is a Japanese

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 leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professiona ...

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists wh ...

and second baseman for the Tochigi Golden Braves of

Baseball Challenge League The Route Inn BCL, formerly known as the , is an independent minor baseball league in Japan. The league's abbreviated designation is "." League structure The Baseball Challenge League has three divisions, East, Middle, and West, with four teams ...

in Japan. He has played in

Nippon Professional Baseball or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''. Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...

(NPB) 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. The team was formerly known as the Nankai Hawks and was based in Osaka. ...

, and in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...

(MLB) for the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion ...

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

, and

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is locate ...

. He played for the Japanese national team in the

2008 Beijing Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Nat ...

as well as the

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro votes to declare independence from Serbia; The 2006 ...

and

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; Protests ...

World Baseball Classic The World Baseball Classic (WBC) is an international baseball tournament sanctioned from 2006 to 2013 by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) and after 2013 by World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) in partnership with Major Leagu ...

Early life

Kawasaki was born in

Aira ''Aira'' is a genus of Old World plants in the grass family, native to western and southern Europe, central and southwest Asia, plus Africa. The common name, shared with the similar related genera ''Deschampsia'' and ''Koeleria'', is hair-gras ...

, a former town in central

Kagoshima Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu and the Ryukyu Islands. Kagoshima Prefecture has a population of 1,599,779 (1 January 2020) and has a geographic area of 9,187 km2 (3,547 sq mi). Kagoshima Prefecture borders Kumamoto P ...

in the south of Japan. He began playing baseball after his older brother got him into the sport. Though he was a

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or dr ...

throughout his early years, Kawasaki switched to shortstop after enrolling in Kagoshima Prefectural Technical High School. Kawasaki remained largely an unknown on the national level during his high school career, partly due to his team's failing to make any national tournaments in those three years. Still, he made a name for himself locally, earning the nickname Satsurō, a

portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordsSatsuma (the name given to a former province of Japan in present-day western Kagoshima) and former

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...

Ichiro Suzuki , also known mononymously as , is a Japanese former professional baseball outfielder who played professionally for 28 seasons. He played nine years of his career with the Orix BlueWave of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), where he began hi ...

's first name for the similarities in their playing styles. He was drafted in the fourth round of the 1999 NPB amateur draft by the then-

Fukuoka Daiei 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. The team was formerly known as the Nankai Hawks and was based in Osaka. ...

Professional career

Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks

2000–2002

Kawasaki earned the starting shortstop job for the Hawks' ''nigun'' team (Japanese for "

minor league Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in No ...

" or "

farm team In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club, or nursery club is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher ...

") in his

rookie A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience and expertise, a rookie is usually inexperienced ...

season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and ...

(2000), hitting .300 and finishing fifth in the Western League in

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 ...

that year. In 2001, his second season in the pros, he came second (to only then-

Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles The , often shortened as the , are a baseball team based in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. It has played in Nippon Professional Baseball's Pacific League since the team's formation in November 2004. The team is owned by the Internet shoppin ...

Akihito Moritani) with 29

stolen base In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base to which they are not entitled and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe o ...

s. He made his debut at the ''ichigun'' (major

league League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football Sports * Sports league * Rugby league, full contact footba ...

) level on October 3 against the

Orix BlueWave , styled as ORIX, is a Japanese diversified financial services group headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, and Osaka, Japan. ORIX offers leasing, lending, rentals, life insurance, real estate financing and development, venture capital, investment an ...

as the starting shortstop and No. 2 hitter, but went hitless in four

at-bats In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens during their turn at bat, but a batt ...

that year. Kawasaki hit .367 in the Western League the following year (2002), winning the

batting title In baseball, batting average (AVG) is a measure of a batter's success rate in achieving a hit during an at bat. In Major League Baseball (MLB), it is calculated by dividing a player's hits by his at bats (AB). In MLB, a player in each league win ...

despite falling short of the required number of

plate appearance In baseball statistics, a player is credited with a plate appearance (denoted by PA) each time he completes a turn batting. Under Rule 5.04(c) of the Official Baseball Rules, a player completes a turn batting when he is put out or becomes a runn ...

s because of league regulations. He got the first

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...

of his career on June 15 against

right-hander In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subjecti ...

