Toshiro Yufune

Toshiro Yufune (湯舟 敏郎‎)

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 5' 9", Weight 180 lb.

• School Nara Gakuen University
• High School Kokoku High School

• Born October 8, 1966 in Kaizuka, Osaka Japan

BR Register page

Biographical Information

Toshiro Yufune pitched in Nippon Pro Baseball and for the Japanese national team.

Yufune represented Japan in the 1989 Intercontinental Cup. The Hanshin Tigers drafted him in the first round of the 1990 NPB draft. Yufune joined the rotation as a rookie, and had a 5-11 record with a 4.66 ERA. He broke out and collected 11 wins with a 2.82 ERA in 1992. He was 6th in ERA (.40 behind Shin Nakagomi) and 8th in strikeouts (48 behind Koji Nakada). Yufune also completed the 58th no-hitter in NPB history on June 14, with 11 strikeouts. The Osaka native was 12-6 with a 3.52 ERA in 1993. He was selected into the 1993 NPB All-Star Game. He started in Game 2, but allowed 3 runs in 3 innings and ended up with a n-decision. He was named the Tigers' opening day starter in 1994, and ended up 5-7 with a 3.05 ERA.

The portsider extended his stable pitching, when he recorded a 3.96 ERA in 33 starts and struck out 157 in 1995. He ranked 4th in strikeouts (30 behind Masaki Saito), but also collected a league-leading 14 losses due to the weak lineup of Tigers. He slumped to 5-14 with a 4.84 ERA, and led the league in losses again in 1996. He was the first southpaw to lead the league in losses for two consecutive years. Yufune bounced back and had a 10-6 record with a 3.56 ERA in 1997. He fractured his foot and missed nearly the entire 1998 season. He struggled after coming back in 1999 as his ERA rose to 5.72, and he recorded a terrible 5.21 ERA in the next season. The Tigers traded him with Hirotoshi Kitagawa, Kazuharu Yamazaki to the Kintetsu Buffaloes for Tetsuji Mende, Koji Hirashita and Hiroki Sakai. Yufune was turned into a reliever in 2001, but he only recorded a 5.35 ERA in 37 appearances. He announced his retirement after the 2001 season.

Overall, Yufune was 60-79 and a 3.99 ERA and pitched 1,182 1/3 innings in 11 seasons in NPB.

Sources

• NPB site
• 1993 NPB All-Star Game
• Wiki Japan