Toshiya Sugiuchi
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese baseball player. He is a left-handed starting pitcher
for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
.
Sugiuchi was the Eiji Sawamura Award winner in . He has had some of the most international experience of any active Japanese baseball player, pitching in the 2000 Sydney
and 2008 Beijing Olympics
as well as the 2006
and 2009
World Baseball Classic
s.
, a member of the so-called Matsuzaka Generation
, and raised in Ōnojō, Fukuoka
. He began playing baseball in the fourth grade
for the Onojo Little League baseball club while attending Onojo Municipal Elementary School
as an outfielder
, being converted to first base
the following year
. He became a pitcher
in the sixth grade
, leading his team to the Round of 16 in the national tournament as their ace
. He led the city's Onojo Guts to the finals of the national junior tournament while at Ōno Municipal Junior High School
.
Sugiuchi went on to enroll at Kagoshima
Jitsugyo High School
, playing in the National High School Baseball Invitational Tournament
and National High School Baseball Championship
(the two most prominent national tournaments in Japan
, both held at Koshien Stadium
) a total of three times. In the summer of 1998, then-senior
Sugiuchi matched up with Sendai
Senior High School ace Hiroshi Kisanuki (currently with the Yomiuri Giants
), a highly touted draft prospect, in the finals of the Kagoshima Tournament, defeating the school 3–1 and earning a berth in the national championship.
Sugiuchi attracted national attention when he threw a 16-strikeout
no-hitter
in Kagoshima Jitsugyo's first game of the 80th National High School Baseball Championship against Hachinohe Institute of Technology
First High School. His success was short-lived, however, as Kagoshima Jitsugyo matched up with powerhouse Yokohama
Senior High School (the East Kanagawa
champions) in the second round. Yokohama Senior High's lineup
, stocked with star players—the likes of Daisuke Matsuzaka
, Taketoshi Gotoh
, Masaaki Koike and Yoshio Koyama—teed off on Sugiuchi's curveball
, touching him up for six runs in eight innings (Matsuzaka hit a home run
).
While it was rumored that several NPB teams were considering picking him in the 1998 NPB amateur draft
, Sugiuchi decided against declaring for the draft when his high school coach
advised him that he would likely go no higher than the fourth round, instead opting to join an industrial league
(a collection of amateur teams, each consisting wholly of employees of the owner corporation
) team. He initially received an offer from JR Kyushu
(Kyushu Railway Company) but eventually went on to join Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
-Nagasaki
.
against Mitsubishi Motors
Kawasaki
(currently Mitsubishi Fuso
Kawasaki) when Sugiuchi gave up back-to-back home runs, the first a game-tying three-run
shot and the second a solo arch.
Nevertheless, Sugiuchi was named to the Japanese national team
to play in the upcoming 2000 Sydney Olympics
following the tournament (Japan finished fourth).
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries-Nagasaki earned a berth in the Industrial League All-Japan Baseball Championship in 2001. Sugiuchi held Nissan Motors
to one run over eight innings in the semi-finals, and his team went on to win their first tournament title.
Suiguchi spent a total of three years in the industrial leagues, pitching despite recurring shoulder issues
and working on his fastball
velocity
until it clocked 149 km/h (93 mph) (his fastball had hovered around 135 to 140 km/h (83.9 to 87 mph) in high school). The Fukuoka Daiei Hawks (currently the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks) selected Sugiuchi in the third round of the 2001 NPB amateur draft held that fall
, presenting him with the uniform number 47, the same number as former Hawks left-hander Kimiyasu Kudo. (Sugiuchi had idolized Kudo, still an active pitcher with the Saitama Seibu Lions today, as a child.)
in his rookie
season
(2002) in the pros
. During the off-season, he made up his mind to abandon the windup
and pitch exclusively from the stretch, a decision that led to a breakout sophomore campaign in which he put up 10 wins as a member of the starting rotation alongside rookies Tsuyoshi Wada
and Nagisa Arakaki
. Following the Hawks' league
title, Sugiuchi started two games in the 2003 Japan Series
, winning both starts and being named the Japan Series Most Valuable Player
. He married reporter Erika Ueba during the off-season.
Coming off of a season in which he went 10–8 with a 3.38 ERA
and 169 strikeouts, Sugiuchi struggled to live up to expectations to begin the . On June 1, he gave up seven runs in the first two innings in a regular-season start against the Chiba Lotte Marines
, slamming both of his fists into the dugout
bench
in frustration and breaking the fifth metacarpal bone on both hand
s. He immediately underwent surgery at a hospital, where it was said that he would be sidelined for three month
s. The Hawks organization fined Sugiuchi 1 million yen for "conduct unbecoming of a professional baseball pitcher".
MVP award for the months of April and May and racking up his first 10 wins at the fastest pace of his career. He finished the season with an 18–4 record
, a 2.11 ERA, 218 strikeouts and 43 walks (a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 5.07), leading the league in wins and ERA and becoming the fourth pitcher in Hawks franchise history to record 200 or more strikeouts in a single season. He also beat out teammate and resident staff ace Kazumi Saito
, who had a stellar season himself with a 16–1 record and a 2.92 ERA, in being voted to the Eiji Sawamura and league Most Valuable Player awards. He also went the entire season without recording a hit-batter
, wild pitch
, balk
, or error
.
match against South Korea. He began strong but struggled as the season went on, putting up just 7 wins (5 losses) with a 3.53 ERA in 132⅔ innings
. He took the mound in the Hawks' first game of the second stage of the Pacific League playoffs, but left the game after giving up two runs in the first three innings and was charged with the loss.
