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 former Japanese baseball player. He was a left-handed pitcher. Kei Igawa played for two teams in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) in Japan. These were the Hanshin Tigers and the Orix Buffaloes. He also played for the New York Yankees in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States. Igawa was known for his many strikeouts. He led the Central League in strikeouts in 2002, 2004, and 2006. He also played in the 2006 Major League Baseball Japan All-Star Series. Kei 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 picked by the Hanshin Tigers in the 1998 draft. He spent a few years in their minor league system. In 2001, he joined the main team as a starting pitcher. In his first full season, Igawa had a record of 9 wins and 13 losses. But he had the second-best ERA (2.67) in the Central League.
In 2002, the Tigers team got better. Igawa's record was 14 wins and 9 losses. He was third in ERA (2.49). He also led the Central League with 206 strikeouts.
The year 2003 was a big one for Igawa. The Tigers won the Central League championship. Igawa played a huge part in their success. He had an amazing record of 20 wins and 5 losses. His ERA was 2.80, and he had 179 strikeouts. He won several important awards that year. These included the MVP award for the Central League. He also won the Eiji Sawamura Award. This 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. But his record was 14 wins and 11 losses, with a 3.73 ERA. In 2005, he had 13 wins and 9 losses. His ERA was 3.86.
Playing for the New York Yankees (2007–2011)
Moving to Major League Baseball
In 2006, Igawa decided he wanted to play in North America. The Hanshin Tigers allowed him to be "posted" for MLB teams. The New York Yankees offered the most money to sign him. They paid over $26 million for the right to talk to him. On December 27, 2006, Igawa signed a five-year contract with the Yankees.
He officially joined the team in January 2007. On April 7, 2007, Igawa made his first MLB start. He gave up seven runs in five innings. But he did not get a win or a loss because his teammate hit a grand slam. Igawa later moved to the bullpen to pitch in relief. He earned wins in relief against the Cleveland Indians and Boston Red Sox.
Igawa had a memorable game on April 28. The starting pitcher 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. The fans gave him a standing ovation. He earned the win in the Yankees' 3–1 victory over the Boston Red Sox.
However, the Yankees noticed problems with his pitching style. On May 7, they sent him to a minor league team. He worked on his pitching mechanics there. He later moved up to the Triple-A team. Igawa returned to the Yankees in September 2007.
Later Years with the Yankees (2008–2011)
Igawa did not make the Yankees' main team in 2008. He started the year with their Triple-A team. He was called up to the MLB team twice that year. In his first MLB start of 2008, he gave up many hits and runs. He was sent back to the minor leagues. He was named to the 2008 Triple-A All-Star Team.
In 2009, Igawa was invited to spring training. But he was sent to the minor league camp again. With the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees, he had 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. In July 2009, Igawa set a team record. He had the most career wins for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre team.
The Yankees tried to sell Igawa to a Japanese team twice. But Igawa wanted to stay in the United States. He wanted to play in MLB. In 2010 and 2011, he mostly played in the Yankees' minor league system. His contract with the Yankees ended after the 2011 season. He became a free agent.
Return to Japan: Orix Buffaloes (2012–2014)
The Orix Buffaloes in Japan signed Igawa in 2012. He signed a two-year contract. Injuries were a problem for Igawa when he returned to Japan. He only started 29 games 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. But he could throw it faster, up to 93 mph, when he needed a strikeout. He also threw a changeup pitch. This pitch was slower, around 78–81 mph. He used a slider mostly against left-handed batters. His changeup was sometimes easy for batters to hit. It was very successful in Japan, but less so in America.
Igawa was known for having good control of his pitches in Japan. But he had trouble with control in Major League Baseball.
He also had a unique way of finishing his pitch. He would throw his left leg high in the air. He would also bring his pitching arm up high. He did this more often with his fastballs than with his other pitches. This might have made it easier for batters to guess his pitches.
Igawa wore sunglasses during day games. This was because he pitched much better at night. He wanted to make day games feel more like night games.
Personal Life and Hobbies
In February 2007, Igawa shared that he had recently gotten married. His wife and children would visit him in New York for a few months each year. Igawa enjoys playing shogi, which is a Japanese board game similar to chess. In 2007, the Japanese Shogi Association made him a "shogi goodwill ambassador." This was to help make the game popular outside Japan.
Igawa is also a big soccer fan. He joined a baseball club in junior high because there was no soccer club. He used to cheer for the Kashima Antlers team. But he became a fan of Gamba Osaka after joining the Hanshin Tigers.
Awards and Achievements in Japan
- 3-time All-Star (2001–2003)
- 2002 Strikeouts champion of the year
- 2003 Eiji Sawamura Award
- 2003 Best Nine Award
- 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
