Tetsuya Matoyama (, born October 1, 1970) is a Japanese former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Moder ...

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catc ...

, and current the fourth squad

battery Battery or batterie most often refers to: * Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power * Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact Battery may also refer to: Energy source * Battery indicator, a device whic ...

coach for the

Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks The are a Japanese professional baseball team based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture. They compete in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) as a member of the Pacific League. Founded on February 22, 1938, as the Nankai Club, being the first Kansai t ...

Nippon Professional Baseball is a professional baseball league and the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning simply ''Professional Baseball''; outside of Japan, NPB is often referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league ...

(NPB). He previously played for the

Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes The were a Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) team based in Osaka, Japan, which was in the Pacific League. In 2005 the team was merged with the Orix BlueWave to become the team now known as the Orix Buffaloes. The team played in Fujiidera Stadi ...

, the

Orix Buffaloes The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team formed as a result of the 2004 Nippon Professional Baseball realignment by the merger of the Orix BlueWave of Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes of Osaka, Osaka Prefecture ...

and the

Professional career

Active player era

On November 20, 1993, Matoyama was drafted fourth round pick by the

Kintetsu Buffaloes The were a Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) team based in Osaka, Japan, which was in the Pacific League. In 2005 the team was merged with the Orix BlueWave to become the team now known as the Orix Buffaloes. The team played in Fujiidera Sta ...

in the 1993 Nippon Professional Baseball draft. He made his debut in the

Pacific League The , or , or the , due to sponsorship reasons, is one of the two professional baseball leagues constituting Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship competes against the winner in the Central League for the a ...

in appearing in one game. And he played 117 games in the 1999 season, his most ever. The

2004 Nippon Professional Baseball realignment The 2004 Nippon Professional Baseball realignment was a series of events that occurred during the 2004 Nippon Professional Baseball season that changed the landscape of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). In June of that season, the Osaka Kintetsu B ...

eliminated the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes, and he became a member of the Orix Buffaloes in the distribution draft. He played three seasons with the Orix Buffaloes before moving to the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks for the 2008 season and retiring that offseason. Matoyama played in 1026 games during his 15-season career, and recorded

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

.206 with 423 hits, 40

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...

s, and 201 RBI.

After retirement

After his retirement,Matoyama has served as the first squad battery coach for the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks since the 2009 season. Starting with the 2013 season, he moved to the second squad battery coach position, then back to first squad battery coach for the 2015 season, and third squad battery coach for the 2016 season. In addition, he was in charge of the second squad battery coach from the 2017 season and the third squad battery coach from the 2022 season. He served as the first squad battery coach for the third time during the 2023 season. On December 2, 2023, he was transferred to the fourth squad battery coach.

References

External links

Career statistics - NPB.jp

- Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks Official site 1970 births Living people Sportspeople from Himeji, Hyōgo Japanese baseball players Nippon Professional Baseball catchers Kintetsu Buffaloes players Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes players Orix Buffaloes players Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks players Japanese baseball coaches Nippon Professional Baseball coaches {{japan-baseball-catcher-stub