. From April 25 until August 4, Sugiuchi recorded quality starts in 15 of the 16 starts he made, with five complete games and two shutouts. He would not go longer than seven innings for the rest of the season, but did record a Game 2 victory against the Chiba Lotte Marines
in the first stage of the Pacific League Climax Series to force a decisive Game 3.
) but striking out a league-leading 213 with a 2.66 ERA while anchoring a rotation that was short Saito and Wada for much of the season. It marked the first time in his seven-year career that he had recorded double-digit wins or thrown more than 140 innings in consecutive seasons.
On October 7, the Hawks sent Sugiuchi to the mound in their regular-season game against the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles
in the hopes of avoiding a last-place finish in the pennant race. He and young Eagles hurler Masahiro Tanaka
both threw nine shutout innings, sending the game to extra-innings, but the Eagles won in twelve innings. The Hawks finished the season with the worst record in the league for the first time since 1996.
, pitching 6⅓ hitless innings in five appearances. He came on to replace Eagles ace Hisashi Iwakuma
in the second match against Cuba
in the second round
, throwing three shutout innings and being credited with a save. He was also used as a left-handed specialist
in the tournament finals against South Korea.
On April 5, in his first start of the regular season against the Orix Buffaloes
, Sugiuchi struck out five over 7⅔ innings to bring his career strikeout total to 1003. He was the fourth-fastest pitcher in NPB history to amass 1000 career strikeouts (following Hideo Nomo
, Kazuhisa Ishii
and Yutaka Enatsu
), doing so in 979⅓ innings. He became the 318th pitcher in Japanese professional baseball to amass 1000 career innings in a start against the Eagles on April 26, but gave up four runs (three earned
) over seven innings en route to his first loss of the season. He had a strong outing on May 10 against the Saitama Seibu Lions, striking out 12 over eight innings and allowing just one run and improving his record to 11–0 in the month of May since 2007.
against the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters
and got the win over Nippon Ham super-ace, Yu Darvish
. Sugiuchi continued his winning ways, but was not as dominant as he had been in the past. Always a bit of a slow starter, he put together a fairly good April, recording a complete-game shutout of the Fighters on the 9th, and he also struck out at least nine batters in all of his starts during the month. However, in his first and last starts of the month, Sugiuchi gave up five runs. Despite having a rough start on May 16, an interleague game against the Tokyo Yakult Swallows
, he still remained undefeated in the month, running his record to 13–0 since '07.
Sugiuchi's troubles came to a head with a loss on June 20 against the Saitama Seibu Lions. In that game, he was hit for six runs on seven hits with four walks and four strikeouts in just three innings. It was his shortest start in the regular season since August 20, 2007. Since then, he has recorded quality starts in each of his past four starts, with two complete games against Nippon Ham (a second complete-game shutout) and Seibu. He also started the second game of the 2010 All-Star Series, following the lead of his teammate, Tsuyoshi Wada
, who started Game 1.
As 2010 started its Pacific League's end of season race between the Hawks, Lions and Marines, Sugiuchi hit a minor slump just as his team needed him most. Between August 21 and September 18, he had 4 winless games (2 losts, 2 no results). His next game on Sept 25 was at Sapporo against the Fighters, and was the Hawks last second game of the regular season. The Hawks needed a win to maintain their lead in the league against Lions. He faced off against Fighters' ace Darvish and both pitchers went the whole nine innings. In the end, Sugiuchi prevailed as Darvish gave up one run and he gave up none while striking out nine Fighters. A much relieved Sugiuchi then famously broke down in tears at the Hero's interview as he admitted that he finally delivered during the pennant race.
sitting in 86-89 mph (tops out at 93 mph), complementing it with a solid-average slider
, effective changeup
and a occasional curveball
.
Sugiuchi is a somewhat unusual pitcher in that he pitches exclusively from the stretch. While he has a relatively slow move to the plate, he has excellent command over all of his pitches and is adept at using his glove
to hide the ball throughout his delivery.
Sugiuchi has also been dubbed "Mr. May" by the Japanese media for the success he has enjoyed in the month of May during his professional career. He has won Pacific League MVP awards for the month of May three times (2005, 2007, 2008) and is 13–0 in May since the 2007 season.
Bold indicates league leader; statistics current as of May 23, 2011
Starting pitcher
In baseball or softball, a starting pitcher is the pitcher who delivers the first pitch to the first batter of a game. A pitcher who enters the game after the first pitch of the game is a relief pitcher....
for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
The are a Japanese baseball team based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture. The team was bought on January 28, 2005 by the SoftBank Corporation.The team was formerly known as the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks. In 1988, Daiei bought the team from Osaka's Nankai Electric Railway Co., and its headquarters were...
.