Jeremy Powell, then of the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes, and his first stolen base on June 19 against the

Seibu Lions The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based north of Tokyo in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture. Before 1979, they were based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture in Kyushu. The team is owned by a subsidiary of Seibu Railway, w ...

. He was called up to the ''ichigun'' team again in September to fill in for

Tadahito Iguchi , nicknamed "Gucci", is a Japanese served professional baseball second baseman and from manager of the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). As a member of the Chicago White Sox in 2005, Iguchi became the first Japanese-bor ...

as the team's regular second baseman while Iguchi missed time due to

injury An injury is any physiological damage to living tissue caused by immediate physical stress. An injury can occur intentionally or unintentionally and may be caused by blunt trauma, penetrating trauma, burning, toxic exposure, asphyxiation, o ...

and also played in the 15th IBAF International Cup as a member of the Japanese national team.

2003–2005

In , Kawasaki started in the Hawks' season opener for the first time in his career because of injuries to veteran Yusuke Torigoe, starting at shortstop as the team's No. 2 hitter. After Torigoe returned to the lineup, Kawasaki moved over to

third base A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...

, wreaking havoc on the basepaths along with

leadoff hitter In baseball, a leadoff hitter is a batter who bats first in the lineup. It can also refer to any batter who bats first in any inning. Strategy Traditionally, the leadoff hitter has been utilized as a contact-oriented position. The leadoff hit ...

Arihito Muramatsu Arihito Muramatsu (村松有人, born December 12, 1972) is a Japanese former professional baseball outfielder, and current the first squad outfield defense and base coach for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) ...

and Iguchi (who sat in the 3-hole). He hit his first career

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

on July 28 off Buffaloes right-hander Ken Kadokura, and while he finished the season just short of .300, he played his first full season at the ''ichigun'' level and hit .294 with two homers, 51 RBI and 30 steals, playing a key role in the Hawks'

title and eventual

Japan Series The Japan Series ( , officially the Japan Championship Series, ), also the Nippon Series, :File:2014_JS_logo.png is the annual championship series in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top baseball league in Japan. It is a best-of-seven series ...

championship. Kawasaki became the Hawks' starting shortstop for the season, playing in all 133 regular season games and hitting over .300 for the first time in his career. He led the league in both hits (174, tied with teammate and

cleanup hitter In baseball, a cleanup hitter is the fourth hitter in the batting order. The cleanup hitter is traditionally the team's most powerful hitter. His job is to "clean up the bases", i.e., drive in base runners. Theory The thinking behind the us ...

Nobuhiko Matsunaka is a former left fielder and designated hitter for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. He played in the 1996 Atlanta and 2000 Sydney Olympics as well as the 2006 World Baseball Classic, hitting cleanup in and . Early life and amateur career Matsuna ...

) and steals (42) and was chosen to both the Best Nine and Golden Glove awards. Kawasaki declined the team's offer to change his

uniform number In team sports, the number, often referred to as the uniform number, squad number, jersey number, shirt number, sweater number, or similar (with such naming differences varying by sport and region) is the number worn on a player's uniform, to ...

from 52 to 8 during the

off-season In an organized sports league, a typical season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session: for example, in Major League Baseball the season lasts approximately from the last week of March to the last week of Se ...

. (The number is an

homage Homage (Old English) or Hommage (French) may refer to: History *Homage (feudal) /ˈhɒmɪdʒ/, the medieval oath of allegiance *Commendation ceremony, medieval homage ceremony Arts *Homage (arts) /oʊˈmɑʒ/, an allusion or imitation by one arti ...

to Ichiro Suzuki, who wears the number 51; Kawasaki idolized Suzuki from a young age and picked the number because he wanted to "follow" in Suzuki's footsteps.) Kawasaki had a somewhat disappointing season in , seeing his batting average drop off from .303 in 2004 to .271 and his

on-base percentage In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) measures how frequently a batter reaches base. An official Major League Baseball (MLB) statistic since 1984, it is sometimes referred to as on-base average (OBA), as it is rarely presented as a ...

from .359 to just .326, knocking in just 36 runs and stealing only 21 bases. Despite this, he was named to the Japanese national team to play in the inaugural World Baseball Classic during the off-season.

