Chihiro Kaneko

Chihiro Kaneko (金子 千尋, Kaneko Chihiro, born November 8, 1983) is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Orix Buffaloes and Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters.

Chihiro Kaneko
Kaneko with the Orix Buffaloes
Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters – No. 91
Pitcher / Coach
Born: (1983-11-08) November 8, 1983 (age 41) Sanjo,Niigata, Japan
Batted: Left Threw: Right
NPB debut
April 12, 2006, for the Orix Buffaloes
Last NPB appearance
May 22, 2022, for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters
Career statistics
Win–loss record	130-94
Earned run average	3.08
Strikeouts	1,721
Teams
As player Orix Buffaloes (2005–2018) Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters (2019–2022) As coach Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters (2024–present)
Career highlights and awards
Pacific League MVP (2014) Eiji Sawamura Award (2014) 2× Pacific League Wins Champion (2010, 2014) Pacific League ERA Champion (2014) Pacific League Strikeout Champion (2013) Pacific League Best Nine Award (2014) Pacific League Golden Glove Award (2014) 3× NPB All-Star (2009, 2014, 2017)

Career

Kaneko pitched for the Orix Buffaloes. He won the Pacific League Most Valuable Player Award and the Eiji Sawamura Award in 2014. He became a free agent after the 2018 season,^[1] and signed with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters.^[2]

On October 19, 2019, Kaneko signed a 1-year extension to remain with the Fighters.^[3]

References

1. Baseball / Japanese Baseball (2018-11-28). "Buffaloes ace Chihiro Kaneko to become free agent". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2019-04-08.
2. Coskrey, Jason (2019-02-10). "Chihiro Kaneko draws attention from Yu Darvish, others, because of change-up". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2019-04-08.
3. "金子弌大投手が海外FA権を行使せずに残留". 北海道日本ハムファイターズ オフィシャルサイト (in Japanese). October 19, 2019. Retrieved January 13, 2020.

External links

• Career statistics from Baseball Reference (Minors)