Isao Koda

Isao Koda (香田 勲男)

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11", Weight 176 lb.

• High School Sasebo Technical High School

• Born May 29, 1965 in Higashisonogi-gun, Nagasaki Japan

BR Register page

Biographical Information

Isao Koda pitched 350 games in 18 seasons in Nippon Pro Baseball.

Koda was a second-round draft pick of the Yomiuri Giants in the 1983 NPB draft; as a rookie, he threw a no-hitter in the minor Eastern League. He debuted in NPB in 1985 with one scoreless inning for Yomiuri. He had a 1-0, 4.09 record with 25 strikeouts in 22 innings in 1986 but suffered a shoulder injury. He had surgery in the USA and missed all of 1987.

Isao returned to go 4-3 with a save and a 2.59 ERA in 1988, holding opponents to a .216 average. He was 7-3 with a 2.35 ERA in 1989, with only a .94 WHIP and .203 opponent average. At one point, he had a consecutive scoreless inning streak of 30. In game four of the 1989 Japan Series, he got the start with Yomiuri trailing the Kintetsu Buffaloes 3 games to 0. He threw a 3-hit shutout and Yomiuri went on to take the Series in 7 games. He allowed 3 runs in five innings to win game seven, as well. Norihiro Komada was named Series MVP though Isao was obviously a serious candidate.

Koda had a 11-5, 2.90 record in 1990. He was 4th in the Central League in ERA behind teammates Masaki Saito, Masao Kida and Masumi Kuwata in an amazing four-man rotation. He fanned five in four shutout innings in the 1990 Japan Series.

The right-hander fell to 6-5, 4.59 in 1991 and 0-2, 8.89 with a .342 opponent average in 1992. He rebounded to 8-7, 3.51 in 1993 and would have ranked 9th in the CL in ERA had he qualified. Koda fell back to 2-3, 4.46 with a save in 1994. He retired all three batters he faced in the 1994 Japan Series, which Yomiuri won.

That off-season, Koda was dealt to the Kintetsu Buffaloes. He had an unimpressive first campaign with them in 1995 (2-5, 4.91, .310 opponent average) and was lit up in 1996 (27 H in 14 IP, .403 opponent average, 9.64 ERA, 0-3 record). In the minors that year, he led the Western League in both wins and ERA.

Isao was back in form with the Buffaloes in 1997, going 9-4 with a 3.69 ERA and making the Pacific League All-Star team, his lone All-Star appearance. He was down to 4-5 ,4.96 with a .311 opponent average in 1998.

In 1999, Koda was excellent out of Kintetsu's bullpen, going 5-4 with 8 saves and a 2.44 ERA, walking only 18 in 99 2/3 IP. He beat out Akinori Otsuka for the best ERA on the Buffalo staff that season.

Koda went 6-2 with a 4.06 ERA in 2000 and 2-3 with a 3.97 ERA in 2001. In the 2001 Japan Series, he allowed 3 hits in 4 at-bats and 3 runs while retiring only one.

The Nagasaki native was 67-54 with 11 saves and a 3.82 ERA in 350 NPB games. He threw a fastball (high 80s), shuuto and curveball.

Koda coached for the Buffaloes in 2002 and 2003 then joined the Yomiuri staff in 2004.

Sources

• Japan Baseball Daily by Gary Garland
• Chinese Wiki Baseball