Ryusei Kawano

Ryusei Kawano (河野 竜生)

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 5' 8", Weight 180 lbs.

• High School Naruto High School

• Born May 30, 1998 in Naruto, Tokushima, Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Ryusei Kawano has pitched in Nippon Pro Baseball.

Kawano was drafted by the Nippon Ham Fighters and Orix Buffaloes in the first round of the 2019 NPB draft, and the Fighters won the lottery for the right to him. He joined the rotation as a rookie, but he went 3-5 with a 5.07 ERA in 2020. He was then turned into a reliever in 2021, and he had a 0.29 ERA in 28 appearances with 8 holds in the first half of the season. The Fighters moved him back into the rotation after the All-Star break, but Kawano struggled again and he ended up 3-6 with a 2.99 ERA in the '21 season. He was used as full-time reliever in 2022, and he recorded a 4.41 ERA in 21 games. Kawano improved to a solid 1.70 ERA in 50 relief outings with 20 holds in 2023, and he tied Yuki Udagawa and Tomohito Sakai for 10th in holds in the Pacific League.

The Naruto native was selected into the 2024 NPB All-Star Game, and he relieved Cristopher Crisostomo in the 7th inning of Game 1. Kawano pitched well, only using 15 pitches to fan Tyler Austin, Seiya Hosokawa and Kaito Kozono; Takahiro Norimoto replaced him.

Kawano's repertoire features a fastball that peaks at 95.1 mph, a cutter, changeup, curveball and a slider.