Kenshin Kawakami
| Kenshin Kawakami | |
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 Kenshin Kawakami 2009
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| Chūnichi Dragons - No. 11 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: June 22nd, 1975 Tokushima , Japan 
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| Strikes: Right | Throws: Right |
| Debut in Major League Baseball | |
| April 11, 2009 at the Atlanta Braves | |
| MLB statistics (until 2010) |
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| Win- Loss | 8-22 |
| Earned Run Average | 4.32 |
| Strikeouts | 164 |
| Teams | |
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Kenshin Kawakami ( Japanese 川 上 憲 伸 , Kawakami Kenshin ; born June 22, 1975 in Tokushima , Tokushima Prefecture ) is a Japanese baseball player . The right-throwing pitcher of the Atlanta Braves in North American Major League Baseball was previously under contract with the Chūnichi Dragons from Nagoya for eleven years and won the 2004 Sawamura Prize for the league's best pitcher in Japan .
Career
With the Tokushima Kōgyō High School Kawakami succeeded in his third year, 1993, to advance to the semifinals at the summer Kōshien . After leaving school he played as a student at Meiji University in the League of Six Universities of Tokyo . In 1997 he was in the first round of the Chunichi Dragons in the Central League ge draftet .
In his first professional season in 1998, Kawakami had already played 26 games and scored 16 wins . For this achievement he was named shinjin'ō - the Japanese Rookie of the Year - of the Central League. Together with Masa Yamamoto he was one of the best starters of the Dragons and with the exception of 2000 and 2003, when his health was poor, he threw at least 20 games for Chūnichi every year until 2008. On August 1, 2002, he threw a no-hitter against the Yomiuri Giants in the Tokyo Dome . In 2004 and 2006, when the Dragons also reached first place in the Central League , he led the league with 17 wins. In 2004 Kawakami was awarded the Sawamura-Eiji-shō for his season performance and as an MVP of the Central League. In the Nihon Series 2007, his third assignment as the opening pitcher of the final series (after 2004 and 2006) ended with a defeat; but thanks to the team performance in the following games he was able to celebrate the first and only championship title with the Dragons.
In the national team , Kawakami took part in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing .
In January 2009, Kawakami signed a three-year deal with the Atlanta Braves. He made his major league debut on April 11, 2009 in a game against the Washington Nationals with a win. Overall, he threw moderately and was with 7-12 with an ERA of 3.86 2009 the only regular starter of the Braves with a losing record . In 2010 he threw with 1-10, 5.15 weak, was temporarily transferred to the Gwinnett Braves in the minor league and had only three appearances in the first team after the All-Star Game.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Spencer Fordin: Atlanta agrees to terms with Japanese pitcher Kenshin Kawakami. In: mlb.com: Atlanta Braves. January 13, 2009, accessed January 24, 2009 .
Web links
- Official Website (Japanese)
- Player information and statistics from MLB or ESPN or Baseball Reference or Fangraphs or The Baseball Cube (English)
- Nippon Professional Baseball: Player Statistics
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Kawakami, Kenshin |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | 川 上 憲 伸 (Japanese) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Japanese baseball player |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 22, 1975 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Tokushima , Tokushima Prefecture , Japan |