Takeshi Shimazaki

Takeshi Shimazaki (島﨑 毅)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11", Weight 180 lb.

• School Kokushikan University
• High School Tokyo Gakukan High School

• Born March 3, 1967 in Narita, Chiba Japan

BR Register page

Biographical Information

Takeshi Shimazaki pitched in Nippon Pro Baseball and for the Japanese national team.

Shimazaki represented Japan in the 1990 Baseball World Cup, going 0-1 with a 3.52 ERA in three outings. He lost a 2-0 duel to Nicaragua's Roberto Reyes. The Nippon Ham Fighters drafted him in the fourth round of the 1991 NPB draft. He spent the first two years of his career in the NPB Farm Leagues, only had 15 appearances combined. Shimazaki broke out and recorded a solid 2.00 ERA in 51 appearances in 1995. He was 9-7 with 3 saves in that year.

Shimazaki notched 14 saves and a Pacific League-leading 18 holds with a 2.31 ERA in 1996, and won the Most Outstanding Middle Relief Pitcher Award. He was the first NPB player ever to win that award. In 1996 NPB All-Star Game 2, Shimazaki pitched 2 shutout innings with 2 strikeouts and got the win over the Central League. He won three votes in the 1996 Pacific League Most Valuable Player Award voting.

The Chiba native collected 11 saves in 49 appearances in the next season, but his ERA rose to 3.98. He only pitched 23 games with a 3.06 ERA in 1999. The Fighters traded him to the Chunichi Dragons for cash in 2000, but he allowed 3 runs in 5 games. He transferred to the Hiroshima Carp the next season, and announced his retirement after spending the whole 2001 season in ni-gun.

After retiring, Shimazaki became the pitching coach for the Fighters from 2004 to 2005, in 2010 and 2022. He was their ni-gun pitching coach in 2006 to 2009, from 2011 to 2012 and since 2023. He was also one of the Fighters' scouts from 2014 to 2016.

Overall, Shimazaki was 20-19 and notched 28 saves with a 3.09 ERA and pitched 337 1/3 innings in 7 seasons in NPB.

Sources

• NPB site
• Wiki Japan
• Defunct IBAF site