Yasuhiro Oyamada

Yasuhiro Oyamada (小山田 保裕)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 194 lbs.

• School Josai University
• High School Tsuchiura Nihon University High School

• Born July 27, 1976 in Chikusei, Ibaraki, Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Yasuhiro Oyamada pitched in Nippon Pro Baseball for 11 years.

Oyamada was selected by the Hiroshima Carp in the fifth round of the 1998 NPB draft. He joined their bullpen in his rookie year, and recorded a 3.72 ERA in 28 games. However, he slumped to a 6.89 ERA in 23 games in 2000. Oyamada bounced back and had a 1.82 ERA in 27 games in 2001, so the Carp named him as their new closer in 2002. He had his career year that season, and became the first Carp pitcher to collected 30 saves in a season. His ERA was 2.72 in 44 games, and he ranked 2nd in saves in the Central League (4 behind Eddie Gaillard). Oyamada was also selected into the 2002 NPB All-Star Games, and he relieved Koji Uehara in the 7th inning in Game 2. He only used 8 pitches to retire three Pacific League batters, and Hideki Okajima succeeded him.

The Ibaraki native suffered from injuries in 2003, and Katsuhiro Nagakawa took his spot. He only had a 4.24 ERA in 23 games in 2003, and the Carp turned him into a starter in 2004. Oyamada was 4-3 with a 3.15 ERA in his first season as a starter. He had a 6-11 record with a 4.67 ERA in 18 starts in 2005; he tied for the CL lead with 2 shutouts (even with Shinobu Fukuhara, Kenshin Kawakami, Daisuke Miura, Hisanori Takahashi and Uehara). However, he suffered from a right shoulder injury, and he only pitched 21 games combined in the next two seasons. The Carp then traded him to the Yokohama BayStars for Hideki Kishimoto and Shogo Kimura. Oyamada was solid in his first year with the BayStars, recording a 3.80 ERA in 39 games. He suffered from right shoulder problems again, only having 7 appearances in 2009. He then missed the entire 2010 season. The BayStars released him after the 2010 season, and he announced his retirement.

Overall, Oyamada was 19-26 with a 4.04 ERA, collected 37 saves, struck out 309 and pitched 439 1/3 innings in 11 years in the NPB.

Related Sites

• Wiki Japan
• NPB.com Bio
• 2002 NPB All-Star Game