Tsuyoshi Wada
Encyclopedia
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
. He set a Tokyo Big6 Baseball League
record with 476 strikeout
s during his college career at Waseda University
and was the Pacific League
Most Valuable Rookie in 2003.
, a member of the age group often referred to as the "Matsuzaka Generation
". He began playing baseball as a first grade
r at Kōnan Municipal
Fujisato Elementary School for the Kōnan Danchi
Baseball team.
In 1991, Wada and his family moved to Izumo, Shimane
, Wada's father's
hometown. Wada enrolled in Shimane Prefectural
Hamada
High School upon graduating from junior high
, leading them to the 79th National High School Baseball Championship
in the summer of his second year of high school (the equivalent of eleventh grade
in the United States) in 1997. His team faced Akita
Commercial High School, led by current Tokyo Yakult Swallows
ace
Masanori Ishikawa, in the first round, but Wada walked that very Ishikawa with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning and suffered a walk-off loss.
Wada's team secured a berth in the national tournament
again the following summer (1998). They defeated Niigata Prefectural
Shibata
Agricultural High School, whose battery
consisted of right-hander Togashi Kazuhiro (who later played for the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters
) and catcher
Ken Katoh
(currently with the Yomiuri Giants
), in their first game. They faced Teikyo High School, the East Tokyo champions, in their next game. Though Wada, who was not only the team's ace but also their cleanup hitter
, gave up a home run
to current Fighters outfielder
Hichori Morimoto
, Hamada High won 3-2, making it to the quarter-finals. They narrowly lost in the quarter-finals to Toyota
Otani High School (led by current Orix Buffaloes
outfielder Katsuaki Furuki) in extra innings
.
Though Wada had ruptured his left triceps muscle
the previous fall and struggled to even reach 130 km/h (81 mph) with his fastball
during the tournament, Teikyo High players remarked after facing Wada that "[his fastball] looked like it was 150 km/h (93 mph)."
as a human science
s major
after graduating from Hamada High. He made his collegiate
debut in the fall of his freshman year, pitching in a game against the University of Tokyo
on September 12. He rebuilt his pitching mechanics
from scratch that year, succeeding in increasing the velocity of his fastball until it consistently hit speeds of 140 km/h (87 mph) and above within a mere two months of joining the team. He became a full-fledged starter for Waseda in the spring of his second year, drawing attention with the furious pace with which he racked up strikeouts.
titles in the spring and summer seasons
of his senior year
(2002) for the first time in university history since 1950. He received the league Best Nine Award in both seasons.
That year, Waseda earned a berth in both the 51st All-Japan University Baseball Championship Series as well as the Meiji Jingu
Tournament, but the team fell short of a championship in both tournaments, losing to Asia University
(whose pitching staff featured right-handers Katsuhiro Nagakawa
and Hiroshi Kisanuki, both of whom would later turn professional) in the finals in the former and succumbing to Tohoku Fukushi University
in the semi-finals in the latter.
Wada set a new Tokyo Big6 record for career strikeouts that year, surpassing the 443 set by Suguru Egawa
(who later pitched for the Yomiuri Giants
) and finishing with 476. He also set a new Waseda record in wins
for left-handed pitchers, finishing his college career with a 27-13 record
and a 1.35 ERA
. His dedication and commitment were said to have had a positive influence on younger players on the team like Norichika Aoki
, Takashi Toritani
, Toshimitsu Higa and Shintaro Yoshida (all of whom later went pro), the core that later led Waseda to four consecutive league titles for the first time in Tokyo Big6 history.
Wada was dubbed the "Dr. K (à la former Major League Baseball
pitcher Dwight Gooden
) of the Tokyo Big6" during his college years and was one of the most coveted prospects in Japanese college baseball as he entered his senior year. He was signed by the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks as a pre-draft pick along with right-handermdy Nagisa Arakaki
of Kyushu Kyoritsu University
prior to the 2002 NPB amateur draft
that fall and was assigned the uniform number 21.
year (2003), making his professional debut in a regular season game against the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes on April 1 (he gave up five runs
in innings
). He earned the first win of his career against the Seibu Lions on April 8, pitching six shutout innings, and recorded his first career complete game
win (a shutout) against the Chiba Lotte Marines
on April 16. Overall, he finished the year with a 14-5 record
, 3.38 ERA and 195 strikeouts (second only to young Lions right-hander Daisuke Matsuzaka's
215), earning Pacific League Most Valuable Rookie honors
. He also played an instrumental role in the Hawks' league title and subsequent Japan Series
championship, pitching a complete game win as a rookie for the first time in Japan Series history in Game 7 of the series. He played in the 2003 Asian Baseball Championship
(which also functioned as the Asian qualifying tournament for the 2004 Athens Olympics
) as a member of the Japanese national team
in November, pitching shutout innings against South Korea in the final game of the tournament to clinch a berth in the upcoming Olympic Games.
finish in the tournament by earning two wins against Canada
(one in the preliminary round, the other in the bronze medal match) while holding them to two runs over twelve innings. However, he fell victim to a so-called sophomore slump
in the regular season, going 10-6 but racking up a 4.35 ERA and striking out just 115 batters (despite this, his batting average against was a league-best .228).
