Shunsuke Watanabe
Encyclopedia
is a professional baseball
player from Tsuga, Tochigi
, Japan
who plays for the Chiba Lotte Marines
in the Japanese Pacific League
.
His submarine
pitching form was noted during the 2006 World Baseball Classic
.
.
He pitched in the Japanese national amateur baseball tournament in late 2000, and was drafted in the 4th round by the Chiba Lotte Marines
that year.
, giving up 4 hits in a shutout victory.
He was chosen as a member of the World Baseball Classic
team in 2006, but pitched poorly during the season, ending up with a 5-11 record, and a 4.35 ERA. He also led the league in hit batsmen (14).
He holds the Japanese record for skipping stones, recorded on a show on Nippon Television
. Chiba Lotte Marines
manager Bobby Valentine
made an appearance on the show as well.
On November 6, 2004 David Ortiz
of the Boston Red Sox
hit a 525 foot home run off Watanabe when the United States Major League Baseball
team faced the Nippon Professional Baseball team in the second game of the traditional Japan All-Star Series
. This blast by "Big Papi" has been recorded as the longest home run ever hit at the Tokyo Dome
.
Watanabe relies on his distinct pitching form and timing to get batters out. In addition to changing speeds with his pitches, he sometimes changes the time he takes to windup and release the ball. He does not have precise control, but is consistent in the lower part of the strike zone. Watanabe is not known to strike out batters, (only 101 strikeouts in 187 innings in 2005) and relies on forcing batters to hit themselves into outs. His underhanded form requires less energy than a conventional pitching form, and he is able to pitch into later innings.
Watanabe throws four main pitches; a rising fastball, slow curve, sinker and slider. Being a submarine pitcher, Watanabe's fastball is slow, falling in the high 70 mph or low 80 mph range, with lots of movement. The sinker is probably his best pitch, as he fools batters by throwing it at the same speed as his fastball, or sometimes even faster. His slider is only slightly slower than his fastball, but breaks downward. Watanabe's curve is very slow, clocking in the mid 50 mph range, somewhat similar to the curveball of Washington Nationals
pitcher Liván Hernández
(which actually is more like an eephus pitch
). He often experiments with the curve, changing grips to make it resemble a changeup more than a curve. This curve has been recognized as a two-seam Gyroball
.
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
player from Tsuga, Tochigi
Tsuga, Tochigi
was a town located in Shimotsuga District, Tochigi, Japan.As of 2003, the town had an estimated population of 13,635 and a density of 446.76 persons per km². The total area was 30.52 km²....
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
who plays 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:...
in the Japanese 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...
.
His submarine
Submarine (baseball)
In baseball, a submarine pitch is one in which the ball is released underhand and just above the ground, with the torso bent at a right angle and shoulders tilted so severely that they rotate around a nearly horizontal axis...
pitching form was noted during the 2006 World Baseball Classic
World Baseball Classic
The World Baseball Classic is an international baseball tournament sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation and created by Major League Baseball , the Major League Baseball Players Association , and other professional baseball leagues and their players associations around the world...
.
Amateur career
Watanabe began baseball at age 6, and began throwing underhanded during middle school at the suggestion of his father. Watanabe attracted little attention through high school and college, and joined the Kazusa Magic amateur baseball team in 1999 after graduating from college. He was finally noticed by professional scouts when he was chosen as a member of the 2000 Sydney Olympics Japanese national team, where he marked a win in a game against ItalyItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
He pitched in the Japanese national amateur baseball tournament in late 2000, and was drafted in the 4th round by 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:...
that year.
Professional career
Watanabe made his debut in April 2001, starting a game against the Orix BlueWave. He won his first professional game with a complete game shutout, and ended the season with 2 wins. In 2002 he pitched in 6 games and had a record of 0-3. In 2003 he gave up 8 runs in his first start, and became a part of the starting rotation at the middle of the year, going 9-4 with a 3.66 ERA. He won 12 games the following year, won 15 games in 2005 with a 2.17 ERA. The Marines won their first championship in 31 years in 2005, and Watanabe pitched in the second game of the Japanese championship series against the Hanshin TigersHanshin Tigers
The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team based in Koshien, Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and are in the Central League. Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd., the subsidiary of Hankyu Hanshin Holdings Inc., owns the Hanshin Tigers directly...
, giving up 4 hits in a shutout victory.
He was chosen as a member of the World Baseball Classic
World Baseball Classic
The World Baseball Classic is an international baseball tournament sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation and created by Major League Baseball , the Major League Baseball Players Association , and other professional baseball leagues and their players associations around the world...
team in 2006, but pitched poorly during the season, ending up with a 5-11 record, and a 4.35 ERA. He also led the league in hit batsmen (14).
