Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the 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 ...

Nippon Professional Baseball or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''. Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...

Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes The were a Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) team based in Osaka, Japan, which was in the Pacific League. In 2005 the team was merged with the Orix BlueWave to become the team now known as the Orix Buffaloes. The team played in Fujiidera Stadi ...

Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles The , often shortened as the , are a baseball team based in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. It has played in Nippon Professional Baseball's Pacific League since the team's formation in November 2004. The team is owned by the Internet shopping c ...

Yomiuri Giants The are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, they are one of two professional baseball teams based in Tokyo, the other being the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. They ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...

2004 Athens Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...

Eiji Sawamura Award The , commonly known as the Sawamura Award, is an honor bestowed upon the top starting pitcher in Nippon Professional Baseball each year. The award was originally established by Japanese magazine "Nekkyū" in 1947 to honor the career of Eiji Sawa ...

2009 World Baseball Classic The 2009 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an international baseball competition. It began on 5 9 and finished 5 26. Unlike in 2006, when the round-robin format of the first two rounds led to some eliminations being decided by run-difference ti ...

MLB All-Star The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual professional baseball game sanctioned by Major League Baseball (MLB) and contested between the all-stars from the American League (AL) and National ...

no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter is a game in which a team was not able to record a hit. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in at least nine innings recorded no hits. A pitcher wh ...

Hideo Nomo is a Japanese former baseball pitcher who played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) and Major League Baseball (MLB). He achieved early success in his native country, where he played with the Kintetsu Buffaloes from to . He then exploited a l ...

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

Safeco Field T-Mobile Park is a retractable roof stadium in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Seattle Mariners and has a seating capacity of 47,929. It is in Seattle's SoDo neighborhood, near the western t ...

Higashiyamato, Tokyo is a city located in the western portion of Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 85,294, and a population density of 6400 persons per km². The total area of the city was . Geography Higashiyamato is approximately ...

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

first grade First grade (also called Grade One, called ''Year 2'' in England or Primary 2 in Scotland) is the first grade in elementary school and the first school year after kindergarten. Children are usually 6–7 years old in this grade. Examples by r ...

Horikoshi High School is a private high school in Nakano, Tokyo is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. The English translation of its Japanese self-designation is Nakano City.Nakano. Iwakuma was inspired to become a pitcher after "looking up to" former

Seibu Lions The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based north of Tokyo in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture. Before 1979, they were based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture in Kyushu. The team is owned by a subsidiary of Seibu Railway, wh ...

great

Hisanobu Watanabe Hisanobu Watanabe (渡辺久信 born August 2, 1965) nicknamed "Nabe-Q", is the former baseball player who played in the Japanese professional leagues from 1984 to 1998. He also was manager of the Saitama Seibu Lions The are a professional ...

, who was known for his big-game pitching. While he never made it to a national tournament during his high school career, he led his team to the semi-finals of the West Tokyo Tournament as a

senior Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to: * Senior (name), a surname ...

in the summer of .

Professional career

Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes

The

Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes The were a Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) team based in Osaka, Japan, which was in the Pacific League. In 2005 the team was merged with the Orix BlueWave to become the team now known as the Orix Buffaloes. The team played in Fujiidera Stadi ...

picked him in the fifth round of the .

Early years: 2000–2003

Iwakuma spent the entirety of his

rookie A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience and expertise, a rookie is usually inexperienced ...

season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...

() with the Buffaloes' ''nigun'' (Japanese for "

minor league Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nor ...

" or "

farm team In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club, or nursery club is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher ...