2006–2011

Coming off a championship in the inaugural World Baseball Classic, Kawasaki bounced back in , hitting a career-high .312 and winning the Pacific League Best Nine and Golden Glove awards at shortstop (each for the second time). He also received the most fan votes at shortstop for the

MLB Japan All-Star Series The MLB Japan All-Star Series is an irregular end-of-the-season tour of Japan made by an All-Star team from Major League Baseball (MLB) since 1986, contested in a best-of format against the All-Stars from Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) or ...

held in November, but withdrew from the tournament after injuring the

ring finger The ring finger, third finger, fourth finger, leech finger, or annulary is the fourth digit of the human hand, located between the middle finger and the little finger. Sometimes the term ring finger only refers to the fourth digit of a left-han ...

on his right hand during Fall Training. Kawasaki suffered various injuries in the season, twice spending time in the minors to rehab and playing just 95 games (though he hit .329 and slugged .428, both career highs). Kawasaki's woes continued into as he attempted to play through an injury to his left foot. He hit a team-high .366 in interleague games and collected 37 hits (leading the NPB), leading the Hawks to their first interleague title and winning the interleague

Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a partic ...

(marking the first time a position player had been named to the award). However, though he was chosen to play in the

as a member of the national team, he was diagnosed with

periostitis Periostitis, also known as periostalgia, is a medical condition caused by inflammation of the periosteum, a layer of connective tissue that surrounds bone. The condition is generally chronic, and is marked by tenderness and swelling of the bone an ...

during the tournament. On August 25, Kawasaki was found to have a

stress fracture A stress fracture is a fatigue-induced bone fracture caused by repeated stress over time. Instead of resulting from a single severe impact, stress fractures are the result of accumulated injury from repeated submaximal loading, such as running or ...

in his

second metatarsal bone The second metatarsal bone is a long bone in the foot. It is the longest of the metatarsal bones, being prolonged backward and held firmly into the recess formed by the three cuneiform bones. The second metatarsal forms joints with the second pr ...

upon returning to Japan after the Olympics. He made an earlier-than-expected return, coming off the bench in the last game of the regular season (and then-

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activitie ...

Sadaharu Oh Sadaharu Oh ( Japanese: , ''Ō Sadaharu''; born May 20, 1940), also known as Wang Chen-chih (), is a Japanese-born former baseball player and manager Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"Ō Sadaharu"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 758. who ...

's last at the helm) on October 7 against the Eagles, but finished 0-for-2 with an intentional walk (the Hawks lost the game in

extra innings Extra innings is the extension of a baseball or softball game in order to break a tie. Ordinarily, a baseball game consists of nine regulation innings (in softball and high school baseball games there are typically seven innings; in Little Lea ...

Seattle Mariners

2012

Kawasaki signed a minor league contract with an invitation to

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives estab ...

with the

prior to the

2012 Major League Baseball season The 2012 Major League Baseball season began on March 28 with the first of a two-game series between the Seattle Mariners and the Oakland Athletics at the Tokyo Dome in Japan. On November 22, 2011, a new contract between Major League Baseball and ...

. In his professional American debut, on March 2, 2012, Kawasaki went 0–3 against the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The t ...

, with two strikeouts, starting at shortstop. He was replaced in the sixth inning by

Carlos Triunfel Carlos Manuel Triunfel Marquez (born February 27, 1990) is a Dominican former professional baseball shortstop. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners and Los Angeles Dodgers. Professional career Seattle Mariners ...

. On October 24, 2012, the Mariners announced they had released Kawasaki. He hit .192/.257/.202 in 115 plate appearances in 61 games.

Toronto Blue Jays

2013

Kawasaki agreed to a minor league deal with the

on March 14, 2013. He started the 2013 season on the roster of the Triple-A

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen F ...

