Shoji Toyama

Shoji Toyama (遠山 奬志)

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 5' 11", Weight 200 lbs.

• High School Yatsushiro Daiichi High School

• Born July 21, 1967 in Ashikita-gun, Kumamoto, Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Shoji Toyama played in Nippon Pro Baseball for 14 years.

Toyama was drafted by the Hanshin Tigers in the first round of the 1985 NPB draft, and he soon joined their rotation. He was 8-5 with a 4.22 ERA in his rookie year, but slumped to 0-3 with a 5.96 ERA in 1987. Toyama bounced back soon, and had a 3.84 ERA in 45 appearances in 1988. However, he only pitched 17 games combined in the next two seasons due to severe left shoulder injury, and the Tigers traded him to the Lotte Orions for Yoshihiko Takahashi after the 1990 season.

The Kumamoto native still suffered from shoulder injury, and he only pitched 10 games in 1991. He was used as a LOOGY, and had a 3.12 ERA in 17 1/3 innings in 29 relief outings in 1992. Toyama's ERA rose to 5.17 ERA in 1993, and he only pitched 25 1/3 innings with a 3.91 ERA in 1994. He injured his shoulder again in 1995, then the Orions decided to turned him into an outfielder. Toyama didn't fare well at the plate while in Japan but hit .297/.341/.419 for the 1995 Visalia Oaks, backing up Scott Pinoni at first base. He only had 16 at-bats combined in the next two seasons, and the Orions released him after the 1997 season.

The Tigers picked him up, and his new manager Katsuya Nomura persuade Toyama to move back to the mound. This decision saved his career. Nomura changed him into a sidearm pitcher, and taught him a new breaking ball - the shuuto. Toyama used his new breaking ball to dominate the league's left-handed batters in 1999. He was good at dealing with that year's CL MVP Hideki Matsui, as Matsui was 0-for-13 when facing Toyama in 1999. He even intentionally walked batters to face Matsui with the based loaded, and he still struck out Matsui to escape the jam. Toyama was 2-1 with a 2.09 ERA in 63 appearances in 1999, and won the NPB Comeback Player of the Year Award.

Toyama was selected into the 2000 NPB All-Star Game, for the only All-Star appearance in his career, and he pitched 1 1/3 innings in Game 2. Since Toyama was good at facing left-handed batters, Nomura often moved him to first base and Minoru Kasai replaced him when meeting right- handed batters; when the next batter was left-handed, they would exchange spots. Toyama had a solid 2.55 ERA in 54 appearances in 2000. However, he suffered from sciatica in 2001, so his ERA rose to 4.88. He couldn't recovere as his ERA rose to 9.49 in 2002, and Toyama announced his retirement. He was a coach for the Tigers from 2006 to 2011.

Overall, Toyama was 16-22 with a 4.38 ERA, struck out 283 and pitched 480 1/3 innings in 14 years in the NPB.

Related Sites

• Wiki Japan
• NPB.com Bio