Sugiuchi was the Eiji Sawamura Award winner in . He has had some of the most international experience of any active Japanese baseball player, pitching in the 2000 Sydney
Baseball at the 2000 Summer Olympics
Baseball at the 2000 Summer Olympics was the third time an Olympic baseball tournament had been held as a full medal sport, and the ninth time it had been part of the Summer Olympic Games in any capacity. It was held in Sydney, Australia from 17 September through to the bronze and gold medal games...
and 2008 Beijing Olympics
Baseball at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Baseball at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing was held from August 13 to August 23. All games were played at Wukesong Baseball Field, a temporary venue constructed at the Beijing Wukesong Culture & Sports Center...
as well as the 2006
2006 World Baseball Classic
---------Pool B:-------------Pool C:-------------Pool D:-------------Pool 1:-----------------Pool 2:-------------Finals:-Semifinals:-Final:-Final standings:...
and 2009
2009 World Baseball Classic
The 2009 World Baseball Classic was an international baseball competition. It is the only international baseball tournament to feature a large number of players from the major leagues of North America and Asia. It began on March 5, 2009, and finished March 23, 2009.Japan emerged victorious for 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...
s.
Early life and high school career
Suiguchi was born in KasugaKasuga, Fukuoka
is a city located in Fukuoka, Japan.As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 107,604 and the density of 7,600 persons per km². The total area is 14.15 km². The city was founded on April 1, 1972. It is directly south of Fukuoka City, and west of Onojo. It also has a border with Nakagawa...
, a member of the so-called Matsuzaka Generation
Matsuzaka Generation
The is a term used to collectively describe the baseball players that belong to current Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka's age group...
, and raised in Ōnojō, Fukuoka
Onojo, Fukuoka
is an area located in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. Its name is made up of the kanji for 'big', 'field', and 'castle'. It is mostly a southern suburb of the city of Fukuoka, and has a border to the northwest with the Hakata-ku area of the city. It also shares borders with Dazaifu and Kasuga, Umi,...
. He began playing baseball in the fourth grade
Fourth grade
Fourth grade is a year of education in the United States and many other nations. The fourth grade is the fourth school year after kindergarten. Students are usually 9 or 10 years old, depending on their birthday. It is a part of elementary school. In some parts of the United States, fourth grade...
for the Onojo Little League baseball club while attending Onojo Municipal Elementary School
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
as an outfielder
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
, being converted to first base
First baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...
the following year
Fifth grade
Fifth grade is a year of education in the United States and many other nations. The fifth grade is the fifth school year after kindergarten. Students are usually 10 – 11 years old, and are preteens...
. He became a pitcher
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...
in the sixth grade
Sixth grade
Sixth grade is a year of education in the United States and some other nations. The sixth grade is the sixth school year after kindergarten. Students are usually 11 – 12 years old...
, leading his team to the Round of 16 in the national tournament as their ace
Ace (baseball)
In baseball, an ace is the best starting pitcher of any team and nearly always the first pitcher in his starting rotation. Barring injury or exceptional circumstances, an ace usually always starts on Opening Day...
. He led the city's Onojo Guts to the finals of the national junior tournament while at Ōno Municipal Junior High School
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
.
Sugiuchi went on to enroll at Kagoshima
Kagoshima Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu. The capital is the city of Kagoshima.- Geography :Kagoshima Prefecture is located at the southwest tip of Kyushu and includes a chain of islands stretching further to the southwest for a few hundred kilometers...
Jitsugyo High School
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
, playing in the National High School Baseball Invitational Tournament
National High School Baseball Invitational Tournament
The National High School Baseball Invitational Tournament of Japan, commonly known as "Spring Kōshien" or "Senbatsu" , is an annual high school baseball tournament....
and National High School Baseball Championship
National High School Baseball Championship
The National High School Baseball Championship of Japan, commonly known as "Summer Kōshien" , is an annual nationwide high school baseball tournament...
(the two most prominent national tournaments in Japan
High school baseball in Japan
In Japan, high school baseball generally refers to the two annual baseball tournaments played by high schools nationwide culminating at a final showdown at Hanshin Kōshien Stadium in Nishinomiya, Japan...
, both held at Koshien Stadium
Koshien Stadium
is a baseball park located near Kobe in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. The stadium was built to host the national high school baseball tournaments, and opened on April 1, 1924. It was the largest stadium in Asia at the time it was completed, with a capacity of 55,000.The name Kōshien comes...
) a total of three times. In the summer of 1998, then-senior
Twelfth grade
Twelfth grade or Senior year, or Grade Twelve, are the North American names for the final year of secondary school. In most countries students then graduate at age 17 or 18. In some countries, there is a thirteenth grade, while other countries do not have a 12th grade/year at all...
Sugiuchi matched up with Sendai
Satsumasendai, Kagoshima
is a city located in Kagoshima, Japan. It was established on October 12, 2004 with the merger of the city of Sendai, Kagoshima, the towns of Hiwaki, Iriki, Kedōin and Tōgō, and Koshikijima Islands , all from Satsuma District.As of January 1, 2008, the city had an estimated population of 100,730 in...
Senior High School ace Hiroshi Kisanuki (currently 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...
), a highly touted draft prospect, in the finals of the Kagoshima Tournament, defeating the school 3–1 and earning a berth in the national championship.
Sugiuchi attracted national attention when he threw a 16-strikeout
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
no-hitter
No-hitter
A no-hitter is a baseball game in which one team has no hits. In Major League Baseball, the team must be without hits during the entire game, and the game must be at least nine innings. A pitcher who prevents the opposing team from achieving a hit is said to have "thrown a no-hitter"...
in Kagoshima Jitsugyo's first game of the 80th National High School Baseball Championship against Hachinohe Institute of Technology
Hachinohe Institute of Technology
is a private university located in the in city of Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture, Japan, established in 1972.-External links:*...