). He finished the year with a 12-8 record and a much-improved 3.27 ERA, becoming the first pitcher to record double-digit wins in each of his first three seasons in Hawks franchise history since Tadashi Sugiura
accomplished the feat in 1960.
On December 10, the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
made it public that Wada had married swimsuit model and actress Kasumi Nakane. The couple had their wedding ceremony
at Izumo Taisha
, a Shinto shrine, on December 14.
as a member of the Japanese national team but saw little playing time as a middle reliever
, coming on in relief
in Japan's second-round match against Mexico
and pitching two shutout innings in his first and only appearance
of the tournament (Japan won the game 6-1).
Wada had perhaps his finest year yet in the regular season, pitching just innings but going 14-6 with a career-best 2.98 ERA and allowing the fewest walks and hits per inning pitched
of his career (1.10). His wife, Kasumi, gave birth to their first child (a daughter) on September 13 of that year.
He underwent endoscopic
surgery
in Los Angeles during the season to remove articular cartilage
fragments in his left elbow after experiencing discomfort in the region during the season.
that Wada had to undergo following the elbow surgery kept him from making his first start of 2008 until April 6, roughly two-and-a-half weeks into the season. Despite the slight setback, he started the season of well, putting up eight wins before the All-Star
break and garnering selection to the Japanese national team that would play in the 2008 Beijing Olympics
. However, he did not pitch as had hoped in the Olympics, giving up six runs (five earned
) in two starts en route to a 4.82 ERA over 9⅓ innings (albeit while striking out 13) and being one of the factors in Japan's disappointing fourth-place finish behind South Korea, Cuba
and the United States
.
After returning to Japan in late August, Wada pitched 10 shutout innings and struck out 10 in one no-decision
against the Saitama Seibu Lions on August 31 (the game ended in a 0-0 tie after 12 innings) and held the Lions to one run in 10 innings yet again while striking out 12 on September 20, this time in a tough 1-0 loss. While he pitched reliably, recording a 3.18 ERA in his final six starts of the season, he was victimized by a lack of run support and failed to put up double-digit wins for the first time in his professional career.
along with teammates first baseman
Nobuhiko Matsunaka
, starter Toshiya Sugiuchi
, closer
Takahiro Mahara
and shortstop
Munenori Kawasaki
. However, though he took part in the training camp
held in Miyazaki
in mid-February, he and Matsunaka were cut from the final 28-man team before the tournament.
Wada showed no signs of disappointment in his pitching, taking the mound in the Hawks' season opener on April 3 and striking out 14 (tying both his career high and the NPB record for strikeouts in a season opener) en route to a three-hit, complete game shutout against the Buffaloes in one of the most dominant starts of his young career. However, more injury trouble found Wada in the form of left elbow inflammation. He went to the United States for treatment, and was taken off the active roster on June 11. He was expected to miss at least three weeks initially, but did not return until September 9, when he was hammered by the Chiba Lotte Marines
for 6 runs in 3 and 2/3 innings. Wada finished 2009 with a record of 4-5 with a 4.06 ERA.
, Kenji Ohtonari, and D.J. Houlton. His first start of the season came against the Orix Buffaloes
, and he gave up two runs on three hits in five innings, walking two and striking out eight. Despite the performance, he took the loss. More of the same came from Wada in his second outing against the Saitama Seibu Lions, as he gave up four runs on five hits in five innings, but he managed to get the win.
His third start was one of the best in his career, as he gave up one run on four hits in a complete-game effort, striking out a career-high 15 Marines to record his second win of the season. He continued his winning ways into interleague, where he won all five of his starts, going at least six innings every start and striking out at least five batters. By the end of interleague, he had won nine games already.
Wada was selected for the All Star Series in 2010 and started game 1. His team-mate Sugiuchi Toshiya started game 2. They lead the Pacific League in WIn through most of the season. It was their fine form that carried the Hawks to the league title in 2010 as the rest of the team's starters struggled.
by keeping his throwing arm back and delaying its swing as he drives to the plate with his lower body.
