Isamu Kida

Isamu Kida (木田 勇)

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 0", Weight 165 lbs.
• High School Yokohama Shodai High School

• Born June 7, 1954 in Yokohama, Kanagawa

BR register page

Biographical Information

Isamu Kida pitched and won a Most Valueable Player award in the Nippon Pro Baseball.

Kida represented Japan in 1978 Amateur World Series, 1978 Haarlemse Honkbalweek and 1979 Intercontinental Cup. He was named the Best Pitcher in 1978. Three teams drafted him in the 1978 NPB draft, and the Hiroshima Carp won the lottery, but he refused to sign. The Nippon Ham Fighters drafted him in the first round again. Kida had one of the the most incredible rookie season in NPB history. He set the NPB record for had a strikeout in 23 consecutive innings, and also attended the 1980 NPB All-Star Game. He started in Game 3, pitched 3 shutout innings with 2 strikeouts. Kida ended up 22-8 with a 2.28 ERA and 225 strikeouts, led the league in wins, ERA, strikeouts, innings, complete games and winning percentage. He won a pitching triple crown as a rookie, and also became the first player to both won the MVP and Rookie of the Year. Kida also collected the Best Nine and the NPB Gold Glove award.

The Yokohama native didn't pitched well in 1981 as his ERA rose to 4.76 in 164 1/3 innings. He was still selected into the 1981 NPB All-Star Game, and he started in Game 2 with 3 shutout innings. In 1981 Nippon Series, Kida relieved in Game 5 but allowed 4 runs in 2 innings. The Yokohama native bounced back slightly in 1982, as he had a 6-8 record with a 3.82 ERA. He was selected into the 1982 NPB All-Star Game, started and pitched 2 2/3 innings, allowed 2 runs and got the win. Kida still couldn't find back his condition, as his ERA rose to 4.81 in 1983, and it even worsened to 5.33 in 1984. He was moved from rotation in 1985, but he still recorded a terrible 6.06 ERA in 28 appearances. The Fighters then traded him with Masami Takahashi to the Taiyo Whales for Toru Ohata and Tsugio Kanazawa.

Kida came back with a 8-13 record with a 3.62 ERA in 1986, but he also set the NPB record for give a homer in 4 consecutive at-bats on June 10. (batters :Tsutomu Wakamatsu, Leon Lee, Mark Brouhard and Katsumi Hirosawa). He struggled again, as his ERA rose to 7.65 in 15 appearances in 1987. He set another NPB record - walked 5 consecutive batters on September 6, 1988. Kida ended up 1-5 with a 5.05 ERA in 16 appearances in that season. He tied the NPB record for give up 3 consecutive homers in the beginning of a game in 1989, and the Whales demoted him after he allowed 4 runs in 4 games. He was traded to the Chunichi Dragons for Shigeharu Kamogawa after the 1989 season. Kida allowed 8 runs in 9 1/3 innings in 1990, then he decided to retire after that season.

Kida's repertoire included a fastball (peak 90 mph), curveball, palmball and screwball.

Overall, Kida was 60-71 with a 4.23 ERA, struck out 860 and pitched 1,212 2/3 innings in 11 seasons in NPB.

Sources

• NPB site
• Wiki Japan
• Defunct IBAF site