Masahiro Yamamoto (baseball)
Masahiro 'Masa' Yamamoto (山本昌 (Yamamoto Masa), real name: 山本昌広 (Yamamoto Masahiro), 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. BiographyYamamoto 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). Other activitiesYamamoto is a well known RC model aficionado, and came in 4th place in a RC tournament in 2002.[3] He has also hosted an RC model TV show on Fuji TV ONE titled Yamamoto Masa no Rajiko Dojo.[4] In addition, Yamamoto also has owned shares of racehorses, with his most successful horses being Al Ain and Shahryar.[5] See alsoReferences
External links
|