Wada's four-seam fastball
has good late life but decidedly below-average velocity, topping out at 146 km/h (91 mph) and usually sitting at 135 to 141 km/h (83.9 to 87.6 mph). He compensates for this with his deceptive arm swing and late release point, complementing it with a solid-average slider
,and a changeup
.
While Wada has good command of his pitches overall, recording a career walks per nine innings rate of 2.54 (until 2010 season), he has established somewhat of a reputation as a pitcher who is prone to throwing mistake pitches and giving up a large number of home run
s. However, he has shown marked improvement in this area since making his professional debut, giving up progressively fewer homers in every season of his career except for 2005.
Bold indicates league leader; statistics current as of 14 May 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...
.
Wada pitched in the 2004 Athens
Baseball at the 2004 Summer Olympics
-Preliminary round:The top four teams advanced to the semifinals. To determine the seed ranking of teams tied in the standings, the result of the two teams' game against each other was used. Japan therefore received first place due to the win over Cuba. In the semi-finals, Japan played...
and 2008 Beijing
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...
Olympics
Baseball at the Summer Olympics
Baseball at the Summer Olympics had its unofficial debut at the 1904 Summer Games and its official sport at the 1992 Summer Olympics. Baseball has a long history as an exhibition/demonstration sport in the Olympics. However, for 1992 Barcelona the International Olympic Committee granted the sport...
as well as the 2006 World Baseball Classic
2006 World Baseball Classic
---------Pool B:-------------Pool C:-------------Pool D:-------------Pool 1:-----------------Pool 2:-------------Finals:-Semifinals:-Final:-Final standings:...
for 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...
. He set a Tokyo Big6 Baseball League
Tokyo Big6 Baseball League
Tokyo Big6 Baseball League is an intercollegiate baseball league that features six prominent universities in the Tokyo area...
record with 476 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....
s during his college career at Waseda University
Waseda University
, abbreviated as , is one of the most prestigious private universities in Japan and Asia. Its main campuses are located in the northern part of Shinjuku, Tokyo. Founded in 1882 as Tokyo Senmon Gakko, the institution was renamed "Waseda University" in 1902. It is known for its liberal climate...
and was 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...
Most Valuable Rookie in 2003.
Early life and high school career
Wada was born in Kōnan, AichiKonan, Aichi
is a city located in Aichi, Japan.As of 2003, the city has an estimated population of 98,806 and the density of 3,274.98 persons per km². The total area is 30.17 km².The city was founded on June 1, 1954.- External links :...
, a member of the age group often referred to as the "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...
". He began playing baseball as a first grade
First grade
First grade is a year of primary education in schools in the United States and English-speaking provinces of Canada. It is the first school year after kindergarten...
r at Kōnan Municipal
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
Fujisato Elementary School for the Kōnan Danchi
Danchi
is the Japanese word for a large cluster of apartment buildings of a particular style and design, typically built as public housing by a government authority.The Japan Housing Corporation , now known as the Urban Renaissance Agency , was founded in 1955...
Baseball team.
In 1991, Wada and his family moved to Izumo, Shimane
Izumo, Shimane
is a city located in Shimane, Japan. Izumo is known for Izumo soba noodles and the Izumo Taisha Shinto shrine.-Demographics:The modern city was founded on November 3, 1941....
, Wada's father's
Father
A father, Pop, Dad, or Papa, is defined as a male parent of any type of offspring. The adjective "paternal" refers to father, parallel to "maternal" for mother...
hometown. Wada enrolled in Shimane Prefectural
Shimane Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region on Honshū island. The capital is Matsue. It is the second least populous prefecture in Japan, after its eastern neighbor Tottori. The prefecture has an area elongated from east to west facing the Chūgoku Mountain Range on the south side and to...
Hamada
Hamada, Shimane
is a city located in Shimane, Japan. It is the third largest city in the prefecture and is located at the south-western end of the prefecture. It is a coastal city on the Sea of Japan and possesses beautiful white-sand beaches, which make the city a popular destination for local tourists in the...
High School upon graduating from junior high
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...
, leading them to the 79th 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...
in the summer of his second year of high school (the equivalent of eleventh grade
Eleventh grade
Eleventh Grade is the eleventh, and for some countries final, grade of secondary schools. Students are typically 16 or 17 years of age, depending on the country and the students' birthdays.-Brazil:...
in the United States) in 1997. His team faced Akita
Akita, Akita
is the capital city of Akita Prefecture in the Tohoku region of Japan.As of June 11, 2005, with the merger of the former Kawabe District , the city has an estimated population of 323,310 and density of...
