Kazuo Yamaguchi

Kazuo Yamaguchi (山口 和男)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 207 lbs.

• School Hiroshima Kokusai Gakuin University
• High School Sanyo High School

• Born May 11, 1974 in Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Kazuo Yamaguchi pitched in Nippon Pro Baseball for 7 years.

Yamaguchi was selected by the Orix BlueWave in the first round of the 1999 NPB draft. He was 0-10 in the minor Western League, and he only got 9 appearances in the Pacific League in 2000. Yamaguchi stayed in the bullpen of the big club in 2001, and he recorded a 3.42 ERA in 32 games. He threw a 158 km/h (98 mph) fastball on July 29 of the next season, tying the NPB record for fastest pitch ever (held at that time by Hideki Irabu). Yamaguchi was also selected into the 2002 NPB All-Star Games, and replaced Shuji Yoshida in the 6th inning of Game 1. He gave up a solo shot to George Arias in the 7th inning and got the loss. he ended up collecting 6 saves with a 2.50 ERA in 41 games in 2002.

The Hiroshima native suffered from a right shoulder injury and underwent surgery, so he missed the entire 2003 season. Yamaguchi came back and collected 17 saves with a 3.80 ERA in 40 games in 2004. He ranked 4th in saves in the Pacific League, 9 behind Koji Mise. However, he slumped to a 6.19 ERA in 16 games in 2005, and spent the next two seasons in the ni-gun, only having one appearance in the PL, in 2006. He bounced back in 2008, as he recorded a 3.53 ERA in 34 games and notched 4 saves. He then spent the 2009 season in the NPB Farm Leagues, and announced his retirement.

Overall, Yamaguchi was 14-15 with a 3.41 ERA, collected 29 saves, struck out 194 and pitched 219 innings in 7 years in the NPB.

Related Sites

• Wiki Japan
• NPB.com Bio
• 2002 NPB All-Star Game