Kohei Morihara

Kohei Morihara (森原 康平)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 194 lbs.

• School Kindai University
• High School Sanyo High School

• Born December 26, 1991 in Fukuyama, Hiroshima, Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Kohei Morihara has pitched in Nippon Pro Baseball.

Morihara was drafted by the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in the fifth round of the 2016 NPB draft, and he soon joined their bullpen as a rookie. He notched 13 holds with a 4.81 ERA in 42 games in 2017, but he slumped to a 5.82 ERA in 18 games in 2018. Morihara broke out in 2019, and he notched 29 holds with a solid 1.97 ERA in 64 appearances. He was 6th in the Pacific League in holds (between Liván Moinelo and Alan Busenitz) and 6th in appearances (between Hiroshi Kaino and Koji Aoyama). However, Morihara struggled in 2020, and his ERA was 7.56 in 17 games. He bounced back in 2021 as he recorded a 2.78 ERA in 34 games, but he missed most of the 2022 season first half due to right elbow injury.

The Golden Eagles traded him to the Yokohama BayStars for Yukiya Itoh on July 28, 2022, and he pitched 6 games for them in the rest of the season. Morihara then notched 17 saves and 10 holds with a 2.32 ERA in 46 relief outings in 2023, and he ranked 7th in saves in the Central League (18 behind Suguru Iwazaki). He then relieved Shinya Matsuyama in the 7th inning of 2024 NPB All-Star Game 1, and he retired Sosuke Genda then fanned Chusei Mannami. Toshiya Satoh hit a single, and Morihara forced Ryoya Kurihara fly out to end his work; Ryoji Kuribayashi replaced him.

Morihara's repertoire features a fastball that peaks at 95.7 mph, a forkball and a slider.