First High School. His success was short-lived, however, as Kagoshima Jitsugyo matched up with powerhouse Yokohama
Yokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
Senior High School (the East Kanagawa
Kanagawa Prefecture
is a prefecture located in the southern Kantō region of Japan. The capital is Yokohama. Kanagawa is part of the Greater Tokyo Area.-History:The prefecture has some archaeological sites going back to the Jōmon period...
champions) in the second round. Yokohama Senior High's lineup
Batting order (baseball)
The batting order, or batting lineup, in baseball is the sequence in which the nine members of the offense take their turns in batting against the pitcher. The batting order is the main component of a team's offensive strategy. The batting order is set by the manager before the game begins...
, stocked with star players—the likes of Daisuke Matsuzaka
Daisuke Matsuzaka
is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher with the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball in the United States. He previously played for the Seibu Lions in Japan's Pacific League. He was selected the MVP of the inaugural and the second World Baseball Classic, and is an Olympic bronze...
, Taketoshi Gotoh
Taketoshi Gotoh
is a Nippon Professional Baseball player for the Saitama Seibu Lions in Japan's Pacific League.-External links:...
, Masaaki Koike and Yoshio Koyama—teed off on Sugiuchi's curveball
Curveball
The curveball is a type of pitch in baseball thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball causing it to dive in a downward path as it approaches the plate. Its close relatives are the slider and the slurve. The "curve" of the ball varies from pitcher to...
, touching him up for six runs in eight innings (Matsuzaka hit a home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
).
While it was rumored that several NPB teams were considering picking him in the 1998 NPB amateur draft
Draft (sports)
A draft is a process used in the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia, Russia and the Philippines to allocate certain players to sports teams. In a draft, teams take turns selecting from a pool of eligible players...
, Sugiuchi decided against declaring for the draft when his high school coach
Coach (baseball)
In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, or head coach, who determines the lineup and decides how to substitute players during the game...
advised him that he would likely go no higher than the fourth round, instead opting to join an industrial league
Sports league
League is a term commonly used to describe a group of sports teams or individual athletes that compete against each other in a specific sport. At its simplest, it may be a local group of amateur athletes who form teams among themselves and compete on weekends; at its most complex, it can be an...
(a collection of amateur teams, each consisting wholly of employees of the owner corporation
Corporation
A corporation is created under the laws of a state as a separate legal entity that has privileges and liabilities that are distinct from those of its members. There are many different forms of corporations, most of which are used to conduct business. Early corporations were established by charter...
) team. He initially received an offer from JR Kyushu
Kyushu Railway Company
The , also referred to as , is one of the constituent companies of Japan Railways Group . It operates intercity rail services in Kyushu, Japan and the JR Kyushu Jet Ferry Beetle hydrofoil service across the Tsushima Strait between Fukuoka and Busan, South Korea.When Japan Railways was divided in...
(Kyushu Railway Company) but eventually went on to join Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
, or MHI, is a Japanese company. It is one of the core companies of Mitsubishi Group.-History:In 1870 Yataro Iwasaki, the founder of Mitsubishi took a lease of Government-owned Nagasaki Shipyard. He named it Nagasaki Shipyard & Machinery Works, and started the shipbuilding business on a full scale...
-Nagasaki
Nagasaki
is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. Nagasaki was founded by the Portuguese in the second half of the 16th century on the site of a small fishing village, formerly part of Nishisonogi District...
.
Industrial league career
Following an unspectacular first year in the industrial leagues, Sugiuchi and teammate and right-hander Takayuki Goto led Mitsubishi Heavy Industries-Nagasaki to a berth in the Intercity Baseball Tournament in 2000, but the team was knocked out in the quarter-finalsSingle-elimination tournament
A single-elimination tournament, also called a knockout, cup or sudden death tournament, is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match or bracket is immediately eliminated from winning the championship or first prize in the event...
against Mitsubishi Motors
Mitsubishi Motors
is a multinational automaker headquartered in Minato, Tokyo. In 2009 it was the fifth-largest Japan-based automaker and the 17th-largest in the world measured by production...
Kawasaki
Kawasaki, Kanagawa
is a city located in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, between Tokyo and Yokohama. It is the 9th most populated city in Japan and one of the main cities forming the Greater Tokyo Area and Keihin Industrial Area....
(currently Mitsubishi Fuso
Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation
The Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation is a German-owned, Japan-based manufacturer of trucks and buses. It is headquartered in Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa, Japan. This company is one of the World's largest truck manufacturers...
Kawasaki) when Sugiuchi gave up back-to-back home runs, the first a game-tying three-run
Run (baseball)
In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...
shot and the second a solo arch.
Nevertheless, Sugiuchi was named to the Japanese national team
Japan national baseball team
The Japan national baseball team is the national baseball team representing Japan in international competitions. They are one of the more successful baseball teams in the world, having won the World Baseball Classic in 2006 and 2009...
to play in the upcoming 2000 Sydney Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
following the tournament (Japan finished fourth).
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries-Nagasaki earned a berth in the Industrial League All-Japan Baseball Championship in 2001. Sugiuchi held Nissan Motors
Nissan Motors
, usually shortened to Nissan , is a multinational automaker headquartered in Japan. It was a core member of the Nissan Group, but has become more independent after its restructuring under Carlos Ghosn ....
to one run over eight innings in the semi-finals, and his team went on to win their first tournament title.
