The Sun Also Rises

Jason Michael Barker

Quick - how many Japanese-born Major League pitchers can you name? If you're like most fans, you probably got two, Hideo Nomo of the Dodgers and Hideki Irabu of the Yankees. However, there are currently four Japanese imports pitching in the bigs, and they just happen to pitch not too far from where Nomo and Irabu play their home games. The "other" two pitchers are the Angels' Shigetoshi Hasegawa, and the Mets' Masato Yoshii. We could profile all four pitchers, but do you really think Nomo and Irabu need any more hype?

Masato Yoshii, Mets
Year	G	GS	CG	SHO	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	W	L	SV	ERA
1998	8	8	1	0	52.0	44	14	13	7	17	42	3	1	0	2.25

Yoshii (age 33), much like the Devil Rays' Rolando Arrojo, is one of the elderly rookies in baseball this season. And just like Arrojo, he's off to a great start. Yoshii joined the Mets with little fanfare, but his performance so far this season certainly is something to write home about. Through 8 starts, he's 3-1 with a stellar 2.25 ERA. Opposing batters are hitting just .234 against him, and he's averaging just under 3 walks per nine innings. If he'd had a little run support, he could easily be 7-1 right now.

Born in Osaka, Yoshii began his Japanese career as a relief pitcher, and was named Reliever of the Year in his rookie season of 1988. That year he saved 24 games and won 10 more, as his Kintetsu team won the league championship. The team repeated the same feat the next season, with Yoshii saving 20 games and winning 5. Hideo Nomo (perhaps you've heard of him?) joined the Buffaloes in 1990, and the two would be teammates until Nomo left for the Dodgers in 1995. Yoshii was converted to a starter in 1993, and threw his first professional shutout that same year. His career as a starter took off in 1994, when Nomo taught him to throw a forkball. After moving to the Yakult Swallows, he went on to be one of the league's top pitchers in 1995 (10-7, 3.12 ERA), 1996, and 1997 (13-6, 2.99), with his team winning the Japan Series in both 1995 and 1997.

Shigetoshi Hasegawa, Angels
Year	G	GS	CG	SHO	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	W	L	SV	ERA
1997	50	7	0	0	116.2	118	60	51	14	46	83	3	7	0	3.93
1998	15	0	0	0	31.1	32	15	14	6	10	20	2	1	0	4.02

A native of Kobe, Hasegawa (age 30) pitched horribly in 7 starts for the Angels last year but was very solid out of the bullpen. Some splits: as a starter, he was 0-3 with a 6.62 ERA and 49 hits allowed in just 25 innings. In relief? Over 43 outings comprising 82.2 innings, he won three games and posted a 2.83 ERA while allowing just 69 hits. He pitched very poorly after he would reach the 30 pitch mark in an appearance, leading the Angels to believe that he was best suited as one of Troy Percival's setup men. He's been used exclusively in relief so far this season, and has pitched well, holding opposing hitters to a .323 on-base percentage.

Hasegawa toiled for six seasons in the Japanese Leagues before signing as a free agent with the Angels prior to the 1997 season. He was named Rookie of the Year in 1991, and last season he became just the fourth Japanese-born pitcher to appear in the Majors. In Japan he was known as a soft thrower with excellent control, but he was clocked in the low 90s near the end of last season. Despite his advanced age, Hasegawa has plenty of innings left in his arm, since the Japanese baseball season isn't nearly as long as MLB's. In an era when pitching is at a premium, he is certainly a very valuable contributor to his team.

Jason Michael Barker loves sushi, but not that garbage they serve at Dodger Stadium when Hideo Nomo pitches. Help him out by sending raw fish, seaweed and recipes to jmb@strikethree.com.