Mamoru Kishida

Mamoru Kishida (岸田 護)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11", Weight 165 lbs.

• School Tohoku Fukushi University
• High School Riseisha High School

• Born May 10, 1981 in Suita, Osaka, Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Mamoru Kishida pitched in Nippon Pro Baseball for 14 years.

Kishida was drafted by the Orix Buffaloes in the third round of the 2005 NPB draft, but he spent his rookie year mainly in the NPB Farm Leagues, only pitching 6 games with the big club. Kishida joined the rotation in 2007, and he had a 4-3 record with a 2.93 ERA. He suffered from a right foot injury in 2008, so he only started 10 games with a 2.94 ERA. Kishida came back and had a 10-4 record with a 3.01 ERA in 2009, and ranked 11th in the Pacific League in wins (6 behind Hideaki Wakui).

The Orix decided to turned Kishida into a reliever in 2010, and he adapted to that role very well. He had a 3.01 ERA in 57 appearances, and notched 11 holds and 12 saves. Kishida relieved Masahiko Morifuku in 2011 NPB All-Star Game 1, and he struck out three straight Central League batters - Masahiro Araki, Kenta Kurihara and Shinnosuke Abe. Kishida then replaced Hirotoshi Masui in Game 3, retiring Hisayoshi Chono and Hirokazu Ibata but giving up a double to Abe. Kishida forced Naoto Watanabe to ground out to save the PL's win. he ended up notching 33 saves with a 2.61 ERA in 68 games and ranked 2nd in appearances (4 behind Yoshihisa Hirano) and 2nd in saves (4 behind Hisashi Takeda).

Kishida was selected into the 2012 NPB All-Star Game, and he relieved Hirano in the 9th inning in Game 1. He struck out Shuichi Murata first, then retired Shota Dobayashi and Hayato Sakamoto to end this inning. He notched 18 saves with a 2.42 ERA in 2012, and ranked 5th in saves (12 behind Takeda). Kishida injured his right foot in August 2013, so he only had 37 appearances that year with a 2.12 ERA; he notched 11 holds. He was still a reliable reliever in 2014, collecting 12 holds with a 3.36 ERA in 55 games. Kishida got a career-high 15 holds in 2015, and recorded a 2.56 ERA in 50 appearances.

However, his ERA rose to a terrible 7.90 in 16 games in 2016, and he only had 4 appearances in 2017. Kishida had a 2.35 ERA in 17 games in 2018, and he announced his retirement after the 2019 season. He was the pitching coach for the minor league team of the Buffaloes in 2020, then worked for their big club since 2021.

Overall, Kishida was 40-30 with a 2.99 ERA, collected 63 holds and 63 saves, struck out 730 and pitched 786 2/3 innings in 14 years in NPB.