Masahide Kobayashi
Encyclopedia
is a professional baseball pitcher
who currently plays for the Orix Buffaloes
.
From -, Kobayashi played in the Nippon Professional Baseball league for the Chiba Lotte Marines
. From -, he played for Major League Baseball's Cleveland Indians
.
He was a member of the Japanese Olympic baseball team for the 2004 Summer Olympics
and won a bronze medal.
He led the Pacific League
in saves in 2005, and made his 200th save in 2006, becoming the third player in Japanese baseball to reach the mark, after Kazuhiro Sasaki
and Shingo Takatsu
.
After the 2007 season, he became the only pitcher to record 20 or more saves seven straight years.
On November 2, , he declared his Free Agency and expressed his interest in playing for a major league club for the 2008 season.
On November 20, he signed a two-year, $6,250,000 deal with the Cleveland Indians
. The deal included a $3.25m club option for a third year.
During the 2008 season, Kobayashi had an average season, going 4-5 with a 4.53 ERA and 6 saves. He started to falter late during the year and thus, his performance declined.
In 2009, Kobayashi had 10 appearances (9.2 innings) with no decisions or saves. His ERA was a booming 8.38 and on May 16 he was designated for assignment. He accepted and was outrighted to Triple-A Columbus. He was released on July 18, 2009.
He signed a one-year contract with the Yomiuri Giants
on December 1, 2009.
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
who currently plays for the Orix Buffaloes
Orix Buffaloes
The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team based in Osaka and Kobe, Japan. They play in the Pacific League. The team is owned by the Orix Group, a leading diversified financial services company based in Tokyo....
.
From -, Kobayashi played in the Nippon Professional Baseball league for the Chiba Lotte Marines
Chiba Lotte Marines
The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based in Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture, in the Kantō region, and owned by the Lotte conglomerate.-History:...
. From -, he played for Major League Baseball's Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
.
He was a member of the Japanese Olympic baseball team for the 2004 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
and won a bronze medal.
He led the Pacific League
Pacific League
The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues constituting Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship competes against the winner in the Central League for the annual Japan Series...
in saves in 2005, and made his 200th save in 2006, becoming the third player in Japanese baseball to reach the mark, after Kazuhiro Sasaki
Kazuhiro Sasaki
Kazuhiro "Daimajin" Sasaki is a former Nippon Professional Baseball and Major League Baseball right-handed relief pitcher. He played his entire NPB career with the Yokohama Taiyo Whales / Yokohama BayStars...
and Shingo Takatsu
Shingo Takatsu
Shingo Takatsu is a professional baseball pitcher for the Sinon Bulls of the Chinese Professional Baseball League. He had a short stint with the Chicago White Sox where he was the closer for two seasons until struggles closing games ultimately led to his demotion to the minors...
.
After the 2007 season, he became the only pitcher to record 20 or more saves seven straight years.
On November 2, , he declared his Free Agency and expressed his interest in playing for a major league club for the 2008 season.
On November 20, he signed a two-year, $6,250,000 deal with the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
. The deal included a $3.25m club option for a third year.
During the 2008 season, Kobayashi had an average season, going 4-5 with a 4.53 ERA and 6 saves. He started to falter late during the year and thus, his performance declined.
In 2009, Kobayashi had 10 appearances (9.2 innings) with no decisions or saves. His ERA was a booming 8.38 and on May 16 he was designated for assignment. He accepted and was outrighted to Triple-A Columbus. He was released on July 18, 2009.
He signed a one-year contract with the Yomiuri Giants
Yomiuri Giants
The are a professional baseball team based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. The team competes in the Central League in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top level of professional play in Japan. They play their home games in the Tokyo Dome, opened in 1988. The English-language press occasionally calls the...
on December 1, 2009.