. Kawasaki was called up to the Blue Jays on April 13 when José Reyes was added to the disabled list. With his appearance for the Blue Jays on April 13, Kawasaki became the first Japanese-born position player to appear in a game for Toronto. On April 21, 2013, Kawasaki batted in the leadoff slot for the first time in Toronto, scoring the game's first run against the New York Yankees. On May 26, in the final game of a 4-game series against the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

, Kawasaki recorded his first MLB walk-off hit, with a two-run double against Baltimore closer Jim Johnson. On June 21, Kawasaki hit his first MLB home run, a two-run shot off

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...

reliever

Tommy Hunter Thomas James Hunter, CM, O.Ont (born March 20, 1937) is a Canadian country music performer, known as "Canada's Country Gentleman". Career In 1956, he began performing as a rhythm guitarist on the CBC Television show, '' Country Hoedown''. ''T ...

, which tied the game 6–6. The Blue Jays would win the game 7–6 to extend their winning streak to 9 games. Kawasaki, at 32 years of age, became the oldest player in Blue Jays' history to hit his first career home run, one year older than

Ken Huckaby Kenneth Paul Huckaby (born January 27, 1971) is an American former professional baseball catcher, and minor league coach. Huckaby attended Manteca High School, and played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Toronto Blue ...

. Kawasaki was optioned back to Triple-A Buffalo on June 26 when Jose Reyes was activated from the disabled list. Toronto recalled Kawasaki from Triple-A Buffalo on June 28 after left-fielder

Melky Cabrera Melky Cabrera Astacio (born August 11, 1984), nicknamed The Melkman, is a Dominican former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves, San Francisco Giants, Toronto Blue ...

was placed on the 15-day disabled list with left knee tendonitis. Kawasaki made his first MLB start at second base in a game against the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

on June 30, 2013. Kawasaki was optioned back to Triple-A on July 13 to make room for

Brett Lawrie Brett Russell Lawrie (born January 18, 1990) is a Canadian former professional baseball third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, Oakland Athletics, and Chicago White Sox. Amateur career While playing hi ...

. Kawasaki was recalled on August 14 after

Colby Rasmus Colby Ryan Rasmus (born August 11, 1986) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays, Houston Astros, Tampa Bay Rays and Baltimore Orioles ...

was placed on the disabled list. Kawasaki was ejected for the first time in his major league career on September 21, against the

after being called out at first base by umpire

Eric Cooper Eric Richard Cooper (December 18, 1966 – October 20, 2019) was an American professional baseball umpire, whose Major League Baseball (MLB) career spanned 1999 until his death in October 2019. He wore umpire uniform number 56. As a Major Lea ...

and then subsequently throwing his helmet to the ground. He recorded his first career four-hit game on September 25, against the Baltimore Orioles. Kawasaki finished the 2013 regular season with a .229 batting average, one home run, and 24 RBI in 96 games. The Blue Jays declined his $1 million contract option on October 31, making him a free agent. Kawasaki was awarded the GIBBY award for Topic of the Year on December 10, 2013, for his postgame speech on May 26.

2014

On December 24, 2013, it was announced that Kawasaki had signed a minor-league contract with the Blue Jays that included an invitation to spring training. He did not make the major league squad, and was assigned to Triple-A Buffalo. On April 13, Kawasaki was recalled when Maicer Izturis was placed on the disabled list. He was optioned back to Buffalo on April 19, when Jose Reyes was activated. He was recalled again on June 17 when Steve Delabar was optioned to Buffalo. Kawasaki saw regular playing time after his call-up and appeared in 82 games for the Blue Jays in 2014. He batted .258 with 17 RBI for the season. Kawasaki was sent outright to the

on October 1, 2014, and became a free agent on October 31. Alex Anthopoulos hugs Munenori Kawasaki

2015

The Blue Jays re-signed Kawasaki to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training on January 16, 2015. On March 31, he was reassigned to minor league spring training. The Blue Jays purchased Kawasaki's contract from Buffalo on May 21, and optioned him back to Buffalo on May 25 when José Reyes returned from the disabled list. He was recalled on May 31 when

Steve Tolleson Steven Wayne Tolleson (born November 1, 1983) is an American former professional baseball infielder who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) between 2010 and 2015. He is the son of former major leaguer Wayne Tolleson. Amateur career Tolleson ...

was placed on the disabled list, and optioned back on June 10. On August 1, Kawasaki was recalled from Buffalo. He was optioned back to Buffalo on August 9 when Cliff Pennington was added to the Blue Jays' roster. On September 1, Kawasaki was recalled by the Blue Jays. He appeared in 23 games in 2015, and batted .214 with 2 RBI. Though Kawasaki did not play in the Postseason, he was invited to travel with the team and was present for every Postseason game in the Blue Jays' dugout. He became a free agent at the end of the season.

