View source for Masato Yoshii

{{short description|Japanese baseball player & coach (born 1965)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
| name         = Masato Yoshii<br/>吉井 理人
|image=LM-Masato-Yoshii20210606.jpg
|image_size=250px
|caption=Yoshii with the Chiba Lotte Marines
| position     = [[Pitcher]] / Coach / [[Manager (baseball)|Manager]]
| team         = Chiba Lotte Marines
| number       = 81
| bats         = Right
| throws       = Right
| birth_date   = {{Birth date and age|1965|4|20}}
| birth_place  = [[Aridagawa, Wakayama]], [[Japan]]
| debutleague  = NPB
| debutdate    = September 16
| debutyear    = 1985
| debutteam    = Kintetsu Buffaloes
| debut2league = MLB
| debut2date   = April 5
| debut2year   = 1998
| debut2team   = New York Mets
| finalleague  = NPB
| finaldate    =
| finalyear    = 2007
| finalteam    = Chiba Lotte Marines
| final2league = MLB
| final2date   = September 11
| final2year   = 2002
| final2team   = Montreal Expos
| statleague   = NPB
| stat1label   = [[Win–loss record (pitching)|Win–loss record]]
| stat1value   = 89–82
| stat2label   = [[Earned run average]]
| stat2value   = 3.86
| stat3label   = [[Strikeout]]s
| stat3value   = 763
| stat2league  = MLB
| stat21label  = Win–loss record
| stat21value  = 32-47
| stat22label  = Earned run average
| stat22value  = 4.62
| stat23label  = Strikeouts
| stat23value  = 447
| teams        =
'''As player'''
*[[Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes|Kintetsu Buffaloes]] ({{npby|1985}}–{{npby|1994}})
*[[Tokyo Yakult Swallows|Yakult Swallows]] ({{npby|1995}}–{{npby|1997}})
*[[New York Mets]] ({{mlby|1998}}–{{mlby|1999}})
*[[Colorado Rockies]] ({{mlby|2000}})
*[[Montreal Expos]] ({{mlby|2001}}–{{mlby|2002}})
*[[Orix Buffaloes|Orix BlueWave/Orix Buffaloes]] ({{npby|2003}}–{{npby|2007}})
*[[Chiba Lotte Marines]] ({{npby|2007}})
'''As coach'''
*[[Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters]] ({{npby|2008}}–{{npby|2012}})
*[[Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks]] ({{npby|2015}})
*Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters ({{npby|2016}}–{{npby|2018}})
*Chiba Lotte Marines ({{npby|2019}}–{{npby|2021}})
'''As Manager'''
*Chiba Lotte Marines  ({{npby|2023}}–present)
| highlights =
}}

{{nihongo|'''Masato Yoshii'''|吉井 理人|Yoshii Masato|extra=born April 20, 1965}}, nicknamed "'''Oiyan'''",<ref>{{ cite web | url=https://www.marines.co.jp/special/2019marinefesta/#nickname | title=ニックネーム | work=千葉ロッテマリーンズ オフィシャルサイト 「マリンフェスタ」特設サイト | language=ja | access-date=April 23, 2019 }}</ref> is a retired Japanese professional [[baseball]] player, former pitching coach and current [[Manager (baseball)|manager]] for the [[Chiba Lotte Marines]] of [[Nippon Professional Baseball]] (NPB). He pitched in [[Major League Baseball]] from 1998 to 2002.

==Career==
Yoshii played in the [[High school baseball in Japan|Koshien high school baseball tournament]] twice and joined the [[Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes|Kintetsu Buffaloes]] as the second round pick in the 1983 draft after graduating from the same elementary, middle, and high schools as former [[Saitama Seibu Lions|Seibu Lions]] manager, [[Osamu Higashio]]. After spending some time in the minors, he marked his first victory in 1987, and in 1988, he won 10 games and saved 24 games, which won him the [[Pacific League]] relief pitcher title. He won five games and marked another 20 saves his next year. In 1993, he became a starter. In 1995, he was traded to the [[Tokyo Yakult Swallows|Yakult Swallows]] and won more than 10 games a year for three straight years.

[[File:NYM1998R21YOSHII.jpg|thumb|left|1998 New York Mets #21 Masato Yoshii road jersey]] In the 1997 off-season, he became a [[free agent]] and signed with the [[New York Mets]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Olney|first1=Buster|author-link1=Buster Olney|title=Mets Pleased By Maturity Of Pitcher From Japan|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/01/15/sports/baseball-mets-pleased-by-maturity-of-pitcher-from-japan.html|access-date=6 April 2018|work=New York Times|date=15 January 1998}}</ref> Yoshii agreed to a two-year extension worth $5 million with the Mets in November 1998.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Madden|first1=Bill|title=White: Make me a Yankee|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/sports/white-yankee-rondell-asks-expo-gm-send-bronx-article-1.805159|access-date=6 April 2018|work=Daily News|date=13 November 1998}}</ref> He was traded to the [[Colorado Rockies]] in 2000, for [[Bobby Jones (left-handed pitcher)|Bobby Jones]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Kepner|first1=Tyler|title=No Payoff in Yoshii Trade|url=https://nytimes.com/2000/04/29/sports/baseball-no-payoff-in-yoshii-trade.html|access-date=6 April 2018|work=New York Times|date=29 April 2000}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Hermoso|first1=Rafael|title=Yoshii has same air about him|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/sports/yoshii-air-deals-ex-met-article-1.861473|access-date=6 April 2018|work=Daily News|date=29 April 2000}}</ref> In September, Yoshii underwent surgery to remove bone spurs from his elbow.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Klis|first1=Mike|title=Yoshii not out of picture|url=http://extras.denverpost.com/rock/rox0223a.htm|access-date=6 April 2018|work=Denver Post|date=23 February 2001}}</ref> Two months later, he agreed to a new contract with the Rockies for the 2001 season.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Henderson|first1=John|title=Rockies retaining Yoshii|url=http://extras.denverpost.com/rock/rox1104.htm|access-date=6 April 2018|work=Denver Post|date=4 November 2000}}</ref> The team tried to trade him before the season started,<ref>{{cite news|last1=Kils|first1=Mike|title=Yoshii hopes one team wants him|url=http://extras.denverpost.com/rock/rox0314a.htm|access-date=6 April 2018|work=Denver Post|date=13 March 2001}}</ref> but eventually released Yoshii, who then signed with the [[Montreal Expos]] in March 2001.<ref>{{cite news|title=Les Expos signent Masato Yoshii|url=https://www.rds.ca/baseball/les-expos-signent-masato-yoshii-1.425368|access-date=6 April 2018|publisher=Réseau des sports|date=13 April 2001|language=fr}}</ref> He had surgery on his left shoulder in September 2002.<ref>{{cite news|title=Ex-Major Leaguer Yoshii Signs in Japan|url=https://www.michigansthumb.com/news/article/Ex-Major-Leaguer-Yoshii-Signs-in-Japan-7328769.php|access-date=6 April 2018|work=Huron Daily Tribune|date=6 January 2003}}</ref>

