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Community Yoga Center Christine Hasegawa kulastudio.com | Seattle Dentist, Dr. Fred Hasegawa hasegawadds.com |
Shigetoshi Hasegawa (長谷川 滋利 Hasegawa Shigetoshi) (born August 1, 1968 in Kakogawa, Hyōgo, Japan) is a retired relief pitcher in Major League Baseball, a best-selling author and Japanese television personality. He achieved the most recognition when he played for the Seattle Mariners from 2002 through 2005. Previously, Hasegawa played with the Anaheim Angels (1997–2001), and before that spent six years with the Orix Blue Wave. He bats and throws right-handed.
[edit] CareerHasegawa was drafted in the first round by the Orix BlueWave in 1990. He won 12 games in his rookie year, and received the Japanese Rookie of the Year Award in 1991. He was a teammate of Ichiro Suzuki in Japan, and won two championships with the Orix BlueWave. Hasegawa was purchased by the Anaheim Angels in January 1997, and pitched well as a setup man. He signed with the Seattle Mariners on January 14, 2002, and became the team's closer in 2003, when Kazuhiro Sasaki sustained an injury. He played in the All-Star game that year. He was not offered a contract by the Mariners after the 2005 season, and announced his retirement, despite receiving several offers from Major League and Japanese league teams. In 2003, Hasegawa was named to the All Star Team as a middle reliever and ended up converting 16 of 17 saves at the end of the year when Mariners closer Kazuhiro Sasaki was injured. He concluded the season with a 1.48 ERA in 63 relief appearances. Hasegawa holds the record for most appearances by an Asian pitcher in Major League Baseball ahead of Hideo Nomo. In his nine-season MLB career, Hasegawa compiled a 45-44 record with 33 saves and a 3.71 ERA in 517 games. On January 23, 2006, Hasegawa announced his retirement.[1] Hasegawa was known for releasing the ball very quickly, throwing off the batter's timing. He was injured very few times throughout his career, entering the disabled list only once in his nine years in the majors. He was never demoted to the minor leagues during his career. Hasegawa explains that he did not move to the U.S. to play in the majors; he entered the majors because he wanted to live in the U.S[citation needed]. He has since obtained permanent residence in the U.S. He speaks fluent English, even interviewing teammates on an American television show, and introduced himself in English at his first press conference in the U.S. He has also published a book in Japan with tips on improving English language skills. He is rumored to have been the only Major League player ever to read the Wall Street Journal in the locker room. Teammate Ichiro Suzuki commented jokingly that Hasegawa tried to talk with teammates about stocks and business during practice sessions. Though not a star player like Ichiro or Hideki Matsui, Hasegawa built up a solid reputation as a reliever. In addition to selling real estate in Irvine, California, he frequently appears on baseball-related television shows in Japan, and is a commentator for major league games shown in Japan on NHK.[1] [edit] Statistics[edit] Nippon Professional Baseball
[edit] Major League Baseball
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Categories: 1968 births | Living people | Major League Baseball pitchers | Major League Baseball players from Japan | Anaheim Angels players | Seattle Mariners players | American League All-Stars | Japanese baseball players | Orix BlueWave players | People from Newport Beach, California | People from Hyōgo Prefecture | Nippon Professional Baseball Rookie of the Year Award winners | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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