Kenta Maeda facts for kids
Kenta Maeda is a famous Japanese professional baseball pitcher. He currently plays for the Detroit Tigers in Major League Baseball (MLB). Before joining the Tigers, he played for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Minnesota Twins in MLB. He also played for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp in Japan's top league, Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
Maeda started his career with the Carp in 2008. He was recognized as one of Japan's best pitchers, winning the Eiji Sawamura Award twice, in 2010 and 2015. After the 2015 season, he moved to MLB and signed with the Dodgers. Later, he was traded to the Twins in 2020 and then joined the Tigers in 2024.
Quick facts for kids Kenta Maeda |
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Maeda with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2017
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| Detroit Tigers – No. 18 | |||
| Pitcher | |||
| Born: April 11, 1988 Tadaoka, Osaka, Japan |
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| Professional debut | |||
| NPB: April 5, 2008, for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp | |||
| MLB: April 6, 2016, for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |||
| NPB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 97–67 | ||
| Earned run average | 2.39 | ||
| Strikeouts | 1,233 | ||
| MLB statistics (through 2024 season) |
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| Win–loss record | 68–56 | ||
| Earned run average | 4.17 | ||
| Strikeouts | 1,047 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Kenta Maeda (前田 健太, Maeda Kenta, born April 11, 1988)
Contents
Baseball Career Highlights
Playing for Hiroshima Toyo Carp
The Hiroshima Toyo Carp picked Maeda from high school in the 2006 NPB draft. He played for their minor league team in 2007. He joined the main NPB team in 2008.
In his first year, 2008, Maeda had a strong record of 9 wins and 2 losses. His earned run average (ERA) was 3.20. Over the next few years, he continued to improve. In 2010, he had an amazing season with 15 wins and a 2.21 ERA.
Maeda won the Eiji Sawamura Award in both 2010 and 2015. This award goes to the best pitcher in the league. He was also the youngest pitcher in Japanese baseball history to win the pitching Triple Crown. This means he led the league in wins, ERA, and strikeouts. After the 2015 season, the Carp allowed him to join Major League Baseball (MLB) teams.
Joining the Los Angeles Dodgers
On January 7, 2016, Maeda signed an eight-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers also paid a special fee to the Hiroshima Carp to get him.
Maeda had a great MLB debut on April 6, 2016. He pitched six innings without allowing any runs against the San Diego Padres. He also hit his first major league home run in that game! He finished his first MLB season with 16 wins and an ERA of 3.48. He was chosen for the Baseball America all-rookie team. He also finished third for the National League Rookie of the Year Award.
2017 Season
In 2017, Maeda started as a pitcher in the main rotation. He had some tough games early on. Because of this, he sometimes pitched as a relief pitcher instead of a starter. A relief pitcher comes into the game after the starter.
He returned to being a starter later in the season and pitched very well. Overall, he had 13 wins and 6 losses with a 4.22 ERA. He helped the Dodgers reach the 2017 World Series. In the playoffs, he was a strong relief pitcher, allowing very few runs.
2018 Season
Maeda started the 2018 season as a starting pitcher again. He had 6 wins and 7 losses with a 3.85 ERA. He also struck out many batters. Later in the season, he moved back to the bullpen as a relief pitcher.
As a reliever, he had 2 wins and 3 losses and saved two games. He finished the season with 8 wins and 10 losses. He also struck out 153 batters. In the playoffs, he continued to pitch well in relief.
2019 Season
In 2019, Maeda began the season as a starting pitcher for the Dodgers. Towards the end of the year, he moved to the bullpen again. He made 26 starts and 11 relief appearances. He finished with 10 wins and 8 losses and an ERA of 4.04. He also had 169 strikeouts.
Playing for the Minnesota Twins
On February 10, 2020, the Dodgers traded Maeda to the Minnesota Twins. He made his Twins debut on July 25, 2020. On August 12, he earned his 50th career MLB win.
On August 18, Maeda almost pitched a no-hitter against the Milwaukee Brewers. He didn't allow any hits for eight innings! He struck out 12 batters, which was a new Twins record for consecutive strikeouts. The no-hitter was broken in the ninth inning.
In the 2020 season, he had 6 wins and 1 loss with a 2.70 ERA. He led all of MLB in WHIP (0.750), which shows how few batters he allowed on base. He was the runner-up for the 2020 American League Cy Young Award, which is given to the best pitcher. In 2021, Maeda had an injury that made him miss the entire 2022 season.
Joining the Detroit Tigers
On November 28, 2023, Maeda signed a two-year contract with the Detroit Tigers. He started the 2024 season as a starting pitcher. However, after some struggles, the Tigers decided to move him to the bullpen as a relief pitcher.
International Baseball Career
Maeda has also played for the Japanese national baseball team. He played in the 2013 World Baseball Classic, the 2014 MLB Japan All-Star Series, and the 2015 WBSC Premier12 tournament.
In the 2013 World Baseball Classic, he pitched very well. He had a 2–0 record with a 0.00 ERA in his first two games. He allowed only two hits and struck out 15 batters in 10 innings. He was chosen for the all-tournament team.
He also pitched well in the 2014 MLB Japan All-Star Series and the 2015 WBSC Premier12 tournament. In 2018, he was selected to play in the MLB All-Stars at the 2018 MLB Japan All-Star Series.
Pitching Style
Maeda is a right-handed pitcher who is 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighs 185 pounds. He throws the ball with a special motion that includes a slight pause. He uses a mix of different pitches to get batters out.
His main pitch is a four-seam fastball, which usually goes around 90 miles per hour. He also throws a two-seam fastball, which is a little slower. Besides his fastballs, he has an excellent slider and a strong changeup. These pitches help him trick batters and get strikeouts.
Personal Life
Maeda lives in Tokyo, Japan, with his wife, Saho, and their daughter and son. He is a fan of the reality TV show Terrace House. He even appeared as a guest commentator on one of the episodes.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball players from Japan
