Shinichi Kondo

Shinichi Kondo (近藤 真一)

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 0", Weight 182 lbs.

• High School Kyoei High School

• Born September 8, 1968 in Ichinomiya, Aichi, Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Shinichi Kondo played in Nippon Pro Baseball for 6 years. His son is NPB outfielder Hiroki Kondo.

Five teams drafted Kondo in the first round of the 1986 NPB draft, and the Chunichi Dragons won the lottery. Kondo joined the rotation as a rookie, and he shocked the whole league in his debut. The Dragons used too many pitchers in the prior game, so Kondo was promoted from the NPB Farm Leagues on August 9 against the Yomiuri Giants. He then became the only player in NPB history who completed a no-hitter in his pro debut. Kondo extended his solid performance, and became the youngest player to win the player of the month award. He ended up 4-5 with a 4.45 ERA in this season.

Kondo was 8-7 with a 3.44 ERA before the All-Star break in 1987, but it was the last productive season for the young southpaw. He suffered a left shoulder injury in August, and he missed the entire 1989 season. Kondo never completely recovered from the injury, and he underwent Tommy John surgery in 1991. He only pitched 11 games total after the 1991 season, and he announced his retirement in 1994. After retiring, Kondo was the pitching coach for the Dragons from 2004 to 2018 and worked as a scout from 2019 to 2021. He became the coach for Gifu Shotoku Gakuen University in 2022.

Overall, Kondo was 12-17 with a 3.90 ERA, struck out 157 and pitched 217 innings in 6 years in the NPB.

Related Sites

• Wiki Japan
• NPB.com Bio