") team, clocking with his

fastball The fastball is the most common type of pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. "Power pitchers," such as former American major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, rely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit, and have thro ...

at one point but making only two appearances all year in the Western League. Iwakuma made his debut at the ''ichigun'' ("major league") level the following year, appearing in

relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the ...

in a game against the

Nippon-Ham Fighters The are a Japanese professional baseball team based in Kitahiroshima, Hokkaidō. They compete in the Pacific League of Nippon Professional Baseball, playing the majority of their home games at ES CON Field Hokkaido. The Fighters also host a ...

on May 29 and earning the first career win of his

professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and skil ...

career despite giving up a

run Run(s) or RUN may refer to: Places * Run (island), one of the Banda Islands in Indonesia * Run (stream), a stream in the Dutch province of North Brabant People * Run (rapper), Joseph Simmons, now known as "Reverend Run", from the hip-hop group ...

over 1

inning In baseball, softball, and similar games, an inning is the basic unit of play, consisting of two halves or frames, the "top" (first half) and the "bottom" (second half). In each half, one team bats until three outs are made, with the other team ...

s. He made his first

start Start can refer to multiple topics: *Takeoff, the phase of flight where an aircraft transitions from moving along the ground to flying through the air * Starting lineup in sports *Standing start, and rolling start, in an auto race Acronyms *St ...

on June 10 against the Fighters and threw his first career

complete game In baseball, a complete game (CG) is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher. A pitcher who meets this criterion will be credited with a complete game regardless of the number of innings played—pitche ...

(a two-

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...

shutout In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usuall ...

) against the

Seibu Lions The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based north of Tokyo in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture. Before 1979, they were based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture in Kyushu. The team is owned by a subsidiary of Seibu Railway, wh ...

on September 18, finishing the year with a 4–2 record and playing an important role in the Buffaloes' league title that year. Iwakuma secured a spot in the team's

starting rotation R rabbit ears :Indicates a participant in the game who hears things perhaps too well for their own good. A player who becomes nervous or chokes when opposing players or fans yell at or razz them is said to have rabbit ears. Also, an umpire ...

by , the following season, going 8–7 with a much-improved 3.69

ERA An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth. Comp ...

in 141

innings An innings is one of the divisions of a cricket match during which one team takes its turn to bat. Innings also means the period in which an individual player bats (acts as either striker or nonstriker). Innings, in cricket, and rounders, is bot ...

. He enjoyed a breakout year in , going 15–10 with a 3.45 ERA and 149

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...

s and leading the league with 11 complete games.

2004

Iwakuma began the 2004 season 12–0 and establishing a franchise record for most consecutive wins to start the season. He received the most fan votes among

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. It currently consis ...

starting pitchers for the

NPB All-Star Game The Nippon Professional Baseball All-Star Game is an annual baseball series of All-Star Games (in most years, two games are played, but three such games can and have been played as well) between players from the Central League and the Pacific Leag ...

that year, starting Game 1 at

Nagoya Dome The Nagoya Dome (ナゴヤドーム), known as Vantelin Dome Nagoya (バンテリンドームナゴヤ) for sponsoring reasons, is a baseball field, constructed in 1997, located in the city of Nagoya, Japan. The dome has the capacity to seat up ...

on July 10, and pitched in the

2004 Athens Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...

as a member of the Japanese national team in August. He finished with a 15–2 record for the year, leading the league in both wins and

winning percentage In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the total number of match ...

(.882) for the first time in his career. He also pitched in Game 5 of the MLB All-Star Series held in November, holding the

MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

All-Stars to one run over seven innings to earn the win. Following the 2004 season, Iwakuma's Buffaloes and the

Orix BlueWave , styled as ORIX, is a Japanese diversified financial services group headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, and Osaka, Japan. ORIX offers leasing, lending, rentals, life insurance, real estate financing and development, venture capital, investment an ...

, another

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. It currently consis ...

team based in the

Kansai region The or the , lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshū. The region includes the prefectures of Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo and Shiga, often also Mie, sometimes Fukui, Tokushima and Tottori. The metropolita ...

, opted to merge to alleviate some of their financial difficulties, later leading to the addition of a new team named the

Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles The , often shortened as the , are a baseball team based in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. It has played in Nippon Professional Baseball's Pacific League since the team's formation in November 2004. The team is owned by the Internet shopping c ...

that would fill the void created by the merger. Iwakuma was initially named a member of the newly formed

Orix Buffaloes The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team formed as a result of the 2004 Nippon Professional Baseball realignment by the merger of the Orix BlueWave of Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes of Osaka, Osaka Prefectur ...

in a dispersal draft held that November, but refused to comply and join the Buffaloes and became involved in a contractual dispute. Although the Buffaloes attempted to persuade him to play for their team, they eventually agreed to

trade Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market. An early form of trade, barter, saw the direct excha ...

him to the Eagles in exchange for cash.

Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles

2005–2007: Injury Woes

Iwakuma was named the Eagles' starter for the season opener, holding the

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 Lotte Holdings Co., Ltd. History The Marines franchise began in 1950 as the Mainichi Orions, an inaugural ...

to one run while going the distance on March 26 and earning the

expansion team An expansion team is a new team in a sports league, usually from a city that has not hosted a team in that league before, formed with the intention of satisfying the demand for a local team from a population in a new area. Sporting leagues also ...

's first-ever win. However, while he did not miss a single start during the regular season, he was bothered by tenderness in his

shoulder The human shoulder is made up of three bones: the clavicle (collarbone), the scapula (shoulder blade), and the humerus (upper arm bone) as well as associated muscles, ligaments and tendons. The articulations between the bones of the shoulder mak ...

throughout the year, finishing with a 9-15 record and an ERA of 4.99 (worst among all qualifying

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the 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 ...

s). Iwakuma's

injury An injury is any physiological damage to living tissue caused by immediate physical stress. An injury can occur intentionally or unintentionally and may be caused by blunt trauma, penetrating trauma, burning, toxic exposure, asphyxiation, o ...

woes continued into the season. His struggles to adapt to the league's new rules on pitching motions during Spring training, combined with lingering concerns about his shoulder condition, caused him to miss the season opener and spend the entire first half of the season with the ''nigun'' team undergoing a rehab stint. He made his first appearance of the season against the Fighters on August 29, but did not record a win until September 12 in a game against the Marines, finishing the season with a 1–2 record and 3.72 ERA in just six starts. In , Iwakuma was named the starter for the season opener for the first time in two years, taking the mound on March 24 against the Lions. While he was slated to start the Eagles' first home game of the season on March 31 against the Buffaloes as well, he reported stiffness in his back just hours before the game, causing him to be scratched from the lineup and sent down to the minors for rehab the next day. He returned at the end of April only to be demoted again just weeks later with a left

oblique Oblique may refer to: * an alternative name for the character usually called a slash (punctuation) ( / ) * Oblique angle, in geometry *Oblique triangle, in geometry *Oblique lattice, in geometry * Oblique leaf base, a characteristic shape of the b ...

strain. Iwakuma finally returned after the All-Star break, notching his second win of the season on July 31 and finishing the season with a 5–5 record in 16 games and an ERA of 3.40. He underwent

arthroscopic surgery Arthroscopy (also called arthroscopic or keyhole surgery) is a minimally invasive surgical procedure on a joint in which an examination and sometimes treatment of damage is performed using an arthroscope, an endoscope that is inserted into the jo ...

on his right elbow in October. RE-Hisashi-Iwakuma

2008 season

Chosen to start the season opener for the second straight year (and fourth time overall), Iwakuma pitched against the

Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks The are a Japanese professional baseball team based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture. They compete in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) as a member of the Pacific League. The team was formerly known as the Nankai Hawks and was based in Osaka. ...

on March 20, , but fell short of the win despite limiting the Hawks to just one run over seven innings (then- closer

Domingo Guzmán Domingo Guzmán (born April 5, 1975) is a former Major League Baseball player. He made his major league debut with the San Diego Padres in 1999, and played in 8 games from 1999 to 2000. He traveled to Taiwan, and played one season in the Chinese ...

gave up a

walk-off home run In baseball, a walk-off home run is a home run that ends the game. For a home run to end the game, it must be hit in the bottom of the final inning of the game and generate enough runs to exceed the opponent's score. Because the opponent will not ...

to

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...

