Masahito Kohiyama

Masahito Kohiyama (小桧山 雅仁)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 10", Weight 187 lb.
• School Keio University
• High School Toin Gakuen High School
• Born May 7, 1969 in Tokyo Japan

BR Register page

Biographical Information

Spending some of his early childhood in Australia, Masahito Kohiyama returned to his native Japan at age six and became a star pitcher in college, winning 19 games in the Tokyo Big Six University League. He was 2-0 with a 2.38 ERA in the 1991 Intercontinental Cup, helping Japan win Silver. He fanned 28 in 22 1/3 IP to finish second in the Cup in Ks behind Dae-sung Koo. He won Gold with Japan in the 1991 Asian Championship. A member of the Japanese team in the 1992 Olympics, he was a first-round draft pick in the 1992 NPB draft by the Yokohama BayStars. Kohiyama had a respectable rookie campaign for Yokohama in 1993, going 3-9 with four saves but with a 2.99 ERA (and 2.99 RA) and 85 strikeouts in 99 1/3 IP. Masahito slipped to 2-3, 4.01 his second season, walking 41 in 58 1/3 innings. In 1995, he fell further, going 0-1, 7.84 for the BayStars and issuing 19 free passes in 20 1/3 innings. Over the next two seasons, he pitched just seven innings for Yokohama, allowing 13 runs, 13 hits, 6 walks and striking out eight. After not appearing at all for the 1998 BayStars, Kohiyama had 20 games in 1999 and was a respectable 4-1, 3.77, having the third-lowest ERA of their relievers. He only pitched in 11 games over the next two years and finished his Nippon Pro Baseball career at 9-14 with four saves and a 4.30 ERA. He pitched for the China Trust Whales of the Chinese Professional Baseball League after leaving Japan, going 7-6 with a 3.77 ERA in 2002.

Main source: Japanbaseballdaily.com by Gary Garland