Suiguchi spent a total of three years in the industrial leagues, pitching despite recurring shoulder issues
Shoulder problems
Shoulder problems including pain, are one of the more common reasons for physician visits for musculoskeletal symptoms. The shoulder is the most movable joint in the body. However, it is an unstable joint because of the range of motion allowed...
and working on his fastball
Fastball
The fastball is the most common type of pitch in baseball. Some "power pitchers," such as Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, have thrown it at speeds of 95–106 mph and up to 108.1 mph , relying purely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit...
velocity
Velocity
In physics, velocity is speed in a given direction. Speed describes only how fast an object is moving, whereas velocity gives both the speed and direction of the object's motion. To have a constant velocity, an object must have a constant speed and motion in a constant direction. Constant ...
until it clocked 149 km/h (93 mph) (his fastball had hovered around 135 to 140 km/h (83.9 to 87 mph) in high school). The Fukuoka Daiei Hawks (currently the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks) selected Sugiuchi in the third round of the 2001 NPB amateur draft held that fall
Autumn
Autumn is one of the four temperate seasons. Autumn marks the transition from summer into winter usually in September or March when the arrival of night becomes noticeably earlier....
, presenting him with the uniform number 47, the same number as former Hawks left-hander Kimiyasu Kudo. (Sugiuchi had idolized Kudo, still an active pitcher with the Saitama Seibu Lions today, as a child.)
Early years: 2002 to 2004
Sugiuchi finished with just two winsWin (baseball)
In professional baseball, there are two types of decisions: a win and a loss . In each game, one pitcher on the winning team is awarded a win and one pitcher on the losing team is given a loss in their respective statistics. These pitchers are collectively known as the pitchers of record. Only...
in his rookie
Rookie
Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of their sport or has little or no professional experience. The term also has the more general meaning of anyone new to a profession, training or activity Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of...
season
Season (sports)
In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an...
(2002) in the pros
Professional baseball
Baseball is a team sport which is played by several professional leagues throughout the world. In these leagues, and associated farm teams, players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system....
. During the off-season, he made up his mind to abandon the windup
Pitching position
In baseball, there are two legal pitching positions: the windup, and the set. Each type of pitching position has its strengths and weaknesses. Compared to the set, the windup takes a relatively slower execution, so therefore is better suited for situations in which there are no baserunners, or when...
and pitch exclusively from the stretch, a decision that led to a breakout sophomore campaign in which he put up 10 wins as a member of the starting rotation alongside rookies Tsuyoshi Wada
Tsuyoshi Wada
is a left-handed starting pitcher for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.Wada pitched in the 2004 Athens and 2008 Beijing Olympics as well as the 2006 World Baseball Classic for the Japanese national team...
and Nagisa Arakaki
Nagisa Arakaki
is a Japanese professional baseball player. He is currently with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball. Despite having one of the best fastballs and sliders of anyone in the league, Arakaki has battled control problems and injuries throughout his career...
. Following the Hawks' 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...
title, Sugiuchi started two games in the 2003 Japan Series
2003 Japan Series
The first game of the 2003 Japan Series set the stage for one of the most exciting series in recent memory. The first game was a matchup of matching 20-game winners: Igawa for Hanshin, and Saitoh for Daiei. Saitoh got out of a jam in the first, and Igawa struck out Hiroshi Shibahara and Munenori...
, winning both starts and being named the Japan Series Most Valuable Player
Most Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...
. He married reporter Erika Ueba during the off-season.
Coming off of a season in which he went 10–8 with a 3.38 ERA
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
and 169 strikeouts, Sugiuchi struggled to live up to expectations to begin the . On June 1, he gave up seven runs in the first two innings in a regular-season start against 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:...
, slamming both of his fists into the dugout
Dugout (baseball)
In baseball, the dugout is a team's bench area and is located in foul territory between home plate and either first or third base. There are two dugouts, one for the home team and one for the visiting team. In general, the dugout is occupied by all players not prescribed to be on the field at that...
bench
Bench (furniture)
A bench is a piece of furniture, on which several people may sit at the same time. Benches are typically made of wood, but may also be made of metal, stone, or synthetic materials. Many benches have arm and back rests; some have no back rest and can be sat on from either side. In public areas,...
in frustration and breaking the fifth metacarpal bone on both hand
Hand
A hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered extremity located at the end of an arm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs...
s. He immediately underwent surgery at a hospital, where it was said that he would be sidelined for three month
Month
A month is a unit of time, used with calendars, which was first used and invented in Mesopotamia, as a natural period related to the motion of the Moon; month and Moon are cognates. The traditional concept arose with the cycle of moon phases; such months are synodic months and last approximately...
s. The Hawks organization fined Sugiuchi 1 million yen for "conduct unbecoming of a professional baseball pitcher".
2005
Sugiuchi rebounded in the season, winning the Pacific LeaguePacific 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...
MVP award for the months of April and May and racking up his first 10 wins at the fastest pace of his career. He finished the season with an 18–4 record
Pitchers of record
Pitcher of record is a baseball term that refers to a pitcher who is credited with the win or charged with the loss in a particular game. These pitchers are known respectively as the winning and losing pitchers and collectively as the pitchers of record; thus, there are always two pitchers of...
