Kazumasa Yoshida

Kazumasa Yoshida (吉田 一将)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 3", Weight 202 lb.

• School Nihon University
• High School Aomori Yamada High School

• Born September 24, 1989 in Kashihara, Nara Japan

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Biographical Information

Kazumasa Yoshida has pitched in Nippon Pro Baseball and been on the Japanese national team

Yoshida represented Japan in the 2012 Asian Championship and 2013 East Asian Games. The Orix Buffaloes drafted him in the first round of the 2013 NPB draft. In his rookie year, Yoshida soon entered the Buffaloes' rotation. He ended up 5-6 with a 3.81 ERA in 14 starts, and earned a vote in the 2014 Pacific League Rookie of the Year Award. Yoshida couldn't extend his solid pitching in 2015, as his ERA rose to 5.27, and he was moved to bullpen in the middle of the season.

Yoshida adapted to the reliever role soon, and became one of the most reliable bullpen pitchers of the Buffaloes in 2016. He collected a career-high 21 holds with a 2.66 ERA in 54 relief outings. The Nara native still pitched well in the next year, when he recorded a 2.72 ERA and pitched 43 innings. He notched 21 holds again in the 2018 season, and played a career-high 58 games. Yoshida's ERA rose to 4.06 in 2019, and remained steady at 4.08 in 2020. In the 2021 season, Yoshida exploded in the NPB Farm Leagues as his ERA was 7.66, and the Buffaloes released him after this season.

Yoshida's repertoire included a fastball (peak 92.5 mph), curveball, slider, changeup, and forkball.

Overall, Yoshida was 18-20 with a 3.74 ERA and pitched 341 1/3 innings in seven seasons in the NPB.