Tomohito Ito
Encyclopedia
Tomohito Ito is a Japanese
former professional baseball player from Kyoto
, Japan
. He played for the Yakult Swallows from 1993-2003 before retiring. He currently works as a minor league pitching coach for the Swallows.
He won a bronze medal in the 1992 Summer Olympics
before entering the Japanese professional leagues.
is said to be one of the best pitches ever to be thrown in Japanese baseball history, reaching the low-90 mph range with an enormous amount of horizontal movement. He beat Hideki Matsui
to win the 1993 Japanese rookie of the year award
, even though he was only active for 3 months that year.
Despite making a brilliant debut, Ito was plagued by various injuries to his pitching arm, and did not play a single game from 1994-1995. He had surgery on his shoulder, and spent almost three years in rehabiliation before returning in 1996.
In 1997, he made a huge comeback as a closer, marking 19 saves with a 1.51 ERA. He returned to the starting rotation in 1998, and marked a 2.72 ERA in 29 starts.
He was able to pitch in the starting rotation until 2000, but sustained various other injuries to his legs and shoulder, and he had surgery on his right shoulder in October, 1999. His 2001 season ended in April, and he had shoulder surgery for the third time in his career that year. He pitched in a minor league game in October, 2002, and struck out the first batter he faced before dislocating his shoulder against the second batter. He threw only nine pitches that day.
The team suggested he retire, but Ito refused, and made a comeback on October 24, 2003, pitching in a minor league game against the Yomiuri Giants
. The fastest pitch he threw was a 67 mph (109 km/h) fastball, and he walked two of the three batters he faced. He announced his retirement five days later.
Ito's remarkable slider was enabled by a loose shoulder joint. A loose shoulder allows more arm movement, but dislocation
occurs far more frequently. Despite his short career, (he played only 127 games in the professional leagues) he is remembered as one of the most remarkable Japanese pitchers in the 1990s.
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
former professional baseball player from Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. He played for the Yakult Swallows from 1993-2003 before retiring. He currently works as a minor league pitching coach for the Swallows.
He won a bronze medal in the 1992 Summer Olympics
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...
before entering the Japanese professional leagues.
Biography
Ito was a phenomenon in his rookie year, going 7-2 with a 0.91 ERA in 14 games as a starter before injuring his pitching arm in July. His rookie-year sliderSlider
In baseball, a slider is a pitch that breaks laterally and down, with a speed between that of a curveball and that of a fastball....
is said to be one of the best pitches ever to be thrown in Japanese baseball history, reaching the low-90 mph range with an enormous amount of horizontal movement. He beat Hideki Matsui
Hideki Matsui
is a Japanese Major League Baseball designated hitter and outfielder. He bats left-handed and throws right-handed.After playing the first ten seasons of his career for the Yomiuri Giants of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball, he played the next seven seasons, from 2003–2009, for the New York...
to win the 1993 Japanese rookie of the year award
Nippon Professional Baseball Rookie of the Year Award
The Nippon Professional Baseball Rookie of the Year Award is given to one player in each league of Central League and Pacific League.-Central League:-Pacific League:-See also:*Nippon Professional Baseball#Awards*Baseball awards#Japan...
, even though he was only active for 3 months that year.
Despite making a brilliant debut, Ito was plagued by various injuries to his pitching arm, and did not play a single game from 1994-1995. He had surgery on his shoulder, and spent almost three years in rehabiliation before returning in 1996.
In 1997, he made a huge comeback as a closer, marking 19 saves with a 1.51 ERA. He returned to the starting rotation in 1998, and marked a 2.72 ERA in 29 starts.
He was able to pitch in the starting rotation until 2000, but sustained various other injuries to his legs and shoulder, and he had surgery on his right shoulder in October, 1999. His 2001 season ended in April, and he had shoulder surgery for the third time in his career that year. He pitched in a minor league game in October, 2002, and struck out the first batter he faced before dislocating his shoulder against the second batter. He threw only nine pitches that day.
The team suggested he retire, but Ito refused, and made a comeback on October 24, 2003, pitching in a minor league game against the Yomiuri Giants
Yomiuri Giants
The are a professional baseball team based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. The team competes in the Central League in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top level of professional play in Japan. They play their home games in the Tokyo Dome, opened in 1988. The English-language press occasionally calls the...
. The fastest pitch he threw was a 67 mph (109 km/h) fastball, and he walked two of the three batters he faced. He announced his retirement five days later.
Ito's remarkable slider was enabled by a loose shoulder joint. A loose shoulder allows more arm movement, but dislocation
Dislocation (medicine)
Joint dislocation, or luxation , occurs when bones in a joint become displaced or misaligned. It is often caused by a sudden impact to the joint. The ligaments always become damaged as a result of a dislocation...
occurs far more frequently. Despite his short career, (he played only 127 games in the professional leagues) he is remembered as one of the most remarkable Japanese pitchers in the 1990s.