Hiroshi Shibahara, handing Iwakuma a

no-decision A no decision (sometimes written no-decision) is one of either of two sports statistics scenarios; one in baseball and softball, and the other in boxing and related combat sports. Baseball and softball A starting pitcher who leaves a game withou ...

in a 4–3 loss). However, he recorded his first complete game shutout with the Eagles in his next start on March 27 against the Buffaloes and recorded his 10th win of the season in another complete game shutout against the

Yomiuri Giants The are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, they are one of two professional baseball teams based in Tokyo, the other being the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. They ...

in an interleague game on June 15, marking the first time he had reached double-digit wins since 2003, when he was still with the Buffaloes. Though he expressed disappointment that he was not chosen to play in the

2008 Beijing Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Nat ...

as a member of the national team (even though he ranked among the league leaders in several categories at the time), he notched his 16th win of the season, a new career high, on August 16 against the Marines, passing 1000 career innings pitched in that same game. On September 22, in a game against the

Saitama Seibu Lions The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based north of Tokyo in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture. Before 1979, they were based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture in Kyushu. The team is owned by a subsidiary of Seibu Railway, wh ...

, Iwakuma threw seven innings of one-run ball to become the first 20-game winner in the Pacific League since Hawks

right-hander In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subjecti ...

Kazumi Saito is a Japanese former professional baseball starting pitcher, and current first squad pitching coach for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. He was a two-time winner of the Eiji Sawamura Award (, ), but did not pitch in a regular season game after Octob ...

achieved the feat in 2003. He picked up one more win on October 5 against the Hawks, becoming the first 21-game winner in 23 years (former

Hankyu Braves The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team formed as a result of the 2004 Nippon Professional Baseball realignment by the merger of the Orix BlueWave of Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes of Osaka, Osaka Prefectur ...

right-hander Yoshinori Satoh won 21 games in ) and passing young rival and fellow ace

Yu Darvish , more commonly known as Yu Darvish (ダルビッシュ有), is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). Darvish has also played in MLB for the Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Dodgers, and ...

of the Fighters to lead the league in ERA (1.87) in his final start of the season. Iwakuma finished his dominant 2008 campaign with a 21–4 record, leading the league in wins, ERA, and winning percentage (.840). He gave up just three home runs in 201 innings all year, of which just ''one'' was to a Pacific League

hitter 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. The three main goals of batters are to become a baserunner, to driv ...

(the other two were given up in interleague games), and won nearly one-third of the Eagles' 65 wins in the regular season himself. He was presented the Sawamura,

Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

and

Best Nine Best or The Best may refer to: People * Best (surname), people with the surname Best * Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer Companies and organizations * Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain * Best Lock Corporatio ...

awards at the end of the season, a rare accomplishment for a player on a fifth-place team.

2009–2011

Iwakuma started the season opener for the Eagles for the third straight year in , requiring just 59 pitches to throw six innings of one-run ball en route to the win on April 3 in a much-hyped match-up with

World Baseball Classic The World Baseball Classic (WBC) is an international baseball tournament sanctioned from 2006 to 2013 by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) and after 2013 by World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) in partnership with Major Leagu ...

teammate and 22-year-old Fighters right-hander

Yu Darvish , more commonly known as Yu Darvish (ダルビッシュ有), is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). Darvish has also played in MLB for the Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Dodgers, and ...

(who threw 121 pitches in a complete game loss, all three runs given up in the first inning). He recorded his first complete game of the year on May 16 against the Hawks. On October 4, 2010, the Golden Eagles granted permission for Iwakuma to pursue a career in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

via the

posting system The is a baseball player transfer system that operates between Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) and Major League Baseball (MLB). Despite the drafting of the United States – Japanese Player Contract Agreement, unveiled in 1967 to regulate ...

. The

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...

won the bidding. However, Iwakuma and the Athletics could not come to terms on a contract in the thirty-day negotiating period.

Seattle Mariners

Iwakuma signed with the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...

prior to the

2012 Major League Baseball season The 2012 Major League Baseball season began on March 28 with the first of a two-game series between the Seattle Mariners and the Oakland Athletics at the Tokyo Dome in Japan. On November 22, 2011, a new contract between Major League Baseball and ...

