Kei-Igawa
Kei Igawa (井川 慶, Igawa Kei?, born July 13, 1979 in Oarai, Ibaraki Prefecture) (height - 6'1", weight - 212lbs.) is a Japanese left-handed pitcher who plays for the New York Yankees. He played for the Hanshin Tigers of the Japanese League from 1999 to 2006. He led the Central League in strikeouts in 2002, 2004, and 2006. He played in the 2006 Major League Baseball Japan All-Star Series.
Japanese career
He was the number two draft choice of the Hanshin Tigers in 1998. After a couple of years in the Hanshin minor league system, Igawa entered the starting rotation in 2001. In his first full season season as a starter, Igawa went 9-13 for the last-placed Tigers, but finished with a Central League second-best 2.67 ERA, behind only Chunichi's Shigeki Noguchi.
In 2002, Hanshin improved to fourth and Igawa's record was 14-9. He finished third in ERA (2.49), trailing Masumi Kuwata and Kenshin Kawakami. He also led the Central League with 206 strikeouts.
In 2003, the Tigers won the Central League pennant. Igawa finished with a 20-5 record, and led the Central League in wins. He also led the league with a 2.80 ERA, and was third with 179 strikeouts. He was named to the Best Nine, won the MVP in the Central League and also won the Sawamura Award, the Japanese equivalent of the MLB Cy Young Award.
Igawa saw a decline in performance in 2004 and 2005. In 2004, despite leading the league at 228 strikeouts, he went 14-11 with a 3.73 ERA. In 2005, Igawa went 13-9 with a 3.86 ERA, fifth among his team's starters in ERA, and was briefly exiled to the minors. He was only tied for fifth in strikeouts (down significantly to 145) and 10th in ERA, but was still third in the circuit in victories. While still a productive hurler, Igawa became a target of fan criticism due to his inability to perform at his prior level.
New York Yankees Career
In 2006, Igawa announced his intention to play in North America. On November 16, 2006, Igawa was posted by the Hanshin Tigers. On November 29, 2006, it was announced that the New York Yankees were the highest bidders at $26,000,194, with the last three digits representing his strikeout total for the 2006 season. He signed a 5 year, 20 million dollar contract on December 27, 2006. On January 8, 2007, Igawa was officially announced at a Yankee Stadium press conference.
Igawa's fastball will usually stay in the 89-90 mph range, but he is able to reach back and throw with added velocity when in need of a strikeout. Igawa also throws a changeup, which hovers in the 78-81 mph range, and a slider, which he uses primarily against left-handed batters. Igawa is known to possess above-average control.
Source : Wikipedia
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