forget for Kudoh as he posted career-worsts pretty much across the board. He missed significant time due to injury and ended the season with a 1-3 record and an 8.44 ERA. He also threw a career-low 21 and 1/3 innings.
After putting up significant rehab time, the lefty rounded back into winning form in 2002. While he failed to win 10 games, the workload he was pegged with when he was signed was greatly alleviated thanks to a rejuvenated Kuwata and hotshot youngster Koji Uehara
Koji Uehara
is a Major League Baseball Japanese right-handed relief pitcher. He is currently a relief pitcher for the Texas Rangers.Uehara throws a high-80s four-seam fastball and a solid forkball as his primary pitches...
. He would work 170 and 1/3 innings, his highest total since '99. Also for the first time since the '99 season, Kudoh posted an ERA under 3.00 at 2.91. For the 11th time, he also was part of a Japan Series-winning team. This time, he was on the other side as the Giants defeated the Lions in the Japan Series for the first time since 1994.
The decline begins
For the rest of his career with Yomiuri, it was clear that the once-great lefty was in decline. The 2002 season was the last time that Kudoh would throw over 150 innings, and his ERA ballooned from the 2.91 mark in '02 to 4.23 in 2003. From '03 until 2005, he would see his ERA rise (4.67 in 2004, 4.70 in 2005). However, he did win at least 10 games in both years. His last season with Yomiuri saw him once again miss significant time. He only made 13 appearances and finished 3-2 with a 4.50 ERA. His contract was not renewed by Yomiuri, but Kudoh still felt a desire to pitch. In the 2006-2007 offseason, Kudoh would sign with the Yokohama BayStarsYokohama 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....
.
2007-2009: Yokohama BayStars
After pitching in domed stadiums from 1995 to 2006, Kudoh was pitching in the open-air Yokohama StadiumYokohama Stadium
is a stadium in Naka Ward, Yokohama, Japan. It opened in 1978 and holds 30,000 people.It is primarily used for baseball and is the home field of the Yokohama BayStars. The stadium is unique, because it features dirt around the bases and pitcher's mound, but with dirt colored turf infield and base...
, the first time he had pitched outdoors regularly since his last days with Seibu in 1994. The 2007 season was the first and only time that Kudoh pitched over 100 innings with the BayStars. As the team's #5 starter, not much was expected of Kudoh, yet he still went 7-6 with a 3.91 ERA in 19 appearances with the 'Stars. He also won at least one game for the 23rd consecutive season, breaking Tetsuya Yoneda
Tetsuya Yoneda
Tetsuya Yoneda is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher with the Hankyu Braves in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball. He won 350 games and is a Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame inductee.He was so tough that he was called Gasoline Tank....
's previous record of 22 consecutive seasons with a win.
2008-2009 and move to the bullpen
Despite off-season elbow surgery, Kudoh was still out to prove he had something left. However, he spent most of the season at ni-gun (Japanese minor leagues). He made a career-low 3 appearances and failed to record a win for the first time since 1984. However, he did set another record, becoming the longest-tenured player in Japanese baseball history with 27 seasons completed, breaking Katsuya NomuraKatsuya Nomura
was one of Nippon Professional Baseball's greatest players as a catcher and was also a long-time manager for the Yakult Swallows, the Hanshin Tigers, and the Rakuten Golden Eagles of NPB's Pacific League.-Career:...
's record of 26 seasons.
A new personal best for appearances was in order for Kudoh in 2009, in what was also his final season with Yokohama and 28th overall. Used as a situational lefty, Kudoh did not have much success, as he went 2-3 with a 6.51 ERA and the cagey veteran also managed to strike out 24 batters in 37 and 1/3 innings.
Return to Seibu
Knowing that he did not have much left, Kudoh decided to return to where it all began for the 2010 season. Also in a career first for him, he did not take his signature #47, but instead took #55, as his number was taken by another Seibu lefty, Kazuyuki HoashiKazuyuki Hoashi
is a Japanese Nippon Professional Baseball pitcher. He is currently with the Saitama Seibu Lions in Japan's Pacific League.-External links:...
. The lefty had a small role in an injury-riddled Lions bullpen, but was ineffective again, as he went 0-2 with a 10.50 ERA in 10 appearances and just six innings. He did, however, extend his streak for the longest career in NPB history at 29 seasons. He was released at the end of the season.
Pitching style
With a overhand delivery, Kudoh was a master at hiding the ball until release. While not a prolific strikeout pitcher (even he had gotten two times strike out titles in NPB), he was capable of getting men out reliably.Never known for overpowering pitches even in his prime (he topped out around 148 km/h or 92 mph), Kudoh instead relied on an array of breaking pitches and pinpoint control on his straight (four-seam) fastball
Fastball
The fastball is the most common type of pitch in baseball. Some "power pitchers," such as Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, have thrown it at speeds of 95–106 mph and up to 108.1 mph , relying purely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit...
. Among his repertoire of breaking pitches were a late-breaking curveball
Curveball
The curveball is a type of pitch in baseball thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball causing it to dive in a downward path as it approaches the plate. Its close relatives are the slider and the slurve. The "curve" of the ball varies from pitcher to...
, a slider
Slider
In baseball, a slider is a pitch that breaks laterally and down, with a speed between that of a curveball and that of a fastball....
, and occasionally he threw a sinker
Sinker (baseball)
In baseball, a sinker , is a type of fastball pitch which has significant downward and horizontal movement. The sinker is known for inducing a lot of ground balls...
/shuuto
Shuuto
The or shootball is a pitch commonly thrown by such right-handed Japanese pitchers such as Noboru Akiyama, Kenjiro Kawasaki, Daisuke Matsuzaka, and Masumi Kuwata...
.
Kudoh had his share of injuries, but the vast majority of them came late in his career, including endoscopic elbow surgery in 2008. By this time, he had already lost most of the velocity on his fastball and had to rely on veteran savvy and guile to get batters out.