Koji Yamaguchi

Koji Yamaguchi (山口 幸司)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 10", Weight 176 lb.

• High School Omiya Higashi High School

• Born April 29, 1970 in Saitama, Saitama Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Koji Yamaguchi played in Nippon Pro Baseball for 11 years.

Yamaguchi was drafted by the Chunichi Dragons in the 3rd round of the 1988 NPB draft, and he went 9-for-47 in 1989. He and Yasuaki Taiho were the first pair of drafted rookies to hit back-to-back homers in NPB history, and it would be 30 years later that another pair accomplished it (Yuya Ogoh and Ryosuke Tatsumi). Yamaguchi only got two at-bats in 1990, and he got some chances after Toshikatsu Hikono was injured in 1991. He shared the starting center fielder spot with Toyozo Minamimure and Kiyoyuki Nagashima, and he played 84 games with a .211/.274/.311 batting line. Yamaguchi pinch-ran for Hikono on June 18 after he was injured while running the bases after hitting a homer, and it was the first time in NPB history that a batter had to be replaced in the middle of circling the bases on a home run. He improved to .269/.331/.333 in 1992, but he then suffered from injuries so he only got 16 at-bats combined in the next two seasons. Yamaguchi hit .285/.351/.445 in 1995, then he missed the entire 1996 season due to injuries. He played 65 games with a .227/.312/.300 batting line in 1997, and he recorded a .221/.302/.327 batting line in 198. Yamaguchi only got 4 at-bats in 1998, and he announced his retirement.

Overall, Yamaguchi hit .236/.302/.336 with 165 hits and 15 homers in 11 seasons in NPB.

Sources

• Wiki Japan