Kazumasa Kikuchi

Kazumasa Kikuchi (菊地 和正)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11", Weight 167 lb.
• School Jobu University
• High School Jutoku High School

• Born June 27, 1982 in Takasaki, Gunma Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Kazumasa Kikuchi was a 6th-round pick of the Nippon Ham Fighters in the 2004 NPB draft. When he made his Nippon Pro Baseball debut in September 2005 with a scoreless inning, he became the first Jobu University alumnus to pitch at Japan's highest level.

Kikuchi spent 2006 in ni-gun and tossed 2 shutout innings in 2007. He still pitched in the second game of the 2007 Japan Series after only two games in NPB; he allowed a 2-run homer to Masahiko Morino in a 8-4 loss to the Chunichi Dragons and retired just two. In 11 games in 2008, he fanned 14 in 10 innings but allowed 17 hits and 11 runs.

Kikuchi got a significantly expanded role in 2009. The right-hander was 5-2 with a 3.67 ERA in 58 games, striking out 62 in 61 1/3 IP while walking 11. He pitched in game three of the 2009 Japan Series. Kikuchi finished second in voting for the 2009 Pacific League Rookie of the Year Award but only got four of 185 votes, compared to 177 for winner Tadashi Settsu.

Primary Source: Japan Baseball Daily by Gary Garland