Masumi Kuwata
| Masumi Kuwata | |||
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| Pitcher | |||
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Born: April 1, 1968 Osaka, Japan |
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| Professional debut | |||
| NPB: 1986, for the Yomiuri Giants | |||
| MLB: June 10, 2007, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| August 13, 2007, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |||
| NPB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 173-141 | ||
| Earned run average | 3.42 | ||
| Strikeouts | 1,980 | ||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 0-1 | ||
| Earned run average | 9.43 | ||
| Strikeouts | 12 | ||
| Teams | |||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
Masumi Kuwata (桑田 真澄 Kuwata Masumi, born 1 April 1968 in Yao, Osaka, Japan) is a former Japanese right-handed pitcher who played the bulk of his career with the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball. He pitched 21 seasons with the Giants, beginning in 1986. Near the end of his career, he played part of one season with the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball.
Kuwata entered the prestigious PL (Perfect Liberty) High School in Osaka. He and his teammate Kazuhiro Kiyohara immediately became stars in high school baseball. Kuwata led his team to five Koshien tournaments, winning the tournament twice. He won 20 games at Koshien, which is second only to Masao Yoshida's 23 wins.
The Yomiuri Giants drafted Kuwata in the 1st round in 1985. The draft generated some controversy, since Kuwata had repeatedly expressed a desire to enter Waseda University, prompting other teams to refrain from picking him in the draft. Kuwata reversed his previous statements and immediately signed with the Yomiuri Giants, adding fuel to rumors that he had conspired with the Giants to avoid being picked by other teams.
Kuwata quickly established his presence in the professional leagues, winning 15 games in his second year (1987) with a 2.17 ERA, the lowest in the league.
Major League pitcher Bill Gullickson played for the Giants in 1988–1989, and befriended Kuwata. Gullickson named his son Craig Kuwata Gullickson after Kuwata, and gave much advice to the Japanese pitcher. Kuwata has said his dream of playing in the Major Leagues came from Gullickson. However, many obstacles kept him from realizing this dream — including his great success in Nippon Professional Baseball. He won the Eiji Sawamura Award (the Japanese equivalent of the Cy Young Award) the same year, and won over ten games for six consecutive seasons starting in 1992.
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