In 2003, Yoshii returned to Japan, joining the [[Orix Buffaloes|Orix BlueWave]].<ref>{{cite news|title=BlueWave to sign Yoshii to one-year deal|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2003/01/08/baseball/mlb/bluewave-to-sign-yoshii-to-one-year-deal/|access-date=6 April 2018|work=Japan Times|date=8 January 2003}}</ref> He was the team's opening-day starter that year but had surgery on his left ankle in August; he ended the season with only two wins. He played in only three games in 2004 and was cut from the team at the end of the year. The Orix BlueWave merged with the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes during the off-season to form the Orix Buffaloes, and Yoshii ended up joining the Buffaloes for spring training and won six games in the 2005 season.

In 2006, Yoshii marked a win against the [[Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles]], becoming the fifth player in to have recorded victories against 12 Japanese professional baseball teams. On April 1, 2007, he gave up two grand slams in one inning against the Rakuten Eagles, but the third baseman, [[Greg LaRocca]], had committed an error before loading the bases, giving Yoshii the irregular record of 8 runs given up, but no earned runs. On April 25, 2007, the 42-year-old Yoshii started the game against the Rakuten Eagles with 18-year-old [[Masahiro Tanaka]] as the opposing pitcher and recorded a win giving up no runs over 5 innings of pitching. This made him the sixth Japanese pitcher to have recorded a win at or above age 42, after [[Shinji Hamasaki]], [[Tadashi Wakabayashi]], [[Yoshinori Sato (baseball, born 1954)|Yoshinori Sato]], [[Yutaka Ohno]], and [[Kimiyasu Kudoh]].

He continued to pitch during the season as a starter but was demoted to relief duty by manager [[Terry Collins]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=MSN |url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/other/fantasy-baseball-innings-limit-concerns-for-16-starting-pitchers-including-garrett-crochet-and-paul-skenes/ar-AA1oINqA?ocid=BingNewsSerp |access-date=2024-08-14 |website=www.msn.com}}</ref> Yoshii requested to be traded to another team where he could continue to start and was sent to the [[Chiba Lotte Marines]] on June 28 in exchange for an outfielder. His pitching continued to decline, and he ended the season with a 0-10 record before being demoted to the minors. He was released by the Marines on November 13, and announced his retirement to become a pitching coach for the [[Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters]] under manager [[Masataka Nashida]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Lefton|first1=Brad|title=Hoping to Become the Next Hot Baseball Export From Japan|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/29/sports/baseball/29japan.html|access-date=6 April 2018|work=New York Times|date=29 February 2008}}</ref>

On October 7, 2022, the [[Chiba Lotte Marines]] announced that Yoshii would manage the team for the upcoming season.<ref>{{cite news|last1=|first1=|title=Baseball: Former MLB pitcher Yoshii to manage Marines|url=https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20221007/p2g/00m/0sp/063000c|access-date=18 October 2022|work=The Mainichi|date=7 October 2022}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of Japanese baseball players]]
* [[List of Japanese players in Major League Baseball]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Baseballstats |mlb=134180 |espn=3804 |br=y/yoshima01 |fangraphs=807 |brm=yoshii001mas}}

{{NPB managers by team}}
{{Chiba Lotte Marines}}
{{Chiba Lotte Marines roster navbox}}
{{2016 Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters}}
{{Japan roster 2023 World Baseball Classic}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yoshii, Masato}}
[[Category:1965 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Chiba Lotte Marines players]]
[[Category:Chiba Lotte Marines managers]]
[[Category:Colorado Rockies players]]
[[Category:Japanese baseball coaches]]
[[Category:Japanese expatriate baseball players in Canada]]
[[Category:Japanese expatriate baseball players in the United States]]
[[Category:Kintetsu Buffaloes players]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball pitchers]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball players from Japan]]
[[Category:Montreal Expos players]]
[[Category:New York Mets players]]
[[Category:Nippon Professional Baseball coaches]]
[[Category:Nippon Professional Baseball pitchers]]
[[Category:Orix BlueWave players]]
[[Category:Orix Buffaloes players]]
[[Category:Baseball people from Wakayama Prefecture]]
[[Category:Yakult Swallows players]]