Famous Japanese Baseball Players

Vote for Your Favourite Japanese Baseball Players

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 1 
Ichiro Suzuki
(The First Japanese-born Position Player to be Posted and Signed to an MLB Club)
Ichiro Suzuki
11
Birthdate: October 22, 1973
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Aichi, Japan

Ichiro Suzuki is a Japanese former baseball player who played as an outfielder in top-level professional leagues, including Major League Baseball (MLB). Also a popular player at the Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan, Suzuki became the first MLB player to be inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame

 2 
Shohei Ohtani
(Japanese Professional Baseball Pitcher, Designated Hitter and Outfielder)
Shohei Ohtani
5
Birthdate: July 5, 1994
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Oshu, Iwate, Japan

Affectionately called Sho Time and the Japanese Babe Ruth, Japanese baseball star Shohei Ohtani is known for his successful stint with the MLB team Los Angeles Angels. Earlier, while with the Hokkaido-Nippon Ham Fighters, he set the record for the fastest-ever pitch thrown by a Japanese player.

 3 
Yu Darvish
(Japanese Professional Baseball Pitcher)
Yu Darvish
7
Birthdate: August 16, 1986
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Osaka, Japan

Born to a Japanese father and an Iranian mother, Sefat Farid Yu Darvish, better known as Yu Darvish, started playing baseball in second grade. Known for his baseball skills and his 6’5” frame, he is a 4-time All-Star and has played for teams such as the Chicago Cubs and the LA Dodgers.

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 4 
Hideki Matsui
(Baseball player)
Hideki Matsui
3
Birthdate: June 12, 1974
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Neagarimachi, Ishikawa, Japan
Height: 6'2" (188 cm)
 5 
Masahiro Tanaka
(Baseball Player)
Masahiro Tanaka
4
Birthdate: November 1, 1988
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Itami, Hyōgo, Japan
Height: 6'3" (190 cm)
 6 
Munenori Kawasaki
(Baseball player)
Munenori Kawasaki
3
Birthdate: June 3, 1981
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Aira, Kagoshima, Japan
Height: 5'11" (180 cm)
 7 
Daisuke Matsuzaka
(Baseball player - Pitcher)
Daisuke Matsuzaka
2
Birthdate: September 13, 1980
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Aomori, Aomori, Japan
Height: 6'0" (183 cm)
 8 
Sadaharu Oh
(Baseball player)
Sadaharu Oh
2
Birthdate: May 20, 1940
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Sumida City, Tokyo, Japan
 9 
Nomo Hideo
(Baseball player)
Nomo Hideo
4
Birthdate: August 31, 1968
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Ōsaka, Japan
Height: 6'2" (188 cm)
 10 
Kenta Maeda
(Baseball player Pitcher)
Kenta Maeda
3
Birthdate: April 11, 1988
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Tadaoka, Osaka, Japan
Height: 6'0" (183 cm)
 11 
Koji Uehara
(Former Baseball player pitcher)
Koji Uehara
2
Birthdate: April 3, 1975
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Osaka, Japan
Height: 6'1" (185 cm)
 12 
Hideki Irabu
(Baseball player)
Hideki Irabu
1
Birthdate: May 5, 1969
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Hirara, Okinawa, Japan
Died: July 27, 2011
Height: 6'4" (193 cm)
 13 
Yoshi Tsutsugo
(Baseball player)
Yoshi Tsutsugo
2
Birthdate: November 26, 1991
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Hashimoto, Wakayama, Japan
 14 
Eri Yoshida
(Japanese Professional Baseball Player Who Plays as a Sidearm Knuckleball Pitcher)
Eri Yoshida
0
Birthdate: January 17, 1992
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
Height: 5'1" (155 cm)
 15 
Ayami Sato
(Japanese Professional Baseball Pitcher)
Ayami Sato
0
Birthdate: December 21, 1989
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Amami, Kagoshima, Japan
Height: 5'5" (165 cm)
 16 
Yusei Kikuchi
(Baseball player)
Yusei Kikuchi
1
Birthdate: June 17, 1991
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Morioka, Iwate, Japan
Height: 6'0" (183 cm)
 17 
Hisashi Iwakuma
(Baseball player)
Hisashi Iwakuma
1
Birthdate: April 12, 1981
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Higashiyamato
 18 
Tsuyoshi Shinjo
(Baseball player)
Tsuyoshi Shinjo
1
Birthdate: January 28, 1972
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Tsushima, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan
Height: 5'11" (180 cm)
 19 
Shogo Akiyama
(Baseball player)
Shogo Akiyama
2
Birthdate: April 16, 1988
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Yokosuka, Kanagawa, Japan
 20 
Hiroki Kuroda
(Baseball pitcher)
Hiroki Kuroda
1
Birthdate: February 10, 1975
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Osaka, Japan
Height: 6'1" (185 cm)
 21 
Victor Starffin
(Baseball pitcher in Japan to win 300 games)
Victor Starffin
0
Birthdate: May 1, 1916
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Nizhny Tagil, Russia
Died: January 12, 1957
Height: 6'3" (190 cm)
 22 
Shun Yamaguchi
(Baseball player)
Shun Yamaguchi
2
Birthdate: July 11, 1987
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Ōita, Japan
 23 
Louis Okoye
(Baseball outfielder for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles)
Louis Okoye
0
Birthdate: July 21, 1997
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Tokyo, Japan
Height: 6'1" (185 cm)
 24 
Wally Yonamine
(Athlete)
Wally Yonamine
1
Birthdate: June 24, 1926
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Hawaii, United States
Died: February 28, 2011
Height: 5'9" (175 cm)
 25 
Kōichi Tabuchi
(Baseball player)
Kōichi Tabuchi
0
Birthdate: September 24, 1946
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Toshima-ku
 26 
Takashi Kurosu
(Baseball player)
Takashi Kurosu
0
Birthdate: September 18, 1968
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Saitama, Japan
Height: 5'10" (178 cm)
 27 
Tomohiro Kuroki
(Baseball player)
Tomohiro Kuroki
0
Birthdate: December 13, 1973
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Hyūga, Miyazaki, Japan
Height: 5'10" (178 cm)