, for $1.5 million guaranteed, plus an additional $3.4 million in incentives linked to starts, innings pitched, and awards. He was part of the Mariners' bullpen to start the season and did not pitch until the club's fifteenth game, making him the last member of any team's opening day roster (who was not injured or demoted to the minor leagues) to appear in a game. Iwakuma later became an effective member of the Mariners' pitching staff, pitching in 30 games (16 starts and 14 relief appearances), going 9–5 with two saves and a 3.16

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

. On November 2, 2012, Iwakuma agreed to a two-year, $14 million extension with an option for 2015. Iwakuma earned $6.5 million in 2013 and 2014, and his option for 2015 is worth $7 million with a $1 million buyout. Iwakuma was chosen along with fellow pitcher

Félix Hernández Félix Abraham Hernández García (born April 8, 1986), nicknamed "King Félix", is a Venezuelan former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners from 2005 through 2019. On August 15, 2 ...

to represent the Mariners at the

2013 MLB All-Star Game The 2013 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 84th edition of the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. It was held on Tuesday, July 16, 2013 at Citi Field in Queens, New York City, the home of the New York Mets. This was the first time tha ...

. However, he did not pitch, as he had played on the Sunday before the game. On September 18, 2013, Iwakuma pitched eight scoreless innings against the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

striking out

Miguel Cabrera José Miguel Cabrera Torres (born April 18, 1983), nicknamed "Miggy", is a Venezuelan professional baseball first baseman and designated hitter for the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball (MLB). Since his debut in 2003 he has been a two-t ...

twice making him 0 for 4 and lowering his batting average to .347. He gave up no runs and four hits getting out of two bases loaded jams in the first and fourth. Iwakuma finished third in the 2013 American League

Cy Young Award The Cy Young Award is given annually to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball (MLB), one each for the American League (AL) and National League (NL). The award was first introduced in 1956 by Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick in honor of Hall ...

voting, behind winner

Max Scherzer Maxwell Martin Scherzer (born July 27, 1984) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Detroit Tigers, Washington Nationals, and L ...

and runner up

Yu Darvish , more commonly known as Yu Darvish (ダルビッシュ有), is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). Darvish has also played in MLB for the Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Dodgers, and ...

. He finished the year third in the league in ERA, third in innings pitched, second in WHIP and first in WAR. His 2013 season year finished 14–6 with a 2.66 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP. Iwakuma sustained a strained tendon in his finger in February 2014 and was expected to miss 4–6 weeks. On May 3, Iwakuma returned from the DL to play against the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...

. Making 28 starts in 2014, Iwakuma finished 15–9 with a 3.52 ERA. On April 21, 2015, Iwakuma was placed on the DL with a strained lat muscle. He was activated by Seattle on July 6. On August 12, 2015, at

Safeco Field T-Mobile Park is a retractable roof stadium in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Seattle Mariners and has a seating capacity of 47,929. It is in Seattle's SoDo neighborhood, near the western t ...

against the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

, Iwakuma threw the fifth no-hitter in Mariners history. It was also his first MLB

complete game In baseball, a complete game (CG) is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher. A pitcher who meets this criterion will be credited with a complete game regardless of the number of innings played—pitche ...

. For his effort, Iwakuma won the American League Player of the Week Award. Making 20 starts in 2015, Iwakuma finished with a 9–5 record and a 3.54 ERA. On December 17, 2015, Iwakuma re-signed with the Mariners on a 1-year contract, with vesting options for 2017 and 2018. Iwakuma had previously attempted to sign a three-year, $45 million deal with the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

, but the deal was declined because the Dodgers had some concerns about the results of his physical. On May 10, 2017, Iwakuma was placed on the 10-day disabled list due to right shoulder inflammation. He was later moved to the 60-day disabled list. On November 2, 2017, the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...

declined their option making him a free agent. He signed a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training with the Mariners on November 27. On September 11, 2018, he announced that he would return to Japan to play baseball after spending the entire season in the minors.

Yomiuri Giants

On December 19, 2018, he signed with

Yomiuri Giants The are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, they are one of two professional baseball teams based in Tokyo, the other being the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. They ...

of

Nippon Professional Baseball or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''. Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...

