Hiroyuki Kawahara

Hiroyuki Kawahara (川原 弘之)

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 0", Weight 185 lb.

• High School Fukuoka University Ohori High School

• Born August 23, 1991 in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Hiroyuki Kawahara was drafted by the Softbank Hawks in the 2nd round of the 2009 NPB draft, and he mainly stayed in the NPB Farm Leagues in his first 9 seasons; he only pitched 4 games combined for the big club. He was 1-3 with a 4.78 ERA for the Criollos de Caguas in 2011, and he broke the NPB record for fastest pitch as a southpaw with 158 km/h (98.2 mph) in 2012. However, he suffered from Yips, and he also underwent Tommy John surgery so he didn't get many chances. Kawahara finally stayed in the big club in 2019, and he had a 2.66 ERA in 19 relief outings. He recorded a 2.00 ERA in 22 games in 2020, but he allowed 2 runs in 2 1/3 innings in 2021 and announced his retirement.

Sources

• Wiki Japan