He holds the Japanese record for skipping stones, recorded on a show on Nippon Television
Nippon Television
is a television network based in the Shiodome area of Minato, Tokyo, Japan and is controlled by the Yomiuri Shimbun publishing company. Broadcasting terrestrially across Japan, the network is commonly known as , contracted to , and abbreviated as "NTV" or "AX".-Offices:*The Headquarters : 6-1,...
. 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:...
manager Bobby Valentine
Bobby Valentine
Robert John "Bobby V" Valentine is an American professional baseball manager and former player who is currently the manager of the Boston Red Sox. He previously managed the Texas Rangers and New York Mets as well as the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan...
made an appearance on the show as well.
On November 6, 2004 David Ortiz
David Ortiz
David Américo Ortiz Arias , known as David Ortiz, nicknamed "Big Papi", is a Dominican American professional baseball player who is currently a free agent. Previously, Ortiz played with the Minnesota Twins and Boston Red Sox...
of the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
hit a 525 foot home run off Watanabe when the United States Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
team faced the Nippon Professional Baseball team in the second game of the traditional Japan All-Star Series
Major League Baseball Japan All-Star Series
The Major League Baseball Japan All-Star Series is a set of games between All-Star teams from North America's Major League Baseball and Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball. The series takes place every even numbered year in the Tokyo Dome and other NPB home stadiums...
. This blast by "Big Papi" has been recorded as the longest home run ever hit at the Tokyo Dome
Tokyo Dome
Tokyo Dome is a 55,000-seat baseball stadium located in Bunkyo Ward of Tokyo, Japan.The stadium opened for business on March 17, 1988. It was built on the site of the Velodrome which was next door to the site of the predecessor ballpark, Kōrakuen Stadium...
.
Pitching Style
Watanabe is known for having the world's lowest release point, letting go of the ball only about 2 inches above the ground, and his hand sometimes brushes against the ground as he throws. His body is much closer to the ground than other submarine pitchers, and his right knee has bled during games because it skids against the mound. He puts a pad on the inside of his uniform around the knee to prevent himself from bleeding. Watanabe's form is truly one of a kind, as there is no other pitcher in the world who throws from the same arm angle. Batters have trouble timing their swings against Watanabe, because his pitches seem to come in at completely different speeds compared to those of conventional pitchers.Watanabe relies on his distinct pitching form and timing to get batters out. In addition to changing speeds with his pitches, he sometimes changes the time he takes to windup and release the ball. He does not have precise control, but is consistent in the lower part of the strike zone. Watanabe is not known to strike out batters, (only 101 strikeouts in 187 innings in 2005) and relies on forcing batters to hit themselves into outs. His underhanded form requires less energy than a conventional pitching form, and he is able to pitch into later innings.
Watanabe throws four main pitches; a rising fastball, slow curve, sinker and slider. Being a submarine pitcher, Watanabe's fastball is slow, falling in the high 70 mph or low 80 mph range, with lots of movement. The sinker is probably his best pitch, as he fools batters by throwing it at the same speed as his fastball, or sometimes even faster. His slider is only slightly slower than his fastball, but breaks downward. Watanabe's curve is very slow, clocking in the mid 50 mph range, somewhat similar to the curveball of Washington Nationals
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are a professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals are a member of the Eastern Division of the National League of Major League Baseball . The team moved into the newly built Nationals Park in 2008, after playing their first three seasons in RFK Stadium...
pitcher Liván Hernández
Liván Hernández
Eisler Liván Hernández Carrera is a Cuban professional baseball pitcher. He is the half-brother of pitcher Orlando "El Duque" Hernández.-Playing career:...
(which actually is more like an eephus pitch
Eephus pitch
An Eephus pitch in baseball is considered a junk pitch with very low speed. The delivery from the pitcher has very low velocity and usually catches the hitter off-guard. Its invention is attributed to Rip Sewell of the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1940s. According to manager Frankie Frisch, the...
). He often experiments with the curve, changing grips to make it resemble a changeup more than a curve. This curve has been recognized as a two-seam Gyroball
Gyroball
A gyroball is a type of baseball pitch used primarily by players in Japan.-Overview:The gyroball pitch was first identified by the Japanese scientist Ryutaro Himeno , and later developed into a specific throwing technique by baseball instructor Gitau Kimani , who used computer simulations to create...
.
External links
- Shunsuke Watanabe Official Site(Japanese)