Kei Igawa

Date of Birth

July 13, 1979

Hometown

Ibaraki, Japan

Alma Mater

Mito Commercial High School

Official Website

Kei Igawa Official Site

Players Profile

Kei Igawa was selected by the Hanshin Tigers in the 2nd round of 1998 draft. He started his professional career in the NPB (Nippon Professional Baseball) and played in the major team from his 1st year. Igawa’s 2003 season was an unforgettable year for him. In a single season, he won 5 major titles, including the league MVP, the E.Sawamura Award(Similar to Cy Young award), the Best Nine Award, the league ERA leader, and the most winning pitcher of the year. After 5 straight seasons with a double-digit winning record, he finally got a chance to play in the MLB. He played with NY Yankees for 5 years, from 2007 to 2011, however returned to Japan to play for the Orix Buffaloes in the NPB league in 2012. Even after leaving the league, he is still enjoying his professional career in an independent league in Japan, or as individual.

Career

- Hanshin Tigers　(1998-2006)
- New York Yankees (2007-2011)
- Orix Buffaloes　(2012-2015)
- Hyogo Blue Thunders (2016-2017)

Remarkable Career Highlights

- In 2003, he won the title for the pitcher with the most wins
- In 2003, he also won the title for the ERA leader.
- Won the title for most strikeouts in a season 3 times. (2002, 2004, 2006)

Awards

- League MVP Award (2003)
- The Best Nine (2003)
- The Eiji Sawamura Awards (2003)