Koji Mitsui

Koji Mitsui (三井 浩二)

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 0", Weight 190 lb.
• High School Hokkaido Ashoro High School

• Born September 15, 1973 in Ashoro-gun, Hokkaido Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Koji Mitsui pitched 9 years in Nippon Pro Baseball.

Mitsui was picked by the Daiei Hawks in the 4th round of the 1991 NPB draft but opted not to sign. He pitched for Nippon Steel for most of the decade. In 2000, the Seibu Lions took him in the 2nd round. He debuted in 2001, going 3-3 with a 5.22 ERA as a swingman. In 2002, he improved to 10-2, 3.15 in 16 starts and 25 relief appearances. He was 5th in the Pacific League in ERA behind Masahiko Kaneda, Dae-sung Koo, Nate Minchey and Kenichi Wakatabe. He made the PL All-Star team, and he completed three shutout innings as the starter of the 2002 NPB All-Star Game 1. Mitsui had a 3.18 ERA in 3 games in the 2002 Japan Series.

In 2003, the left-hander was 11-5 with a 5.22 ERA. He was second on Seibu in wins, behind Daisuke Matsuzaka. In 2004, Mitsui was limited to 9 games, with a 7.69 ERA and 67 hits in 45 2/3 IP. He was 2-3. He allowed one run in two innings in the 2004 Japan Series. Koji moved to relief in 2005 and was 1-2 with a 4.95 ERA. The next year, Mitsui was 4-1 with 21 holds a save in 45 games; he had a 1.73 ERA, best on the club. He pitched in the MLB-NPB All-Star Series that winter. In 2007, he remained effective with a 4-2, 2.22 record in 47 outings with 23 holds. Only Eiji Shotsu had a lower ERA on the Lions, and he was 3rd in holds in PL (between Hisashi Takeda and Tadahiro Ogino).

Mitsui struggled in 2008 as the veteran faded to 1-1, 7.50 and allowed 33 hits in 24 innings. He allowed one run in 1 1/3 IP in the 2008 Japan Series, which Seibu won. Mitsui requested to be posted for MLB teams following the season and Seibu complied, but no club showed no interest considering Mitsui's 2008 campaign. Mitsui was posted again the same off-season and again drew no takers, and he announced his retirement. He later became an assistant coach for Surugadai University from 2015 to 2019.

Overall, Mitsui was 36-20 with a 4.45 ERA, collected 54 holds in 282 appearances, struck out 413 and pitched 568 innings in 9 seasons in NPB.

Sources

• Japan Baseball Daily
• Japanese Wikipedia
• Japanesebaseball.com