Takashi Kashiwada
Encyclopedia
Takashi Kashiwada is a retired Japanese
baseball player. He played for the Yomiuri Giants
and the New York Mets
.
from outside the draft in 1990. He spent most of his first six seasons on the minor league team. He led the minors in wins in 1995, but was given few opportunities in the Central League
.
Kashiwada joined the New York Mets
spring training session in 1997, and ended up staying with the team for the rest of the season. He had won only 1 game in Japan, but went 3-1 with a 4.31 ERA in 35 games with the Mets. He returned to the Giants the next year, and was used almost exclusively against left-handed hitters from 1999~2001, pitching in over 50 games in 1999 and 2000. The emergence of several other left-handed pitchers in 2002 (including Hideki Okajima
) forced Kashiwada out of his role as a specialist against lefty hitters. He did not pitch a single game in 2005, and announced his retirement at the end of the season. He was re-hired by the Yomiuri Giants
as an international scout after his retirement.
Major Leagues
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
baseball player. He played for 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...
and the New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
.
Biography
Kashiwada played baseball at his local high school, and joined the Yomiuri GiantsYomiuri 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...
from outside the draft in 1990. He spent most of his first six seasons on the minor league team. He led the minors in wins in 1995, but was given few opportunities in the Central League
Central League
The or is one the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League in the annual Japan Series. It currently consists of six teams from around the country,The Central League...
.
Kashiwada joined the New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
spring training session in 1997, and ended up staying with the team for the rest of the season. He had won only 1 game in Japan, but went 3-1 with a 4.31 ERA in 35 games with the Mets. He returned to the Giants the next year, and was used almost exclusively against left-handed hitters from 1999~2001, pitching in over 50 games in 1999 and 2000. The emergence of several other left-handed pitchers in 2002 (including Hideki Okajima
Hideki Okajima
is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher with the Boston Red Sox organization in the United States, currently with their AAA affiliate, the Pawtucket Red Sox. He played with the Yomiuri Giants and Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball league from 1994-2006...
) forced Kashiwada out of his role as a specialist against lefty hitters. He did not pitch a single game in 2005, and announced his retirement at the end of the season. He was re-hired by 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...
as an international scout after his retirement.
Statistics
Japanese Professional Leagues- 193 Games
- 4 Wins
- 2 Losses
- 3.72 ERA
Major Leagues
- 35 Games
- 3 Wins
- 1 Loss
- 4.31 ERA