, a 2.11 ERA, 218 strikeouts and 43 walks (a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 5.07), leading the league in wins and ERA and becoming the fourth pitcher in Hawks franchise history to record 200 or more strikeouts in a single season. He also beat out teammate and resident staff ace Kazumi Saito
Kazumi Saito
is a Japanese professional baseball player. starting pitcher for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. He is a two-time winner of the Eiji Sawamura Award , but has not pitched in a regular season game since October 2007 due to various shoulder injuries.-Professional career:...
, who had a stellar season himself with a 16–1 record and a 2.92 ERA, in being voted to the Eiji Sawamura and league Most Valuable Player awards. He also went the entire season without recording a hit-batter
Hit by pitch
In baseball, hit by pitch , or hit batsman , is a batter or his equipment being hit in some part of his body by a pitch from the pitcher.-Official rule:...
, wild pitch
Wild pitch
In baseball, a wild pitch is charged against a pitcher when his pitch is too high, too short, or too wide of home plate for the catcher to control with ordinary effort, thereby allowing a baserunner, perhaps even the batter-runner on strike three or ball four, to advance.A wild pitch usually...
, balk
Balk
In baseball, a pitcher can commit a number of illegal motions or actions that constitute a balk. In games played under the Official Baseball Rules, a balk results in a dead ball or delayed dead ball. In certain other circumstances, a balk may be wholly or partially disregarded...
, or error
Error (baseball)
In baseball statistics, an error is the act, in the judgment of the official scorer, of a fielder misplaying a ball in a manner that allows a batter or baserunner to reach one or more additional bases, when such an advance would have been prevented given ordinary effort by the fielder.The term ...
.
2006
In , Sugiuchi was named to the Japanese national team to play in the inaugural World Baseball Classic. However, he went 0–1 in two appearances with a 5.40 ERA, being charged with the loss in Japan's second-round2006 World Baseball Classic - Pool 1
Games of Pool 1 played at the Angel Stadium, Anaheim, California-Results:-United States 4, Japan 3:* Game time: March 12, 2006 – 13:00 PST* Attendance: 32,896 Two outs when winning run scored.-South Korea 2, Mexico 1:...
match against South Korea. He began strong but struggled as the season went on, putting up just 7 wins (5 losses) with a 3.53 ERA in 132⅔ innings
Innings pitched
In baseball, innings pitched are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one inning pitched. One out counts as one-third of an inning, and two...
. He took the mound in the Hawks' first game of the second stage of the Pacific League playoffs, but left the game after giving up two runs in the first three innings and was charged with the loss.
2007
Sugiuchi had another comeback year in , continuing his peculiar tradition of having a good season every other year. He became the Hawks' de facto ace and went 15–6 with a 2.46 ERA, striking out 187 (the second-highest total of his career) in a career-high 197⅔ innings with five complete games and three shutouts. His presence was much-needed after an injury to the team's ace, Kazumi SaitoKazumi Saito
is a Japanese professional baseball player. starting pitcher for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. He is a two-time winner of the Eiji Sawamura Award , but has not pitched in a regular season game since October 2007 due to various shoulder injuries.-Professional career:...
. From April 25 until August 4, Sugiuchi recorded quality starts in 15 of the 16 starts he made, with five complete games and two shutouts. He would not go longer than seven innings for the rest of the season, but did record a Game 2 victory against 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 first stage of the Pacific League Climax Series to force a decisive Game 3.
2008
Sugiuchi put up another solid season in , going just 10–8 (partly due to the time he missed while pitching for the national team in the 2008 Beijing Olympics2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
) but striking out a league-leading 213 with a 2.66 ERA while anchoring a rotation that was short Saito and Wada for much of the season. It marked the first time in his seven-year career that he had recorded double-digit wins or thrown more than 140 innings in consecutive seasons.
On October 7, the Hawks sent Sugiuchi to the mound in their regular-season game against the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles
Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles
The is a baseball team founded in 2004; it played its first season in the Japanese Pacific League in 2005. It is simply called Rakuten . The team was created to fill the void left by the merger of the Orix Blue Wave and the Kintetsu Buffaloes, after the 2004 season due to financial difficulties,...
in the hopes of avoiding a last-place finish in the pennant race. He and young Eagles hurler Masahiro Tanaka
Masahiro Tanaka
is a Japanese starting pitcher for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.Tanaka led his team to a championship in the National High School Baseball tournament as a junior for Komazawa University Tomakomai High School in and a runner-up berth in the same tournament as a senior in...
both threw nine shutout innings, sending the game to extra-innings, but the Eagles won in twelve innings. The Hawks finished the season with the worst record in the league for the first time since 1996.
2009
In , Sugiuchi was selected to the national team to play in the second World Baseball Classic, his fourth time playing in major international competition. He was used solely as a relieverRelief pitcher
A relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...
, pitching 6⅓ hitless innings in five appearances. He came on to replace Eagles ace Hisashi Iwakuma
Hisashi Iwakuma
is a Japanese professional baseball player. He is currently the starting pitcher for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.As the Eagles' reigning staff ace, Iwakuma won the Eiji Sawamura Award in and played in the 2004 Athens Olympics as well as the 2009 World Baseball Classic for the Japanese...
in the second match against Cuba
Cuba national baseball team
The Cuba national baseball team is the national team of Cuba. The team is made up of amateur players from the Cuban national baseball system, as there are no professional sports leagues in Cuba...
in the second round
2009 World Baseball Classic - Round 2
The second round of the 2009 World Baseball Classic took place between March 15 and March 19, 2009 at PETCO Park in San Diego and Dolphin Stadium in Miami. Like the first round, the second round was a double-elimination tournament...