Commercial High School, led by current 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...
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...
Masanori Ishikawa, in the first round, but Wada walked that very Ishikawa with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning and suffered a walk-off loss.
Wada's team secured a berth in the national tournament
Single-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...
again the following summer (1998). They defeated Niigata Prefectural
Niigata Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Honshū on the coast of the Sea of Japan. The capital is the city of Niigata. The name "Niigata" literally means "new lagoon".- History :...
Shibata
Shibata, Niigata
is a city located in Niigata, Japan.As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 103,101 and the density of 194 persons per km². The total area is 532.82 km².The city was founded on January 1, 1947....
Agricultural High School, whose battery
Battery (baseball)
In baseball, the term battery refers collectively to the pitcher and the catcher, who may also be called batterymen or batterymates of one another.- History :...
consisted of right-hander Togashi Kazuhiro (who later played for 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 catcher
Catcher
Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...
Ken Katoh
Ken Katoh
is a Nippon Professional Baseball player for the Yomiuri Giants in Japan's Central League.-External links:...
(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...
), in their first game. They faced Teikyo High School, the East Tokyo champions, in their next game. Though Wada, who was not only the team's ace but also their cleanup hitter
Cleanup hitter
In baseball, the cleanup hitter is the hitter who bats fourth in the lineup. Although the third man up is generally the hitter with the highest batting average, cleanup hitters often have the most power on the team and are typically the team's best power hitter; their job is to "clean up the...
, gave up 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...
to current Fighters 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...
Hichori Morimoto
Hichori Morimoto
Hichori Morimoto is a Japanese professional baseballer of Korean descent for the Yokohama BayStars. He was the number 4 draft pick for the Fighters in . For years, he was the backup for the most popular player in the league, Tsuyoshi Shinjo...
, Hamada High won 3-2, making it to the quarter-finals. They narrowly lost in the quarter-finals to Toyota
Toyota, Aichi
is a city located in the Mikawa region of Aichi Prefecture, Japan, east of Nagoya.Toyota's main plant, the Tsutsumi plant, is located here. The longstanding ties between the Toyota Motor Corporation and the town of Toyota-shi, formerly known as Koromo, gave the town its current...
Otani High School (led by current 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....
outfielder Katsuaki Furuki) in extra innings
Extra innings
Extra innings is the extension of a baseball or softball game in order to break a tie.Ordinarily, a baseball game consists of nine innings , each of which is divided into halves: the visiting team bats first, after which the home team takes its turn at bat...
.
Though Wada had ruptured his left triceps muscle
Triceps brachii muscle
The triceps brachii muscle is the large muscle on the back of the upper limb of many vertebrates. It is the muscle principally responsible for extension of the elbow joint .-Terminology:...
the previous fall and struggled to even reach 130 km/h (81 mph) with 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...
during the tournament, Teikyo High players remarked after facing Wada that "[his fastball] looked like it was 150 km/h (93 mph)."
College career
Wada went on to enroll at the prestigious Waseda UniversityWaseda University
, abbreviated as , is one of the most prestigious private universities in Japan and Asia. Its main campuses are located in the northern part of Shinjuku, Tokyo. Founded in 1882 as Tokyo Senmon Gakko, the institution was renamed "Waseda University" in 1902. It is known for its liberal climate...
as a human science
Human Science
Human science refers to the investigation of human life and activities via a phenomenological methodology that acknowledges the validity of both sensory and psychological experience...
s major
Academic major
In the United States and Canada, an academic major or major concentration is the academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits....
after graduating from Hamada High. He made his collegiate
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
debut in the fall of his freshman year, pitching in a game against the University of Tokyo
University of Tokyo
, abbreviated as , is a major research university located in Tokyo, Japan. The University has 10 faculties with a total of around 30,000 students, 2,100 of whom are foreign. Its five campuses are in Hongō, Komaba, Kashiwa, Shirokane and Nakano. It is considered to be the most prestigious university...
on September 12. He rebuilt his pitching mechanics
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...
from scratch that year, succeeding in increasing the velocity of his fastball until it consistently hit speeds of 140 km/h (87 mph) and above within a mere two months of joining the team. He became a full-fledged starter for Waseda in the spring of his second year, drawing attention with the furious pace with which he racked up strikeouts.
2002
Taking on the uniform number 18 that had traditionally denoted the team's lefty ace (and had previously been worn by current Fighters left-hander Shugo Fujii), Wada led Waseda to consecutive Tokyo Big6 leagueSports 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...
titles in the spring and summer seasons
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...
of his senior year
Senior (education)
Senior is a term used in the United States to describe a student in the 4th year of study .-High school:...
