Kazuhiko Kudo

Kazuhiko Kudo (工藤 一彦)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 198 lbs.

• High School Tsuchiura Nihon University High School

• Born May 29, 1956 in Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Kazuhiko Kudo pitched in Nippon Pro Baseball for 13 years. His son was NPB umpire Kazuki Kudo

Kudo was selected by the Hanshin Tigers in the second round of the 1974 NPB draft, but he spent his first four seasons primarily in the NPB Farm Leagues, and only pitched one game with the big club. He joined the rotation in 1979, and he was 7-8 with a 4.08 ERA. Kudo was 5-10 with a 4.02 ERA in 1980, then he improved to 9-9 with a 3.79 ERA in 1981. The 1982 season was his career year, and he was also selected into the 1982 NPB All-Star Game. As the Central League starter of Game 3, Kudo pitched 3 innings, only surrendered a run by Yutaka Fukumoto's single and ended up with a no-decision. He ended up 11-8 with a 3.00 ERA, ranking 9th in wins (tied with Shigeru Kobayashi and Tsunemi Tsuda) and 7th in ERA (between Kazuhiko Endo and Takao Obana).

The Ibaraki native then collected a career-high 13 wins in 1983, but his ERA rose to 4.16. He was 6th in wins, tied with Kobayashi and 5 behind Endo. Kudo slumped to 7-5 with a 5.10 ERA in 1984, then he was removed from the rotation. He had a 3.84 ERA in 30 appearances in 1985, and he also appeared in the 1985 Nippon Series. Relieving Hideaki Sato in the 5th inning of Game 3, Kudo pitched 4 innings with only a run surrendered. The Tigers beat the Seibu Lions in 6 games, and Kudo won his only Nippon Series title, also helping Hanshin to their only 20th-Century title. He had a 3.74 ERA in 38 games in 1985, and he was 3-9 with a 4.33 ERA in 1986. The veteran's ERA rose to 4.67 in 12 games in 1987, and he only played 9 games combined before he announced his retirement in 1989.

Overall, Kudo was 66-63 with a 4.04 ERA, struck out 663 and pitched 1,186 2/3 innings in 13 years in NPB.

Sources

• Wiki Japan
• NPB.com Bio
• 1983 NPB All-Star Game