Chicago Cubs

On January 21, 2016, Kawasaki signed a minor league contract with the

that included an invitation to spring training. He was released on March 29, and re-signed to another minor league contract later that day. On April 3, he was added to the 40-man roster and optioned to the Triple-A

Iowa Cubs The Iowa Cubs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. They are located in Des Moines, Iowa, and are named for their Major League Baseball (MLB) affiliate. The Cubs play their h ...

. He was recalled to the 25 man roster on April 8 when

Kyle Schwarber Kyle Joseph Schwarber (born March 5, 1993) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played college baseball for the Indiana Hoosiers and was a first-round selection in the 20 ...

was placed on the disabled list. He was optioned back to Iowa on April 15, when

Javier Báez Ednel Javier Báez (born December 1, 1992), nicknamed "El Mago" (Spanish for "The Magician"), is a Puerto Rican professional baseball shortstop for the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for the Chicago Cu ...

was activated from the disabled list. He was recalled on July 9, and optioned back to Iowa on July 15. On September 6, Kawasaki was recalled from Iowa. In 14 games of 2016, Kawasaki batted .333 with an RBI and two stolen bases. The Cubs finished the season with a 103–58 record for an NL Central pennant, and would eventually win the

2016 World Series The 2016 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2016 season. The 112th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the National League (NL) champion Chicago Cubs and the American Leag ...

, ending their 108-year long world champion title drought. Kawasaki was ineligible for post-season play in 2016, but traveled with the Cubs throughout the playoffs and joined the team on the field for the post-game celebrations. On January 7, 2017, Kawasaki signed a new minor league contract with the Cubs. He was released on March 28.

Second stint with the Hawks

On March 31, 2017, Kawasaki signed with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. He won his fourth Japan Series with the Hawks in 2017. On March 26, 2018, Kawasaki was released by the Hawks, and reportedly intended to retire. However, he clarified his statement later that day, announcing that he was temporarily stepping away from baseball due to a nerve disorder.

Wei Chuan Dragons

On July 9, 2019, Kawasaki became a guest coach for the

Wei Chuan Dragons The Wei Chuan Dragons () are a professional baseball team in Taiwan's Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) that originally existed between 1990 and 1999. In 2019, negotiations regarding the franchise's revival and return to the CPBL took ...

of the

Chinese Professional Baseball League The Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL; ) is the top-tier professional baseball league in Taiwan. The league was established in 1989 and played the first season in 1990. CPBL eventually absorbed the competing Taiwan Major League in 2 ...

(CPBL). On July 13, 2019, he became player-coach.

Tochigi Golden Braves

On September 7, 2020, Kawasaki signed with the Tochigi Golden Braves of the

. On September 13, 2020, he hit a home run on the first pitch he saw in his debut. On April 8, 2021, Kawasaki agreed to re-sign with the Golden Braves for the 2021 season.

International career

2006 World Baseball Classic

Kawasaki started at shortstop, mostly as the team's No. 9 hitter, in the inaugural World Baseball Classic and played a key role in Japan's championship run. Hitting out of the leadoff spot for the first time in the tournament finals against

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribb ...

, Kawasaki scored on a base hit by Ichiro Suzuki in the top of the ninth inning, managing to brush

home plate A baseball field, also called a ball field or baseball diamond, is the field upon which the game of baseball is played. The term can also be used as a metonym for a baseball park. The term sandlot is sometimes used, although this usually refers ...

with his right hand while contorting his body and deftly avoiding the

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 cat ...

's tag to score the tying run for Japan. While the Japanese media deemed the play sensational and dubbed it The Right Hand of God (à la former

Argentine Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, ...

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...

player

Diego Maradona Diego Armando Maradona (; 30 October 196025 November 2020) was an Argentine professional football player and manager. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, he was one of the two joint winners of the F ...