(2002) for the first time in university history since 1950. He received the league Best Nine Award in both seasons.
That year, Waseda earned a berth in both the 51st All-Japan University Baseball Championship Series as well as the Meiji Jingu
Meiji Jingu Stadium
is a baseball stadium in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. It opened in 1926 and holds 37,933 spectators. Property of the Meiji Shrine, it is the home field of the Tokyo Yakult Swallows professional baseball team...
Tournament, but the team fell short of a championship in both tournaments, losing to Asia University
Asia University (Japan)
thumb|right|Asia UniversityThe is a private university located in Tokyo, Japan that offers courses in Business Administration, Economics, Law and International Relations...
(whose pitching staff featured right-handers Katsuhiro Nagakawa
Katsuhiro Nagakawa
is a Nippon Professional Baseball pitcher for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp in Japan's Central League.-External links:...
and Hiroshi Kisanuki, both of whom would later turn professional) in the finals in the former and succumbing to Tohoku Fukushi University
Tohoku Fukushi University
is a Japanese private university in Sendai.-Sports:*Baseball**Mamoru Kishida**Takashi Saito**Kazuhiro Sasaki**Kazuhiro Wada**Ken Kadokura**Tomoaki Kanemoto*Figure skating**Akiko Suzuki*Golf**Hidemasa Hoshino**Yūsaku Miyazato**Hideto Tanihara...
in the semi-finals in the latter.
Wada set a new Tokyo Big6 record for career strikeouts that year, surpassing the 443 set by Suguru Egawa
Suguru Egawa
is a Japanese former pitcher and now a baseball analyst.-High school career:Egawa entered Sakushin Gakuin High School. In his high school career, he recorded two perfect games of nine no-hitters of 20 shutouts of 30 complete games in 44 games...
(who later pitched 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 finishing with 476. He also set a new Waseda record in wins
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...
for left-handed pitchers, finishing his college career with a 27-13 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...
and a 1.35 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...
. His dedication and commitment were said to have had a positive influence on younger players on the team like Norichika Aoki
Norichika Aoki
is a Japanese professional baseball player. He is currently an outfielder for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows.Aoki is one of only four players to amass 200 or more hits in a single season in Japanese professional baseball...
, Takashi Toritani
Takashi Toritani
is a Japanese shortstop with the Hanshin Tigers.Toritani was one of the most highly coveted position players in years as a senior for Waseda University in 2003...
, Toshimitsu Higa and Shintaro Yoshida (all of whom later went pro), the core that later led Waseda to four consecutive league titles for the first time in Tokyo Big6 history.
Wada was dubbed the "Dr. K (à la former 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...
pitcher Dwight Gooden
Dwight Gooden
Dwight Eugene Gooden , nicknamed "Doc Gooden" or "Dr. K", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He was one of the most dominant and feared pitchers in the National League in the middle and late 1980s.-Career:...
) of the Tokyo Big6" during his college years and was one of the most coveted prospects in Japanese college baseball as he entered his senior year. He was signed by the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks as a pre-draft pick along with right-handermdy 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...
of Kyushu Kyoritsu University
Kyushu Kyoritsu University
is a private university in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, Japan, established in 1965.-External links:*...
prior to the 2002 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...
that fall and was assigned the uniform number 21.
2003
Wada secured a spot in the Hawks' starting rotation from his rookieRookie
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...
year (2003), making his professional debut in a regular season game against the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes on April 1 (he gave up five runs
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...
in 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 earned the first win of his career against the Seibu Lions on April 8, pitching six shutout innings, and recorded his first career complete game
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...
win (a shutout) 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:...
on April 16. Overall, he finished the year with a 14-5 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...
, 3.38 ERA and 195 strikeouts (second only to young Lions right-hander Daisuke Matsuzaka's
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...
215), earning Pacific League Most Valuable Rookie honors
Nippon Professional Baseball Rookie of the Year Award
The Nippon Professional Baseball Rookie of the Year Award is given to one player in each league of Central League and Pacific League.-Central League:-Pacific League:-See also:*Nippon Professional Baseball#Awards*Baseball awards#Japan...
