Ryuji Yokoyama

Ryuji Yokoyama (横山 竜士)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 10", Weight 176 lbs.

• High School Fukui Shogyo High School

• Born June 11, 1976 in Katsuyama, Fukui Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Ryuji Yokoyama pitched in Nippon Pro Baseball for 18 years.

Yokoyama was drafted by the Hiroshima Carp in the fifth round of the 1994 NPB draft, and he joined their bullpen as a rookie in 1997. He was 10-5 with a 3.27 ERA, ranking 10th in the Central League in appearances (56, between Yusaku Iriki and Hiroaki Nakayama) and 7th in wins (tied with 7 other pitchers). He had a 2.57 ERA in 24 games in 1998, and he was used as a swingman in 1999. Yokoyama started 12 games in 1999, and he was 7-4 with a 3.42 ERA in 24 appearances. However, he suffered from a right shoulder injury, so he only pitched 3 games in 2000.

The Fukui native entered the rotation in 2001, and he was 2-6 with a 4.10 ERA. He suffered from injuries again, and he only pitched 22 games combined in the next three seasons. Yokoyama came back as a reliever in 2005, and he recorded a 2.19 ERA in 29 games with 6 holds. He notched 13 holds with a 4.85 ERA in 2006, and he improved to a 2.63 ERA with 15 holds in 60 relief outings in 2007. Yokoyama was 8th in appearances (tied with Jeff Williams) and 10th in holds (tied with Hayato Aoki). He lowered his ERA to 1.50 in 38 games in 2008, and he collected 16 holds.

Yokoyama notched a career-high 31 holds in 69 games with a 3.52 ERA in 2009, ranking 4th in games pitched (between Mike Schultz and Hiroki Sanada) and 4th in holds (between Scott Atchison and Takuya Asao). He then collected 11 saves and 8 holds with a solid 1.62 ERA in 46 games in 2010, and he was 6th in saves (between Marc Kroon and Tetsuya Yamaguchi). Yokoyama missed the 2011 season due to waist surgery, then he had a 0.42 ERA in 23 games in 2012. His ERA was 3.23 in 37 games with 15 holds in 2013, and he tied Toshiya Okada and Kenichi Nakata for 10th in holds. However, he only pitched 6 games in 2014, then he announced his retirement. The Carp named him as their pitching coach in 2020.

Overall, Yokoyama was 46-44 with a 3.42 ERA, notched 110 holds in 507 games, struck out 692 and pitched 787 1/3 innings in 18 years in NPB. As of 2023, he ranked 36th in holds (between Takehiko Oshimoto and Tatsuya Sato) and 95th in appearances (between Atsushi Aramaki and Yuya Kubo).

Sources

• Wiki Japan
• NPB.com Bio