Hiroki Yamada

Hiroki Yamada (山田 大樹)

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 2", Weight 202 lb.

• High School Tsukuba Shuei High School

• Born July 30, 1988 in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Japan

BR Register page

Biographical Information

Hiroki Yamada debuted in Nippon Pro Baseball in 2010.

Yamada was a taxi squad draft pick of the Softbank Hawks in the 2006 NPB draft. He had elbow surgery two years later. He was promoted to the Hawks' regular roster in 2010. That year, he was 4-4 with a 4.60 ERA. He became the first former taxi squad player to win a game in the Pacific League. In 2011, the lefty improved to 7-7, 2.85. He was called on by Koji Akiyama to start game five of the 2011 Japan Series. He turned in a superb effort, with six shutout innings (3 hits, no walks, 5 K), teaming with Tadashi Settsu, Masahiko Morifuku and Takahiro Mahara on a shutout of the Chunichi Dragons to put Softbank ahead, 3 games to 2.

Yamada's repertoire includes a fastball (peak 94 mph), curveball, slider and forkball.

Sources

• Japan Baseball Daily
• Japanball.com
• Official NPB site