. He also played an instrumental role in the Hawks' league title and subsequent Japan Series
Japan Series
, or is the annual championship series in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top baseball league in Japan. It is a seven-game series between the winning clubs of the league's two circuits, the Central League and the Pacific League....
championship, pitching a complete game win as a rookie for the first time in Japan Series history in Game 7 of the series. He played in the 2003 Asian Baseball Championship
2003 Asian Baseball Championship
The 22nd Asian Baseball Championship was contested in Sapporo Dome, Sapporo, Japan in November 2003. The tournament is sanctioned by the Asian Baseball Federation. The top two teams of the tournament gained automatic entry into the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens....
(which also functioned as the Asian qualifying tournament for the 2004 Athens 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...
) as a member of 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...
in November, pitching shutout innings against South Korea in the final game of the tournament to clinch a berth in the upcoming Olympic Games.
2004
Wada played in the 2004 Athens Olympics, contributing to Japan's bronze medalBronze medal
A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
finish in the tournament by earning two wins against Canada
Canada national baseball team
Canada has qualified for two Olympic games, in 2004 and 2008. Canadian teams also competed twice when baseball was a demonstration sport, in 1984 and 1988.-1984 Summer Olympics:...
(one in the preliminary round, the other in the bronze medal match) while holding them to two runs over twelve innings. However, he fell victim to a so-called sophomore slump
Sophomore slump
A sophomore slump or sophomore jinx refers to an instance in which a second, or sophomore, effort fails to live up to the standards of the first effort...
in the regular season, going 10-6 but racking up a 4.35 ERA and striking out just 115 batters (despite this, his batting average against was a league-best .228).
2005
In 2005, Wada was named the starter for the Hawks' season opener for the first time in his career, taking the mound against the Fighters on March 26 and holding them to one run over innings while striking out eight en route to the win (though he required 135 pitchesPitch (baseball)
In baseball, a pitch is the act of throwing a baseball toward home plate to start a play. The term comes from the Knickerbocker Rules. Originally, the ball had to be literally "pitched" underhand, as with pitching horseshoes. Overhand throwing was not allowed until 1884.The biomechanics of...
). He finished the year with a 12-8 record and a much-improved 3.27 ERA, becoming the first pitcher to record double-digit wins in each of his first three seasons in Hawks franchise history since Tadashi Sugiura
Tadashi Sugiura
was a Japanese Nippon Professional Baseball player with the Nankai Hawks. He debuted in the 1958 and went on to join the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame for his skills as a pitcher.-External links:...
accomplished the feat in 1960.
On December 10, 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...
made it public that Wada had married swimsuit model and actress Kasumi Nakane. The couple had their wedding ceremony
Wedding
A wedding is the ceremony in which two people are united in marriage or a similar institution. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes...
at Izumo Taisha
Izumo Taisha
is one of the most ancient and important Shinto shrines in Japan. No record gives the date of establishment. Located in Izumo, Shimane Prefecture, it is home to two major festivals. It is dedicated to the god Ōkuninushi , famous as the Shinto deity of marriage.A style of architecture,...
, a Shinto shrine, on December 14.
2006
Wada was chosen to play in the inaugural 2006 World Baseball ClassicWorld 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...
as a member of the Japanese national team but saw little playing time as a middle reliever
Middle relief pitcher
In baseball, middle relief pitchers are relief pitchers who commonly pitch in the 6th or 7th innings or in situations where several innings worth of work is required . In the National League, a middle reliever often comes in after the starting pitcher has been pulled for a pinch hitter...
, coming on in relief
Relief 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...
in Japan's second-round match against Mexico
Mexico national baseball team
The Mexico national baseball team is the baseball team which represents Mexico in international tournaments. They are currently the eighth ranked baseball team in the world.-Pan American Games:*1951 Bronze Medal *1963 Bronze Medal...
and pitching two shutout innings in his first and only appearance
Games pitched
In baseball statistics, games pitched is the number of games in which a player appears as a pitcher; a player who is announced as the pitcher must face at least one batter, although exceptions are made if the pitcher announced in the starting lineup is injured before facing a batter, perhaps while...
of the tournament (Japan won the game 6-1).
Wada had perhaps his finest year yet in the regular season, pitching just innings but going 14-6 with a career-best 2.98 ERA and allowing the fewest walks and hits per inning pitched
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...
of his career (1.10). His wife, Kasumi, gave birth to their first child (a daughter) on September 13 of that year.
