Masaki Saito (baseball)

Masaki Saito (斎藤 雅樹, Saitō Masaki, born February 18, 1965 in Kawaguchi, Saitama, Japan) is a Japanese former Nippon Professional Baseball pitcher. He played for the Yomiuri Giants from 1984 to 2001. He won the Eiji Sawamura Award three times, 1989, 1995, and 1996, and he won the Nippon Professional Baseball Most Valuable Player Award in 1990.

Masaki Saito
斎藤 雅樹
Pitcher / Coach
Born: (1965-02-18) February 18, 1965 (age 59)
Kawaguchi, Saitama, Japan
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
NPB debut
April 6, 1984, for the Yomiuri Giants
Last appearance
September 30, 2001, for the Yomiuri Giants
NPB statistics
(through 2001)
Win–loss180–96
ERA2.77
Strikeouts1,707
Teams
As player

As coach

Member of the Japanese
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction2016

Biography

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Saito is often referred to as the "Great Ace of the Heisei" because he is considered one of the best pitchers during the Heisei era (1989-2019). He was also known as one of the "Three Pillars of the Giants," along with Hiromi Makihara and Masumi Kuwata from the late 1980s to the 1990s.[1] In the famous "10.8 deciding match in Nagoya" of 1994, Manager Shigeo Nagashima had all three of them pitch.

He holds the NPB record for 11 consecutive complete game wins.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b "斎藤雅樹、槙原寛己、桑田真澄 「巨人の最強3本柱」であなたが選ぶエースは誰?". Baseball Online. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
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