(NPB). On October 19, 2020, Iwakuma announced his retirement after the season.

International career

2004 Athens Olympics

Iwakuma made his first appearance on the international stage when he was named to the Japanese national team that would play in the 2004 Athens Olympics. Coming off a torrid 12–0 start to the regular season, Iwakuma took the mound in the second game of the

preliminary round A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...

against the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

on August 16. However, he allowed seven baserunners (three hits, three walks, and a hit-batter) and gave up three runs (two earned) against a team that was viewed as the heavy

underdog An underdog is a person or group in a competition, usually in sports and creative works, who is largely expected to lose. The party, team, or individual expected to win is called the favorite or top dog. In the case where an underdog wins, the ...

, leading

head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...

(and acting

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

) Kiyoshi Nakahata to pull him from the game after just 1 innings. Though Japan went on to win the game 8–3 behind a strong relief effort (five shutout innings) by future MLB pitcher

Hiroki Kuroda is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher. He pitched in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for Hiroshima Toyo Carp from 1997 to 2007 before playing in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2008 to 2011 and ...

, Iwakuma lost the trust of the coaching staff and did not pitch in the tournament again.

2009 World Baseball Classic

Chosen to play in the 2009 World Baseball Classic as a member of the national team, Iwakuma made his first appearance of the tournament in the final game of the

first round First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...

against

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

on March 9, holding them just one run over 5 innings but receiving no run support and being charged with the loss. He pitched six shutout innings in his second start against

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

in the

second round The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds e ...

on March 18, earning his first win of the tournament. His stellar effort convinced manager

Tatsunori Hara is a Japanese former professional baseball player, and the current manager of the Yomiuri Giants baseball team in Nippon Professional Baseball. Career Hara played for the Giants during his professional baseball career from to . He won the Cen ...

to choose him over Darvish, who had been unofficially tabbed as the staff ace prior to the tournament, as the starter for Japan in the

championship game In sport, a championship is a Competition#Sports, competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match sy ...

against South Korea. Iwakuma did not disappoint, limiting the team to just two runs over 7 innings. While Darvish gave up the tying run in the ninth after coming on in relief, Iwakuma played an instrumental role in Japan's eventual win and second consecutive

title A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify either generation, an official position, or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may be inserted between the f ...

.

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

right-hander

Daisuke Matsuzaka is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher, who pitched professionally for 23 seasons, 16 of them in NPB, 7 in MLB. He is currently a baseball color commentator, critic, reporter, and YouTuber. Daisuke is nicknamed in Japan and "Dice-K ...

earned MVP honors for the tournament, largely on merit of his perfect 3–0 record, but Iwakuma finished the tournament with the lowest ERA (1.35) of any pitcher that threw 15 or more innings and was one of three pitchers named to the All-Tournament team.

Pitching style

Mechanics

Iwakuma is a , ,

right-hander In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subjecti ...

pitcher with a three-quarters delivery. He was well known for his unique pitching motion during his years with the Buffaloes, letting his throwing arm hang at his side while he raised his left leg, lowered it halfway once, then raised it again before driving towards the

plate Plate may refer to: Cooking * Plate (dishware), a broad, mainly flat vessel commonly used to serve food * Plates, tableware, dishes or dishware used for setting a table, serving food and dining * Plate, the content of such a plate (for example: ...

. He was forced to overhaul his mechanics and implement a more orthodox delivery when the NPB changed its rules on pitching motions in the 2005

off-season In an organized sports league, a typical season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session: for example, in Major League Baseball the season lasts approximately from the last week of March to the last week of Se ...

, taking a stricter stance on so-called two-stage motions (those with pauses or breaks at any point in the delivery). In 2008, Iwakuma also raised his arm slot slightly to induce more movement in his offspeed pitches.

Repertoire

Iwakuma's four-seam

fastball The fastball is the most common type of pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. "Power pitchers," such as former American major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, rely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit, and have thro ...

was clocked at speeds as high as earlier in his NPB career. Since hurting his shoulder, it has usually sat in 88–92 mph (tops out at 94 mph). He complements it with an above-average splitter (84–87 mph), a

slider Slider or Sliders may refer to: Arts * K.K. Slider, a fictional character within the ''Animal Crossing'' franchise * '' The Slider'', a 1972 album by T. Rex * ''Sliders'' (TV series), an American science fiction and fantasy television series * ...