's famous " Hand of God" goal), Kawasaki was later found to have injured his right elbow on the play and did not play in the regular season until mid April.

2008 Beijing Olympics

In , Kawasaki was chosen to play in the Olympics for the first time as a member of the national team, but ended up playing in just three games (though he went four-for-seven and scored two runs) due to a nagging left foot injury. Japan came up short in their

medal A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be int ...

run, finishing fourth behind

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

, Cuba and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

2009 World Baseball Classic

Kawasaki played in the World Baseball Classic as a member of the national team for the second time in . While he played in just five games and saw only seven at-bats (mostly as a

pinch hitter In baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the ball is dead (not in active play); the manager may use any player who has not yet entered the game as a substitute. Unlike basketball, America ...

) due to manager

Tatsunori Hara is a Japanese former professional baseball player, and the current manager of the Yomiuri Giants baseball team in Nippon Professional Baseball. Career Hara played for the Giants during his professional baseball career from to . He won the Cen ...

's decision to use

Saitama Seibu Lions The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based north of Tokyo in Tokorozawa, Saitama, Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture. Before 1979, they were based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture in Kyushu. The team is owned by a subsidiary ...

second baseman

Yasuyuki Kataoka is a Japanese Nippon Professional Baseball player with the Yomiuri Giants in Japan's Central League. His wife is Japanese tarento Television personalities in Japan, known as in Japanese, are celebrities who regularly appear in mass media ...

over Kawasaki against

left-handed In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subject ...

starting pitcher In baseball (hardball or softball), a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent's first batter of a game. Starting pit ...

s, Kawasaki was instrumental in Japan's win over the United States in the tournament semi-finals, starting at third base as Japan's No. 9 hitter and going 2-for-4 with a steal and an RBI.

Playing style

Hitting

Listed at and , Kawasaki is best described as a slap hitter, utilizing his exceptional bat control and speed to get on base (often bunting safely to do so). However, he is somewhat lacking in power, even for a

middle infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles. ...

, having never hit more than five home runs (2004, 2005, 2007, 2020) or recorded more than 31

extra-base hits In baseball, an extra-base hit (EB, EBH or XBH), also known as a long hit, is any base hit on which the batter is able to advance past first base without the benefit of a fielder either committing an error or opting to make a throw to retire ano ...

(2004, 2006) for a season. While Kawasaki is considered by many to be a great base stealer, having led the league in steals in 2004 with 42, his career stolen base percentage is 70.0 percent (as of May 13, 2009). Modern

sabermetric Sabermetrics, or originally SABRmetrics, is the empirical analysis of baseball, especially baseball statistics that measure in-game activity. Sabermetricians collect and summarize the relevant data from this in-game activity to answer specific ques ...

theory suggests that a player needs to be successful 70 to 75 percent of the time in stealing bases to have any kind of positive effect on the team's run production.

Fielding

A two-time Golden Glove award winner, Kawasaki has excellent range and instincts at shortstop and has improved on his throwing tremendously since coming into the league. He is also a versatile fielder, having logged time at all four infield positions (including

first base A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

) in the pros.

Personal life

Kawasaki's first son, Issho, was born on August 16, 2013, in Toronto.

Notes

References

External links

Career statistics - NPB.jp
*
Munenori Kawasaki Official Site
(Japanese)
Munenori Kawasaki, JapaneseBallPlayers.com
* (Japanese) {{DEFAULTSORT:Kawasaki, Munenori 1981 births Living people Baseball players at the 2008 Summer Olympics Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Chicago Cubs players Fukuoka Daiei Hawks players Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks players Iowa Cubs players Japanese expatriate baseball players in Canada Japanese expatriate baseball players in Taiwan Japanese expatriate baseball players in the United States Major League Baseball players from Japan Major League Baseball second basemen Major League Baseball shortstops Nippon Professional Baseball second basemen Nippon Professional Baseball shortstops Nippon Professional Baseball third basemen Olympic baseball players of Japan Seattle Mariners players Baseball people from Kagoshima Prefecture Toronto Blue Jays players 2006 World Baseball Classic players 2009 World Baseball Classic players