2007
Though Wada improved on his ERA still more by lowering it to 2.82 in the 2007 season, he was plagued by poor run support and went 12-10 for the year. He pitched the most innings (182) and amassed the most strikeouts (169) since his rookie campaign and became the only active pitcher other than the aforementioned Masanori Ishikawa (and the first in Hawks franchise history since Sugiura) to record double-digit wins in each of the first five seasons of his professional career.He underwent endoscopic
Endoscopy
Endoscopy means looking inside and typically refers to looking inside the body for medical reasons using an endoscope , an instrument used to examine the interior of a hollow organ or cavity of the body. Unlike most other medical imaging devices, endoscopes are inserted directly into the organ...
surgery
Surgery
Surgery is an ancient medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, or to help improve bodily function or appearance.An act of performing surgery may be called a surgical...
in Los Angeles during the season to remove articular cartilage
Cartilage
Cartilage is a flexible connective tissue found in many areas in the bodies of humans and other animals, including the joints between bones, the rib cage, the ear, the nose, the elbow, the knee, the ankle, the bronchial tubes and the intervertebral discs...
fragments in his left elbow after experiencing discomfort in the region during the season.
2008
The rehabPhysical therapy
Physical therapy , often abbreviated PT, is a health care profession. Physical therapy is concerned with identifying and maximizing quality of life and movement potential within the spheres of promotion, prevention, diagnosis, treatment/intervention,and rehabilitation...
that Wada had to undergo following the elbow surgery kept him from making his first start of 2008 until April 6, roughly two-and-a-half weeks into the season. Despite the slight setback, he started the season of well, putting up eight wins before the All-Star
Nippon Professional Baseball All-Star Game
The Nippon Professional Baseball All-Star Game is an annual baseball game between players from the Central League and the Pacific League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers...
break and garnering selection to the Japanese national team that would play in the 2008 Beijing Olympics
2008 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...
. However, he did not pitch as had hoped in the Olympics, giving up six runs (five 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...
) in two starts en route to a 4.82 ERA over 9⅓ innings (albeit while striking out 13) and being one of the factors in Japan's disappointing fourth-place finish behind South Korea, 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...
and the United States
United States national baseball team
The United States National Baseball team represents the United States in international baseball competition. The United States has won the previous two Baseball World Cups, having lost this title to the Netherlands in 2011, and is currently second in the IBAF World Rankings, behind Cuba.The team...
.
After returning to Japan in late August, Wada pitched 10 shutout innings and struck out 10 in one no-decision
Decision (baseball)
A decision is a statistical credit given to a baseball pitcher.There are two types of decisions: win and loss.In order to receive a win, the starting pitcher must complete at least five innings and leave with the lead. If the pitcher's lead is preserved by the bullpen, he is credited with a win...
against the Saitama Seibu Lions on August 31 (the game ended in a 0-0 tie after 12 innings) and held the Lions to one run in 10 innings yet again while striking out 12 on September 20, this time in a tough 1-0 loss. While he pitched reliably, recording a 3.18 ERA in his final six starts of the season, he was victimized by a lack of run support and failed to put up double-digit wins for the first time in his professional career.
2009
In 2009, Wada was named to the national team's preliminary roster for the upcoming World Baseball Classic2009 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...
along with teammates first baseman
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...
Nobuhiko Matsunaka
Nobuhiko Matsunaka
is a left fielder and designated hitter for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.Matsunaka is the only active hitter in Japanese professional baseball to have ever led the league in all three Triple Crown categories in the same season...
, starter Toshiya Sugiuchi
Toshiya Sugiuchi
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...
, closer
Closer (baseball)
In baseball, a closing pitcher, more frequently referred to as a closer , is a relief pitcher who specializes in closing out games, i.e., getting the final outs in a close game. Closers often appear when the score is close, and the role is often assigned to a team's best reliever. A small number of...
Takahiro Mahara
Takahiro Mahara
is a right-handed pitcher for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball. He played in the 2006 World Baseball Classic. Originally a starter, Mahara was converted to a closer partway through 2005 season and has been an efficient closer since then.His best season was in...
and shortstop
Shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...
Munenori Kawasaki
Munenori Kawasaki
is a Japanese shortstop for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. He played for the Japanese national team in the 2008 Beijing Olympics as well as the 2006 and 2009 World Baseball Classics.-Early life and high school career:...
. However, though he took part in the training camp
Training camp
A training camp is a place, usually with an army-camp-type environment, where people go to learn skills, usually skills involving physical action rather than book subjects, usually for an armed force or an action sport...
held in Miyazaki
Miyazaki, Miyazaki
is the capital city of Miyazaki Prefecture on the island of Kyūshū in Japan. Located on the coast and perforated by several rivers, Miyazaki City enjoys scenic views of both ocean and nearby, verdant mountains...
in mid-February, he and Matsunaka were cut from the final 28-man team before the tournament.