, throwing three shutout innings and being credited with a save. He was also used as a left-handed specialist
Left-handed specialist
In baseball, a left-handed specialist is a left-handed relief pitcher who specializes in pitching to left-handed batters, or to switch-hitters who bat poorly right-handed...
in the tournament finals against South Korea.
On April 5, in his first start of the regular season against 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....
, Sugiuchi struck out five over 7⅔ innings to bring his career strikeout total to 1003. He was the fourth-fastest pitcher in NPB history to amass 1000 career strikeouts (following Hideo Nomo
Hideo Nomo
is a former right-handed pitcher in Nippon Professional Baseball and Major League Baseball from Japan. He achieved early success in Japan, where he played with the Kintetsu Buffaloes from to...
, Kazuhisa Ishii
Kazuhisa Ishii
Kazuhisa Ishii is a Japanese former Major League Baseball pitcher who currently plays for the Saitama Seibu Lions....
and Yutaka Enatsu
Yutaka Enatsu
is a former Japanese pitcher regarded as one of best Japanese pitchers of all-time. In , he recorded 401 strikeouts, which is still the world record. He recorded 9 consecutive strikeouts in one of the All-Star games, and 15 consecutive strikeouts in three of the All-Star games between and 1971....
), doing so in 979⅓ innings. He became the 318th pitcher in Japanese professional baseball to amass 1000 career innings in a start against the Eagles on April 26, but gave up four runs (three earned
Earned run
In baseball, an earned run is any run for which the pitcher is held accountable . Any runner who tags his base and reaches home plate is scored against the pitcher as an earned run...
) over seven innings en route to his first loss of the season. He had a strong outing on May 10 against the Saitama Seibu Lions, striking out 12 over eight innings and allowing just one run and improving his record to 11–0 in the month of May since 2007.
2010
Starting off the 2010 campaign as the Opening Day Starter once again, Sugiuchi recorded a quality startQuality start
In baseball, a quality start is a statistic for a starting pitcher defined as a game in which the pitcher completes at least six innings and permits no more than three earned runs....
against the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters
Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters
The are a Japanese professional baseball team based in Sapporo, Hokkaidō. They compete in the Pacific League of Nippon Professional Baseball, playing the majority of their home games at the Sapporo Dome. The Fighters also host a select number of regional home games in cities across Hokkaidō,...
and got the win over Nippon Ham super-ace, Yu Darvish
Yu Darvish
Yu Darvish is a Japanese starting pitcher for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters.Darvish pitched in the 2008 Beijing Olympics as well as the 2009 World Baseball Classic as a member of the Japanese national team...
. Sugiuchi continued his winning ways, but was not as dominant as he had been in the past. Always a bit of a slow starter, he put together a fairly good April, recording a complete-game shutout of the Fighters on the 9th, and he also struck out at least nine batters in all of his starts during the month. However, in his first and last starts of the month, Sugiuchi gave up five runs. Despite having a rough start on May 16, an interleague game against the Tokyo Yakult Swallows
Tokyo Yakult Swallows
is a professional baseball team in Japan's Central League.The Swallows are named after their corporate owners, the Yakult Corporation. From 1950 to 1965, the team was owned by the former Japanese National Railways and called the Kokutetsu Swallows; the team was then owned by the newspaper Sankei...
, he still remained undefeated in the month, running his record to 13–0 since '07.
Sugiuchi's troubles came to a head with a loss on June 20 against the Saitama Seibu Lions. In that game, he was hit for six runs on seven hits with four walks and four strikeouts in just three innings. It was his shortest start in the regular season since August 20, 2007. Since then, he has recorded quality starts in each of his past four starts, with two complete games against Nippon Ham (a second complete-game shutout) and Seibu. He also started the second game of the 2010 All-Star Series, following the lead of his teammate, Tsuyoshi Wada
Tsuyoshi Wada
is a left-handed starting pitcher for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.Wada pitched in the 2004 Athens and 2008 Beijing Olympics as well as the 2006 World Baseball Classic for the Japanese national team...
, who started Game 1.
As 2010 started its Pacific League's end of season race between the Hawks, Lions and Marines, Sugiuchi hit a minor slump just as his team needed him most. Between August 21 and September 18, he had 4 winless games (2 losts, 2 no results). His next game on Sept 25 was at Sapporo against the Fighters, and was the Hawks last second game of the regular season. The Hawks needed a win to maintain their lead in the league against Lions. He faced off against Fighters' ace Darvish and both pitchers went the whole nine innings. In the end, Sugiuchi prevailed as Darvish gave up one run and he gave up none while striking out nine Fighters. A much relieved Sugiuchi then famously broke down in tears at the Hero's interview as he admitted that he finally delivered during the pennant race.
