Toshiyuki Yanuki

Toshiyuki Yanuki (矢貫 俊之)

• Bats Right Throws Right
• Height 6' 3", Weight 194 lbs.

• School Tokiwa University
• High School Sendai Ikuei High School

• Born December 15, 1983 in Nishishirakawa-gun, Fukushima, Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Toshiyuki Yanuki has pitched in Nippon Pro Baseball for 7 years.

Yanuki was drafted by the Nippon Ham Fighters in the third round of the 2008 NPB draft, but he spent the vast majority of his first three seasons in the NPB Farm Leagues, only pitching 7 games combined with the big club. The Fighters also sent him to the Phoenix Desert Dogs of the Arizona Fall League after the 2009 season; he allowed one run in 13 2/3 IP. Yanuki joined the bullpen in 2012, and recorded a 3.24 ERA in 22 appearances. Yanuki pitched a shutout inning with two strikeouts (against Daisuke Fujimura and Hayato Sakamoto) in Game 1 of the 2012 Nippon Series; the Yomiuri Giants beat them in 6 games.

The Fukushima native broke out in 2013, as he pitched a career-high 57 games with a 3.43 ERA and notched 17 holds. Yanuki was also selected for the 2013 NPB All-Star Game, and he relieved Yusei Kikuchi in the 7th inning in Game 1 with a 1-0 lead. He walked Tony Blanco first, allowed a pair of singles to Norihiro Nakamura and Hisayoshi Chono to give him an earned run, the only one allowed by the Pacific League in this tie. He got out of the inning otherwise unscathed then was replaced by Hirotoshi Masui. He then relieved Sho Iwasaki in the 7th inning in Game 3, retiring Yoshihiro Maru, Shinya Miyamoto and Akihito Fujii then Naoya Masuda succeeded him.

However, the 2013 season was Yanuki's last productive season. His ERA rose to 5.00 in 2014, and he only had 9 appearances in 2015 before the Fighters traded him with Atsushi Kita to the Giants for Kenji Yano and Hideki Sunaga in June. Yanuki only pitched 11 more games for the Giants, and he announced his retirement after the 2016 season. After retiring, he became a coach for the Giants from 2021 to 2023.

Overall, Yanuki was 6-8 with a 3.76 ERA, collected 15 holds, struck out 150 and pitched 186 2/3 innings in 7 years in NPB.