Wada showed no signs of disappointment in his pitching, taking the mound in the Hawks' season opener on April 3 and striking out 14 (tying both his career high and the NPB record for strikeouts in a season opener) en route to a three-hit, complete game shutout against the Buffaloes in one of the most dominant starts of his young career. However, more injury trouble found Wada in the form of left elbow inflammation. He went to the United States for treatment, and was taken off the active roster on June 11. He was expected to miss at least three weeks initially, but did not return until September 9, when he was hammered 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:...
for 6 runs in 3 and 2/3 innings. Wada finished 2009 with a record of 4-5 with a 4.06 ERA.
2010
Wada started the 2010 campaign pegged as the fourth starter in the rotation behind Toshiya SugiuchiToshiya Sugiuchi
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...
, Kenji Ohtonari, and D.J. Houlton. His first start of the season came 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....
, and he gave up two runs on three hits in five innings, walking two and striking out eight. Despite the performance, he took the loss. More of the same came from Wada in his second outing against the Saitama Seibu Lions, as he gave up four runs on five hits in five innings, but he managed to get the win.
His third start was one of the best in his career, as he gave up one run on four hits in a complete-game effort, striking out a career-high 15 Marines to record his second win of the season. He continued his winning ways into interleague, where he won all five of his starts, going at least six innings every start and striking out at least five batters. By the end of interleague, he had won nine games already.
Wada was selected for the All Star Series in 2010 and started game 1. His team-mate Sugiuchi Toshiya started game 2. They lead the Pacific League in WIn through most of the season. It was their fine form that carried the Hawks to the league title in 2010 as the rest of the team's starters struggled.
Pitching style
Wada is a 179 centimetre, 77 kg (169.8 lb), left-handed pitcher with an unorthodox delivery, throwing from a high three-quarters arm slot (nearly over the top) but deceiving hittersBatting (baseball)
In baseball, batting is the act of facing the opposing pitcher and trying to produce offense for one's team. A batter or hitter is a person whose turn it is to face the pitcher...
by keeping his throwing arm back and delaying its swing as he drives to the plate with his lower body.
Wada's four-seam fastball
Four-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...
has good late life but decidedly below-average velocity, topping out at 146 km/h (91 mph) and usually sitting at 135 to 141 km/h (83.9 to 87.6 mph). He compensates for this with his deceptive arm swing and late release point, 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....
,and a 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...
.
While Wada has good command of his pitches overall, recording a career walks per nine innings rate of 2.54 (until 2010 season), he has established somewhat of a reputation as a pitcher who is prone to throwing mistake pitches and giving up a large number of 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...
s. However, he has shown marked improvement in this area since making his professional debut, giving up progressively fewer homers in every season of his career except for 2005.
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 |
| 22 | Daiei | 14 | 5 | .737 | 26 | 8 | 2 | 189.0 | 165 | 77 | 71 | 26 | 61 | 195 | 3.38 | 1.20 | 4.64 | |
| 23 | 10 | 6 | .625 | 18 | 7 | 0 | 128.1 | 110 | 67 | 62 | 23 | 38 | 115 | 4.35 | 1.15 | 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... |
12 | 8 | .600 | 25 | 4 | 0 | 181.2 | 154 | 69 | 66 | 17 | 57 | 167 | 3.27 | 1.16 | 4.06 | |
| 25 | 14 | 6 | .700 | 24 | 6 | 3 | 163.1 | 137 | 57 | 54 | 18 | 42 | 136 | 2.98 | 1.10 | 3.62 | ||
| 26 | 12 | 10 | .545 | 26 | 2 | 0 | 182.0 | 168 | 65 | 57 | 15 | 42 | 169 | 2.82 | 1.15 | 3.57 | ||
| 27 | 8 | 8 | .500 | 23 | 3 | 0 | 162.0 | 167 | 65 | 65 | 12 | 36 | 123 | 3.61 | 1.25 | 3.90 | ||
| 28 | 4 | 5 | .444 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 84.1 | 72 | 39 | 38 | 13 | 24 | 87 | 4.06 | 1.14 | 4.03 | ||
| 29 | 17 | 8 | .680 | 26 | 1 | 0 | 169.1 | 145 | 59 | 59 | 11 | 55 | 169 | 3.14 | 1.18 | 3.94 | ||
| Career | 91 | 56 | .619 | 181 | 32 | 6 | 1260 | 1118 | 498 | 472 | 135 | 355 | 1161 | 3.37 | 1.17 | |||
Bold indicates league leader; statistics current as of 14 May 2011
External links
- Tsuyoshi Wada Official Website (Japanese)
- Tsuyoshi Wada Official Blog (Japanese)