Pitching style
Sugiuchi is a left-handed pitcher with a clean three-quarters delivery that he repeats well from pitch to pitch. Even by Japanese standards, his frame is diminutive; he is listed at just 175 cm (5 ft 9 in) and 82 kg (180.8 lb). Despite such disadvantage in size, Sugiuchi is a prolific strikeout pitcher, averaging more than a strikeout per inning for his career (9.47 strikeouts per nine innings at the end of 2010 season). He throws a four-seam fastballFour-seam fastball
A four-seam fastball, also called a rising fastball, a four-seamer, or a cross-seam fastball, is a pitch in baseball. It is a member of the fastball family...
sitting in 86-89 mph (tops out at 93 mph), complementing it with a solid-average slider
Slider
In baseball, a slider is a pitch that breaks laterally and down, with a speed between that of a curveball and that of a fastball....
, effective changeup
Changeup
A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball. Other names include change-of-pace, Bugs Bunny change-up, the dreaded equalizer, and simply change. The changeup is sometimes called an off-speed pitch, although that term can also be used simply to mean any pitch that is slower than a fastball...
and a occasional curveball
Curveball
The curveball is a type of pitch in baseball thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball causing it to dive in a downward path as it approaches the plate. Its close relatives are the slider and the slurve. The "curve" of the ball varies from pitcher to...
.
Sugiuchi is a somewhat unusual pitcher in that he pitches exclusively from the stretch. While he has a relatively slow move to the plate, he has excellent command over all of his pitches and is adept at using his glove
Baseball glove
A baseball glove or mitt is a large leather glove that baseball players on the defending team are allowed to wear to assist them in catching and fielding balls hit by a batter, or thrown by a teammate.-History:...
to hide the ball throughout his delivery.
Sugiuchi has also been dubbed "Mr. May" by the Japanese media for the success he has enjoyed in the month of May during his professional career. He has won Pacific League MVP awards for the month of May three times (2005, 2007, 2008) and is 13–0 in May since the 2007 season.
Career statistics
| Nippon Professional Baseball | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Age | Team | W Win (baseball) In professional baseball, there are two types of decisions: a win and a loss . In each game, one pitcher on the winning team is awarded a win and one pitcher on the losing team is given a loss in their respective statistics. These pitchers are collectively known as the pitchers of record. Only... |
L | W% Winning percentage In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. It is defined as wins divided by wins plus losses . Ties count as a ½ loss and a ½ win... |
GS Games started In baseball statistics, games started indicates the number of games that a pitcher has started for his team. A pitcher is credited with starting the game if he faces the first opposing batter... |
CG Complete game In baseball, a complete game is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher.As demonstrated by the charts below, in the early 20th century, it was common for most good Major League Baseball pitchers to pitch a complete game almost every start. Pitchers were... |
SHO | IP Innings pitched In baseball, innings pitched are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one inning pitched. One out counts as one-third of an inning, and two... |
H Hit (baseball) In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice.... |
R Run (baseball) In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured... |
ER Earned run In baseball, an earned run is any run for which the pitcher is held accountable . Any runner who tags his base and reaches home plate is scored against the pitcher as an earned run... |
HR Home run In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process... |
BB Base on balls A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08... |
K Strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters.... |
ERA Earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine... |
WHIP Walks plus hits per inning pitched In baseball statistics, walks plus hits per inning pitched is a sabermetric measurement of the number of baserunners a pitcher has allowed per inning pitched. It is a measure of a pitcher's ability to prevent batters from reaching base... |
LgERA |
| 2002 | 21 | Daiei | 2 | 2 | .500 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 44.0 | 48 | 29 | 29 | 5 | 23 | 46 | 5.93 | 1.61 | 3.69 |
| 22 | 10 | 8 | .556 | 24 | 3 | 2 | 162.2 | 148 | 64 | 61 | 13 | 55 | 169 | 3.38 | 1.25 | 4.64 | ||
| 23 | 2 | 3 | .400 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 45.2 | 56 | 36 | 35 | 8 | 27 | 51 | 6.90 | 1.82 | 4.68 | ||
| 24 | SoftBank Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks The are a Japanese baseball team based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture. The team was bought on January 28, 2005 by the SoftBank Corporation.The team was formerly known as the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks. In 1988, Daiei bought the team from Osaka's Nankai Electric Railway Co., and its headquarters were... |
18 | 4 | .818 | 26 | 8 | 2 | 196.2 | 150 | 51 | 46 | 14 | 43 | 218 | 2.11 | 0.98 | 4.06 | |
| 25 | 7 | 5 | .583 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 132.2 | 130 | 57 | 52 | 15 | 44 | 114 | 3.53 | 1.31 | 3.62 | ||
| 26 | 15 | 6 | .714 | 28 | 5 | 3 | 197.2 | 166 | 58 | 54 | 12 | 46 | 187 | 2.46 | 1.07 | 3.57 | ||
| 27 | 10 | 8 | .556 | 25 | 8 | 1 | 196.0 | 162 | 63 | 58 | 15 | 36 | 213 | 2.66 | 1.01 | 3.90 | ||
| 28 | 15 | 5 | .750 | 26 | 6 | 1 | 191.0 | 145 | 59 | 50 | 14 | 63 | 204 | 2.36 | 1.09 | 4.03 | ||
| 29 | 16 | 7 | .696 | 27 | 5 | 5 | 182.2 | 169 | 75 | 72 | 12 | 60 | 218 | 2.55 | 1.25 | 3.94 | ||
| Career | 95 | 48 | .664 | 195 | 35 | 14 | 1349.0 | 1174 | 492 | 457 | 108 | 397 | 1420 | 3.05 | 1.16 | |||
Bold indicates league leader; statistics current as of May 23, 2011