Kei Igawa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Kei Igawa |
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Igawa pitching for the Orix Buffaloes at Hanshin Koshien Stadium
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| Pitcher | |||
| Born: July 13, 1979 Ōarai, Ibaraki, Japan |
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| Professional debut | |||
| NPB: May 2, 1999, for the Hanshin Tigers | |||
| MLB: April 7, 2007, for the New York Yankees | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| MLB: June 27, 2008, for the New York Yankees | |||
| NPB: 2014, for the Orix Buffaloes | |||
| NPB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 93–72 | ||
| Earned run average | 3.21 | ||
| Strikeouts | 1279 | ||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 2–4 | ||
| Earned run average | 6.66 | ||
| Strikeouts | 53 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Kei Igawa (井川 慶, Igawa Kei, born July 13, 1979) is a Japanese former left-handed pitcher. He played baseball for two major leagues. These were Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) in Japan and Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States. He played for the Hanshin Tigers and Orix Buffaloes in Japan. In the U.S., he played for the New York Yankees.
Kei Igawa was a top pitcher in Japan. He led the Central League in strikeouts three times. These years were 2002, 2004, and 2006. He also played in the 2006 Major League Baseball Japan All-Star Series. Although he has not officially retired, Igawa is not currently playing for a professional team.
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Kei Igawa's Baseball Journey
Playing for the Hanshin Tigers (1998–2006)
Kei Igawa was chosen by the Hanshin Tigers in the 1998 draft. He spent a few years in their minor league system. By 2001, he became a starting pitcher for the main team. In his first full season, he won 9 games and lost 13. Even though his team finished last, his ERA was 2.67. This was the second best in the Central League.
In 2002, the Hanshin Tigers improved. Igawa's record was 14 wins and 9 losses. He had the third-best ERA in the league at 2.49. He also led the Central League with 206 strikeouts.
The 2003 season was a great year for Igawa. The Tigers won the Central League championship. Igawa helped a lot with his amazing pitching. He finished with 20 wins and only 5 losses. His ERA was 2.80, and he had 179 strikeouts. He won several important awards that year. These included the Best Nine award, the Central League MVP, and the Eiji Sawamura Award. The Sawamura Award is like the Cy Young Award in MLB.
Igawa's performance was not as strong in 2004 and 2005. In 2004, he led the league with 228 strikeouts. However, his record was 14 wins and 11 losses, with a 3.73 ERA. In 2005, he won 13 games and lost 9. His ERA was 3.86. He also allowed the most hits in the Central League that year.
Playing for the New York Yankees (2007–2011)
Joining the Yankees in 2007
In 2006, Igawa decided he wanted to play baseball in North America. The Hanshin Tigers allowed him to be "posted." This meant MLB teams could bid for the right to sign him. On November 29, 2006, the New York Yankees won the bid. They paid over $26 million for the right to sign him.
On December 27, 2006, Igawa signed a five-year contract worth $20 million with the Yankees. He was officially introduced at Yankee Stadium in January 2007. His first game in MLB was on April 7, 2007. He gave up seven runs in five innings. However, he did not get a loss because Alex Rodriguez hit a game-winning grand slam. Igawa later moved to the bullpen. He earned wins as a relief pitcher against the Cleveland Indians and Boston Red Sox.
One memorable game was on April 28. The starting pitcher, Jeff Karstens, got hurt early in the game. Igawa came in from the bullpen. He pitched six innings without giving up any runs. He allowed only two hits and struck out six batters. He received a standing ovation from the fans. He was the winning pitcher in the Yankees' 3–1 victory over the Boston Red Sox.
Later, the Yankees sent Igawa to a minor league team. This was the Florida State League's Tampa Yankees. They wanted him to work on his pitching style. He then moved up to the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre Yankees. Igawa returned to the Yankees on June 22, 2007. He allowed two runs in 4.2 innings. In July 2007, he was sent back to Triple-A. He returned to the Yankees in September when teams could have more players.
Seasons from 2008 to 2009
Igawa started the 2008 season with the Scranton/Wilkes Barre Yankees. He was called up to the MLB team to replace Ian Kennedy. In his first MLB start of 2008, he gave up eleven hits and six runs in three innings. He was called up again in June for one game. Then he was sent back to the minor leagues. On July 26, 2008, he was removed from the Yankees' main roster. He was named to the 2008 Triple-A All-Star Team.
In 2009, Igawa was invited to spring training. He was the only Yankee with a guaranteed contract who was not on the main roster. On March 23, 2009, the Yankees sent him to minor league camp. With the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees, Igawa had a record of 10 wins and 8 losses. His ERA was 4.15, and he had 105 strikeouts. These were the best numbers on the team for 2009. On July 27, 2009, Igawa set a team record for most career wins for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre team.
During 2008 and 2009, the Yankees' General manager, Brian Cashman, tried to sell Igawa to a Japanese team twice. However, Igawa chose to stay in the U.S.
Seasons from 2010 to 2011
In 2010, Igawa was again invited to spring training. On March 13, he was sent back to the AAA team. In 2011, Igawa played most of the season for the Yankees' AA team, the Trenton Thunder. He also pitched four games in AAA for the Scranton/Wilkes Barre Yankees. There, he had a record of 1 win and 0 losses with a 2.78 ERA.
Igawa had said he wanted to stay in the United States to play in MLB. His contract with the Yankees ended after the 2011 season. He became a free agent.
Playing for the Orix Buffaloes (2012–2014)
The Orix Buffaloes of NPB signed Igawa to a two-year contract before the 2012 season. Injuries became a problem for Igawa when he returned to Japan. He made only 29 starts from 2012 to 2014. He became a free agent after the 2014 season.
Kei Igawa's Pitching Style
Igawa's fastball usually went between 87 and 90 miles per hour. He could throw it faster, up to 93 mph, when he needed a strikeout. He also threw a changeup, which was around 78–81 mph. His slider was mostly used against left-handed batters. His changeup often stayed high and in the middle of the plate. This pitch got many swings and misses in Japan. However, it was not as successful in America. Igawa was known for having good control in Japan. But he struggled with control at the Major League level.
Igawa was also known for his unique way of finishing his pitch. He would throw his left leg high in the air. Then he would bring his pitching arm back to a high position. He did not do this as often with his slower pitches. This might have made it easier for batters to tell if a pitch was a fastball or a slower pitch.
Igawa's record during day games in Japan was 4 wins and 5 losses, with a 7.09 ERA. He pitched much better in night games. Because of this, he wore sunglasses during day games. This helped make the game feel more like a night game for him.
Kei Igawa's Life Outside Baseball
In February 2007, Igawa announced on his Japanese blog that he had recently gotten married. His wife and children would visit New York for a few months each year. Igawa enjoys playing shogi, which is a Japanese board game similar to chess. In January 2007, the Japanese Shogi Association made Igawa a "shogi goodwill ambassador." This was to help make shogi popular outside Japan. They also gave him a special diploma.
Igawa is a big soccer fan. However, he joined the baseball club in junior high school because there was no soccer club. He was originally a fan of the Kashima Antlers soccer team. This team is based near his hometown. But he became a Gamba Osaka fan after joining the Hanshin Tigers baseball team.
Awards and Achievements in Japan
- 3-time All-Star (2001–2003)
- 2002 Strikeouts champion of the year
- 2003 Eiji Sawamura Award winner
- 2003 Best Nine Award winner
- 2003 Wins and ERA champion of the Central League
- 2003 Central League MVP
- 2004 Strikeouts champion of the year
- 2006 Strikeouts champion of the Central League
