Toshihiro Kase

Toshihiro Kase (嘉㔟 敏弘)

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 5' 10", Weight 176 lbs.

• High School Hokuyo High School

• Born October 6, 1976 in Amagasaki, Hyogo, Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Toshihiro Kase played in Nippon Pro Baseball for 9 years.

Kase was drafted by the Orix BlueWave in the first round of the 1994 NPB draft, and he spent his first season in the NPB Farm Leagues. He hit .227/.320/.273 in 17 games in 1996, and the Akira Ohgi announced that Kase would play as a two-way player in 1997. He struggled with the big club, allowing 3 runs in 3 innings while having a 1-for-13 record. Thus, he was turned into a full-time batter, and he hit .053/.143/.053 and .147/.247.162 respectively in the next two seasons.

The Hyogo native was a two-way player again in 2000, and he had a 5.10 ERA in 21 games while going 0-for-4 as an outfielder. Orix then turned him into a full-time pitcher after the 2000 season; there would be 12 more years before another two-way player shined in Japan - Shohei Ohtani. Kase was a solid reliever in his first season as a full-time pitcher, having a 3.21 ERA in 70 games in 2001. He led the Pacific League in appearances, 2 ahead of Shuji Yoshida. Kase had a 3.50 ERA in 33 games in 2002, but his ERA rose to 15.88 in 9 games in 2003. He only pitched a game in 2004, then he announced his retirement.

Overall, Kase was 3-7 with a 4.84 ERA in 136 games, struck out 86 and pitched 137 2/3 innings in 6 seasons in NPB. He hit .135/.252/.151 with 17 hits as an outfielder.