Luiz Henrique Gohara (born July 31, 1996) is a Brazilian former professional

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 t ...

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 ...

who played 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 ...

in 2017 and 2018.

Career

Seattle Mariners

Gohara 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) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion team ...

for $880,000 as an international free agent on August 14, 2012. He was originally on Brazil's roster for the

2013 World Baseball Classic The 2013 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an international professional baseball competition, held from March 2 to March 19, 2013. This was the third iteration of the WBC, following the two previous tournaments, held in 2006 and 2009. Unlike t ...

, however he left the team before the competition started. He made his professional debut that season for the

Pulaski Mariners Pulaski may refer to: Places * Pulaski Heights, a section of the city of Little Rock, Arkansas * Pulaski Shoal, an underwater landform west of the Florida Keys * Pulaski, Georgia, a town * Pulaski Square, one of the "Squares of Savannah" in th ...

, going 1–2 with a 4.15 ERA in 2013. In 2014, he pitched for the Class R

Arizona League Mariners The Arizona Complex League Mariners are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Seattle Mariners, competing in the Arizona Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays its home games at Peoria Sports Complex in Peoria, Arizona. The team is ...

and short-season Class A Northwest League

Everett AquaSox The Everett AquaSox are a Minor League Baseball team in Everett, Washington. The team is a member of the Northwest League and is affiliated with the Seattle Mariners. The AquaSox play their home games at Funko Field, which has a seating capacity ...

, going a combined 1–7 with a 6.66 ERA.Luiz Gohara Stats , Baseball-Reference.com
/ref> In 2015 he was a combined 3-8 with a 5.54 ERA in A- and A ball.

Atlanta Braves

On January 11, 2017, Gohara was traded to the Atlanta Braves, along with pitcher

Thomas Burrows Thomas E. Burrows (born September 14, 1994) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. The Seattle Mariners selected Burrows in the fourth round, with the 117th overall selection, of the 2016 MLB draft. Career Burrows atte ...

, in exchange for outfielder

Mallex Smith Mallex Lydell Smith (born May 6, 1993) is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves in 2016, Tampa Bay Rays from 2017 to 2018, and Seattle Mariners from 20 ...

and pitcher Shae Simmons. He was promoted twice during the 2017 season, joining 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. ...

on May 10, and the

Gwinnett Braves The Gwinnett Stripers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They play their home games at Coolray Field in unincorporated Gwinnett County, Georgia (with a Lawrencevil ...

in July. Gohara was called up to the majors for the first time on September 5, 2017. In five starts he was 1–3 with an ERA of 4.91. Gohara missed the entirety of spring training in 2018, and was eventually assigned to the

Gwinnett Stripers The Gwinnett Stripers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They play their home games at Coolray Field in unincorporated Gwinnett County, Georgia (with a Lawrencevil ...

on April 28. Recalled for the first time that season on May 8, Gohara returned to the minor leagues on June 17. In July 2018, Gohara was called up a second time, only to be sent down before the All-Star Game. He spent the rest of the season at the minor league level, and was placed on the 60-day disabled list in September. Gohara participated in spring training prior to the 2019 season, and was assigned to the Gwinnett Stripers in March. Gohara mysteriously did not pitch in the early part of 2019, but it was revealed in late July that he had an arthroscopic procedure on his shoulder to alleviate soreness that he experienced since spring training. No significant tissue damage was discovered. He was designated for assignment on July 31, 2019 to make room for newly acquired

Shane Greene Shane Greene (born November 17, 1988) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He has previously played in MLB for the New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers, Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers. The Yankees select ...

. Gohara was released on August 2.

Los Angeles Angels

On August 28, 2019, Gohara signed a minor league deal with the

Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team h ...

. He was released on May 29, 2020.

Personal life

He is a Brazilian of Japanese descent. He was born in Tupã, São Paulo to parents Luiz and Maria Gohara. His father was a professional baseball player in Japan and died at the age of 58 in December 2017.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gohara, Luiz 1996 births Living people Arizona League Mariners players Atlanta Braves players Brazilian expatriate baseball players in the United States Brazilian people of Japanese descent Clinton LumberKings players Everett AquaSox players Florida Fire Frogs players Gwinnett Braves players Gwinnett Stripers players Major League Baseball players from Brazil Major League Baseball pitchers Mississippi Braves players Sportspeople from São Paulo (state) Peoria Javelinas players Pulaski Mariners players