Suguru Iwazaki

Suguru Iwazaki (岩崎 優)

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 0", Weight 178 lb.

• School Kokushikan University
• High School Shimizu Higashi High School

• Born June 19, 1991 in Shimizu, Shizuoka Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Suguru Iwazaki has pitched in Nippon Pro Baseball.

Iwazaki was 10-8 with a 1.75 ERA in college. The Hanshin Tigers took him in the 6th round of the 2013 NPB draft. He was 5-4 with a 3.50 ERA in 17 starts for the top club in 2014 and had a 3-2, 2.30 record on the farm. His first NPB strikeout was Héctor Luna and his first hit came off Daichi Osera. In 2015, he had a 3.51 ERA but a 3-10 record for the big club (3-3, 3.18 in the minors). He tied for 5th in the Central League in losses.

He went 3-5 with a 3.63 ERA in 2016, still playing regularly in the minors (4-2, 3.14). He moved to the bullpen in 2017 and went 4-1 with a 2.39 ERA in 66 games, striking out 88 in 71 2/3 innings. He tied Taichi Ishiyama for 4th in the CL in games pitched. The Tigers were the first NPB team to have five pitchers with 60+ appearances; the others were Kentaro Kuwahara (67), Marcos Mateo (63), Rafael Dolis (63) and Akifumi Takahashi (61).

The Shizuoka native fell to 1-3, 4.94 in 61 games in 2018, though his K rate remained good (70 in 62 IP). He was 7th in the league in games pitched, between Kuwahara and Kazuki Mishima. He lost time in 2019 to injury and the flu but was excellent (3-0, 1.01 in 48 G; .76 WHIP) when healthy. The 2020 season was shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic but he remained sharp (5-2, 2 Sv, 1.82 in 41 G; 1.03 WHIP).

He began 2021 well, then made Japan's team for the Tokyo Olympics.

His repertoire includes a fastball (peak 92.5 mph), slider, change-up and forkball.