Kenshin Kawakami (川上 憲伸) (born June 22, 1975) is a Japanese former
professional baseball
Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
Modern professional ...
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 ...
. He played in
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) for the
Chunichi Dragons
The are a professional baseball team based in Nagoya, the chief city in the Chūbu region of Japan. The team plays in the Central League of Nippon Professional Baseball. They have won the Central League pennant nine times (most recently in 2011) ...
and 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), ...
(MLB) for the
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in Bos ...
.
Japanese career
He originally pitched for the Chunichi Dragons of the
Central League
The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League in the annual Japan Series. It currently consi ...
. Kawakami was the
Rookie of the Year in 1998 as he went 14-6 with a 2.57
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 ...
. He helped the Dragons to the Central League Title in 1999, but would lose in the Japan Series in 5 games to the
Fukuoka Daiei 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. ...
. He has pitched a
no-hitter in his professional career. In 2004, Kawakami went 17-7 and led Chunichi to the Central League Title, though they fell to 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, w ...
in 7 games in the Japan Series. That year, Kawakami was named Central League MVP and received the
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 ...
as Japan's best pitcher. Kawakami again won 17 games in 2006 and led the Dragons to the Central League title again, winning Game 1 of the Japan Series against the
Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters.
In 2007, Kawakami helped the Dragons end a streak of 53 years without a championship as they beat the Nippon Ham Fighters in 5 games.
Major League Baseball career
On January 13, , Kawakami signed a three-year deal with the
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in Bos ...
.
Kenshin Kawakami threw his first game as an Atlanta Brave on February 26 in a Spring training game against the Pirates. Kawakami pitched two innings allowing one hit and striking out one batter.
![Kenshin Kawakami on June 24, 2009 (2)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3a/Kenshin_Kawakami_on_June_24%2C_2009_%282%29.jpg)
Kawakami pitched his first Major League game on April 11, 2009 against the
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...
. He picked up his first Major League win, giving up 3 earned runs, and striking out 8 in 6 innings. On May 22 and against countryman
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 ...
at
Fenway Park
Fenway Park is a baseball stadium located in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, near Kenmore Square. Since 1912, it has been the home of the Boston Red Sox, the city's American League baseball team, and since 1953, its only Major League Bas ...
, he limited the
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 eigh ...
to two hits and two earned runs in six innings and helped the Braves begin a 13-game stretch with an 8-2 win over the Red Sox.
Kawakami went 1-10 in 2010 and recorded nine straight losses before picking up his first
win on June 26 against the
Detroit Tigers at
Turner Field
Turner Field was a baseball stadium located in Atlanta, Georgia. From 1997 to 2016, it served as the home ballpark to the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). Originally built as Centennial Olympic Stadium in 1996 to serve as the c ...
. He pitched seven innings with six
strikeouts in a 4-3 win for the
Braves. After being sent to the bullpen, Kawakami only pitched once in 40 games, where he performed poorly, allowing 2 runs in one inning. On November 12, following the season, the Braves outrighted Kawakami to their Double-A affiliate, the
Mississippi Braves
The Mississippi Braves, or M-Braves as they are referred to locally, are a Minor League Baseball team based in Pearl, Mississippi, a suburb of Jackson. The team is the Double-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves and plays in the Southern League. ...
.
During the 2010 season, a group of fans would dress as "Kenshin's Geishas" to support Kawakami during homestands.
Return to Japan
After spending the entirety of the 2011 season pitching at the AA level for the
Mississippi Braves
The Mississippi Braves, or M-Braves as they are referred to locally, are a Minor League Baseball team based in Pearl, Mississippi, a suburb of Jackson. The team is the Double-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves and plays in the Southern League. ...
, Kawakami agreed to a contract with his previous team, the
Chunichi Dragons
The are a professional baseball team based in Nagoya, the chief city in the Chūbu region of Japan. The team plays in the Central League of Nippon Professional Baseball. They have won the Central League pennant nine times (most recently in 2011) ...
of Japan's Central League.
Kawakami struggled with injury upon his return to the Dragons, making only a combined 12 starts during the 2012 and 2013 seasons. He went 3-1 with a 2.83 in seven starts during 2012 and 1-1 with a 3.21 ERA in five starts during 2013. Due to shoulder pain, he did not make his first start in 2013 until 22 August.
On 22 November 2013, the Chunichi Dragons announced that they had signed Kawakami to a 1-year extension. However he only managed six starts in 2014 and was not resigned for the 2015 season, he announced his retirement in October 2015.
Pitching style
Kawakami throws a fastball around 90 mph (tops out at 94), shuuto (sinker), slow
curveball, splitter, and a good cutter.
Outside baseball
In response to the
2011 earthquake and tsunami
Eleven or 11 may refer to:
*11 (number), the natural number following 10 and preceding 12
* one of the years 11 BC, AD 11, 1911, 2011, or any year ending in 11
Literature
* ''Eleven'' (novel), a 2006 novel by British author David Llewellyn
*''E ...
in Japan, Kawakami donated $50,000 to relief efforts.
References
External links
*
Career statistics - NPB.jpJapanese league stats, info, and links for Kenshin Kawakami by JapaneseBallPlayers.com:
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kawakami, Kenshin
1975 births
Atlanta Braves players
Baseball players at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Chunichi Dragons players
Japanese expatriate baseball players in the United States
Gulf Coast Braves players
Gwinnett Braves players
Living people
Meiji University alumni
Major League Baseball players from Japan
Major League Baseball pitchers
Mississippi Braves players
Nippon Professional Baseball MVP Award winners
Nippon Professional Baseball pitchers
Nippon Professional Baseball Rookie of the Year Award winners
Olympic baseball players of Japan
People from Tokushima (city)
Baseball people from Tokushima Prefecture