Kazuki Sugiyama

Kazuki Sugiyama (杉山 一樹)

• Bats Right Throws Right
• Height 6' 3", Weight 202 lb.

• High School Suruga Sogo High School

• Born December 7, 1997 in Shizuoka, Shizuoka Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Kazuki Sugiyama has pitched in Nippon Pro Baseball.

Sugiyama was drafted by the Softbank Hawks in the 2nd round of the 2018 NPB draft; the scout was Kenichi Yamazaki. He only pitched 2 games with a 9.00 ERA in 2019 for the big club, and he was 4-0 with a 2.50 ERA in the NPB Farm Leagues. He also pitched 10 games for the Gigantes de Carolina in the winter, and his ERA was 0.75. Sugiyama then had a 2.16 ERA in 11 games in 2020, and he pitched a shutout inning in the 2020 Nippon Series Game 2. He was 2-2 with a 3.20 ERA in 2021, but his ERA rose to 6.80 in 10 games in 2022. Sugiyama then missed the entire 2023 season due to right elbow injury, and he came back in 2024. He notched 14 holds with a 1.61 ERA in 50 appearances, and he was 7th in appearances in the Pacific League (tied with Nobuyoshi Yamada, Kosei Yoshida, Yuki Matsumoto and Seiryu Kotajima). In the 2024 Nippon Series, he only allowed a run in 4 games combined, but the Hawks lost to the Yokohama BayStars in 6 games.

The Shizuoka native was named Softbank's closer in 2025, and he had his career year. Sugiyama was selected into the 2025 NPB All-Star Game, and he relieved Hiroshi Kaino in the 9th inning of Game 1. He retired Shota Morishita, Shogo Sakakura and Yusuke Ohyama to close the door. Sugiyama notched 31 saves and 10 holds in 65 relief outings with a solid 1.82 ERA, and he led the Pacific League in appearances and ERA (tied with Kaima Taira). In the 2025 Nippon Series, Sugiyama pitched a shutout inning in Game 1, then he added a shutout inning in Game 3 to get a save. He notched another save with a shutout inning in Game 4, and he relieved Kouya Fujii in the 9th inning of Game 5. He completed two perfect innings, and he got the win thanks to Isami Nomura's game-winning solo shot. The Hawks beat the Tigers in 5 games, and Sugiyama won his second title.

Sugiyama's repertoire features a fastball that peaks at 99.4 mph, curveball and a forkball

Sources

• Wiki Japan