Masahiro Yamamoto (baseball)

Masahiro 'Masa' Yamamoto (山本昌, born August 11, 1965, in Chigasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture) is a left-handed, retired Japanese professional baseball pitcher. A screwballer, Yamamoto pitched for the Chunichi Dragons in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball for 29 years from 1986 to 2015. He is the oldest Japanese pitcher to win a baseball game.[1] With 200+ career victories, he is a member of Meikyukai.

Masa Yamamoto
Pitcher
Born: (1965-08-11) August 11, 1965
Chigasaki, Kanagawa, Japan
Batted: Left Threw: Left
NPB debut
October 16, 1986, for the Chunichi Dragons
Last NPB appearance
October 7, 2015, for the Chunichi Dragons
NPB statistics
(through 2015)
Win–loss record219-165
ERA3.45
Strikeouts2,310
Teams
Career highlights and awards
  • Central League ERA Champion (1993)
  • Eiji Sawamura Award (1994)
  • No-hitter (2006)

Biography

Yamamoto attended Nichidai Fujisawa High School, and was selected at age 18 by Chunichi.[2]

Yamamoto was the Central League Earned Run Average Champion in 1993, posting a 2.05 ERA. He won the 1994 Eiji Sawamura Award, going 19–8 with 3.49 ERA and 14 complete games.

On September 16, 2006, Yamamoto threw a no-hitter against the Hanshin Tigers, becoming the oldest pitcher in NPB to throw a no-hit game.

On September 5, 2014, Yamamoto won his first and only start of the season at Nagoya Dome in a shutout match against the Hanshin Tigers, making him the oldest Japanese pitcher to win a game, at 49 years, 25 days, surpassing the old mark of 48 years, 4 months set by the Hankyu Braves’ Shinji Hamazaki in 1950.[2] During the game, he threw 90 pitches in five scoreless innings, gave up five hits and a walk, and striking out two.

Yamamoto has pitched in six Japan Series with the Dragons, with his team winning once (in 2007).

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See also

References
  1. Snyder, Matt. "Masahiro Yamamoto will turn 50 next year while pitching in Japan," CBSSports.com (November 6, 2014).
  2. "Dragons lefty Yamamoto sets NPB record for oldest winning pitcher at age 49". The Japan Times. September 5, 2014. Retrieved 2014-09-08.


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