Eijiro Ai

Eijiro Ai (阿井 英二郎)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11", Weight 138 lb.
• School Nihon University
• High School The Second High School, Tokyo University of Agriculture
• Born September 29, 1964 in Miho, Ibaraki Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Eijiro Ai was a relief pitcher in Nippon Professional Baseball for seven seasons.

He was a third-round pick of the Yakult Swallows in 1982 out of high school. He made the big team in 1985 and spent five years with them. Though his first year on the mound was unremarkable (4.29 ERA in 44 games; 3-5 with two saves), he did hit .267 at the plate, with one of his four hits a home run (off Sadaharu Hiranuma) and another a double. He tied Shigeki Nakamoto for 7th in the Central League in games pitched.

In his second year with the club, he won nine games (versus six losses, with one save) and posted a career-best 3.97 ERA (save for a 3.00 mark in two games in 1991). He tied Tadashi Sugimoto for 9th in the CL in walks (44), tied for 5th with 4 hit batters and tied for third with five wild pitches. The right-hander slumped to 5-5 with a save and a 6.49 ERA in 1987, surrendering 104 hits in 79 innings. He injured his shoulder and never pitched regularly again.

Ai worked 13 games in 1988 (4.19) and four in 1989 (7.71). He did not pitch in NPB in 1990. Sold to the Lotte Orions, he was 0-1 with one run in three innings in 1991. The Orions became the Chiba Lotte Marines in 1992 and he gave up 3 runs (two earned) in 3 1/3 IP.

Overall, he was 17-17 with four saves and a 4.79 ERA in 144 appearances and hit .189/.189/.264.

After his playing career ended, he earned a college degree by way of correspondence course. He became a science and history teacher at Tsukuba Shuei High School; when the school resumed baseball in 1999, he was the head coach. He then coached and taught at Kawagoe Higashi High School from 2005-2012. He then returned to NPB as head coach of the Nippon Ham Fighters in 2013.