(80–82 mph), an occasional

curveball In baseball and softball, the curveball is a type of pitch thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball, causing it to dive as it approaches the plate. Varieties of curveball include the 12–6 curve ...

(71–73 mph), and a

shuuto The or shootball is a baseball pitch. It is commonly thrown by right-handed Japanese pitchers such as Hiroki Kuroda, Noboru Akiyama, Kenjiro Kawasaki, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Yu Darvish and Masumi Kuwata. The most renowned ''shuuto'' pitcher in hist ...

(two-seamer/sinker, 87–91 mph), often using the splitter as his

out pitch O obstruction :When a fielder illegally hinders a baserunner. He does not need to "get out of the way" while he is fielding the ball or actually has it (and can tag). OBP :See on-base percentage. O-fer :A batter who goes hitless in a game, ...

. He records a moderate number of strikeouts each season but is inherently a groundball pitcher, adept at jamming opposing hitters with his wide assortment of offspeed pitches and excellent command (2.00 career

walks per nine innings In baseball statistics, bases on balls per nine innings pitched (BB/9IP or BB/9) or walks per nine innings (denoted by W/9) is the average number of bases on balls, (or walks) given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by ...

rate in NPB). Iwakuma has also remarked that his command has improved since missing much of the 2006 and 2007 seasons due to injury as he was forced to overhaul his mechanics and rethink his approach against opposing batters.

Coaching career

On January 12, 2021, Iwakuma was hired by the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...

, his former team, as a special assignment coach.

Personal life

Iwakuma's wife, Madoka, and two children, Towa and Uta, moved with him from Japan to Seattle at the start of his Mariner career. Iwakuma's wife is the daughter of Koju Hirohashi, former coach of the

Seibu Lions The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based north of Tokyo in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture. Before 1979, they were based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture in Kyushu. The team is owned by a subsidiary of Seibu Railway, wh ...

. Iwakuma practices

Nichiren Buddhism Nichiren Buddhism ( ja, 日蓮仏教), also known as Hokkeshū ( ja, 法華宗, meaning ''Lotus Sect'') is a branch of Mahayana Buddhism based on the teachings of the 13th-century Japanese Buddhist priest Nichiren (1222–1282) and is one of ...

and is a member of the

Soka Gakkai International Soka Gakkai International (SGI) is an international Nichiren Buddhist organisation founded in 1975 by Daisaku Ikeda, as an umbrella organization of Soka Gakkai, which declares approximately 12 million adherents in 192 countries and territories ...

Buddhist association. He and his wife support various children's charities including orphanages and organizations that provide assistance to children with disabilities.

References

External links

*
Iwakuma21.com – Hisashi Iwakuma Official Website
(Japanese)
Hisashi Iwakuma JapaneseBallPlayers.com
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Iwakuma, Hisashi 1981 births Living people American League All-Stars Baseball people from Tokyo Metropolis Baseball players at the 2004 Summer Olympics Everett AquaSox players Horikoshi High School alumni Japanese Buddhists Japanese expatriate baseball players in the United States Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from Japan Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics Members of Sōka Gakkai Modesto Nuts players Nippon Professional Baseball pitchers Nippon Professional Baseball MVP Award winners Olympic baseball players of Japan Olympic bronze medalists for Japan Olympic medalists in baseball Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes players People from Higashiyamato, Tokyo Seattle Mariners players Tacoma Rainiers players Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles players Yomiuri Giants players 2009 World Baseball Classic players

Early life and high school career

Professional career

Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes

Early years: 2000–2003

2004

Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles

2005–2007: Injury Woes

2008 season

2009–2011

Seattle Mariners

Yomiuri Giants

International career

2004 Athens Olympics

2009 World Baseball Classic

Pitching style

Mechanics

Repertoire

Coaching career

Personal life

References

External links