imported>Jevansen: Copying from Category:Asian Games bronze medalists in baseball to Category:Asian Games baseball players for Japan using Cat-a-lot

2025-06-27T11:00:02Z

Copying from Category:Asian Games bronze medalists in baseball to Category:Asian Games baseball players for Japan using Cat-a-lot

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{{short description|Japanese baseball player (born 1982)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2013}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
| name = Kenta Kurihara
| image = HC-Kenta-Kurihara.jpg
| caption = Kurihara with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp in 2009
| team = Chiba Lotte Marines
| number = 77
| position = [[First baseman]] / Coach
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1982|1|8}}
| birth_place = [[Tendō, Yamagata]], Japan
| bats = Right-handed
| throws = Right
| debutleague = [[Nippon Professional Baseball|NPB]]
| debutdate = August 31
| debutyear = 2002
| debutteam = [[Hiroshima Toyo Carp]]
| finalleague = NPB
| finaldate =
| finalyear =
| finalteam = Hiroshima Toyo Carp
| statyear = 2013 season
| statleague = NPB
| stat1label = [[Batting average (baseball)|Batting average]]
| stat1value = .293
| stat2label = [[Home run]]s
| stat2value = 153
| stat3label = [[Run batted in|RBI]]
| stat3value = 586
| teams =
'''As player'''
*[[Hiroshima Toyo Carp]] ({{npby|2000}}–{{npby|2015}})
*[[Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles]] ({{npby|2016}})
'''As coach'''
*Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles ({{npby|2017}}-{{npby|2019}})
*[[Chunichi Dragons]] ({{npby|2020}}-{{npby|2021}})
*[[Chiba Lotte Marines]] ({{npby|2023}}-)
| awards =
* 3× [[Mitsui Golden Glove Award|Golden Glove Award winner]] ({{npby|2008}}, {{npby|2009}}, {{npby|2011}})
* [[Best Nine Award]] (2011)
* 3× [[Nippon Professional Baseball All-Star Game|NPB All-Star]] ({{npby|2007}}, 2009, 2011)
|medaltemplates=
{{MedalCountry | {{flagu|Japan}} }}
{{MedalSport | Men's [[Baseball]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[World Baseball Classic]]}}
{{MedalGold | [[2009 World Baseball Classic|2009 Los Angeles]] | Team }}
}}

{{Nihongo|'''Kenta Kurihara'''|栗原健太|Kurihara Kenta|extra=born January 8, 1982}} is a Japanese former professional baseball infielder who played for the [[Hiroshima Toyo Carp]] and the [[Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles]]. He was last a [[Coach (baseball)#Offensive coaches: hitting coach and base coaches|batting coach]] for the [[Chunichi Dragons]].

The Carp's main [[cleanup hitter]] during the early 2000s, Kurihara blossomed into one of the most feared [[Batting (baseball)#Types of hitters|power threats]] in the [[Central League]]. He played in the [[2009 World Baseball Classic]] as an emergency replacement for [[Shuichi Murata]], who suffered an [[Sports injury|injury]] in the [[2009 World Baseball Classic – Round 2|second round]] of the tournament.

==Early life==
Kurihara was born in [[Tendō, Yamagata|Tendō]], a small city in northern [[Yamagata Prefecture]]. He began playing baseball as a [[third grade]]r, quickly working his way into his Little League team's cleanup spot and becoming their [[Ace (baseball)|ace pitcher]] as well. He remained a pitcher throughout [[Middle school|junior high]] but was also noted for winning the [[high jump]], [[100 metres|100-meter dash]] ''and'' [[shot put]] in the citywide [[track and field]] event.

Kurihara went on to Nihon University Yamagata Senior High School, a [[Private school|private affiliate school]] of [[Nihon University]]. Though the school's then-baseball coach Yoshiya Shibuya had [[Scout (sport)|scouted]] him since Kurihara's junior high days and planned to continue using him as a pitcher, Shibuya was astonished by the bat speed as well as bat control with which Kurihara effortlessly drove ball after ball over the fence in batting practice. Kurihara was converted to the [[Infielder|infield]] and made the team's [[Batting order (baseball)##5, #6|No. 5 hitter]] in the summer of his first year (the equivalent of [[tenth grade]] in the United States) and had become the cleanup hitter by the fall.

Kurihara hit over .700 with two [[home run]]s in the [[Tōhoku region|Tohoku Regional]] [[Single-elimination tournament|Tournament]] held in the spring of 1998, his [[Eleventh grade|junior year]], and led his team to a berth in the 80th [[National High School Baseball Championship]] that summer, but they lost to Seiryo High School, the [[Ishikawa Prefecture|Ishikawa]] champions, 10-1 in the first round (Kurihara went 1-for-4 with the team's lone [[Run batted in|RBI]]).

Though that appearance ended up being his first and only on the [[High school baseball in Japan|national stage]], Kurihara was a highly coveted [[position player]] with [[List of baseball jargon (P)#plus player|plus]]-power and speed by his [[Twelfth grade|senior year]] (1999) and was being scouted by 11 different [[Nippon Professional Baseball|NPB]] teams. He hit 39 home runs for his high school career and lifted a maximum of {{convert|120|kg|lb|abbr=on}} on the [[bench press]], [[Squat (exercise)|squatted]] a maximum of {{convert|330|kg|lb|abbr=on}} and ran the 50- and 100-meter [[Sprint (running)|sprints]] in 6.0 and 11.7 seconds, respectively. Despite rumors that the [[Yakult Swallows]] were looking to take him in the upper rounds, Kurihara was picked in the third round of the 1999 NPB [[Draft (sports)|amateur draft]] by the [[Hiroshima Toyo Carp]], becoming the only active player from Yamagata Prefecture in all of Japanese professional baseball (he remained so until the end of the 2002 [[Season (sports)|season]]).

==Professional career==

===Early years: 2000–2003===
Kurihara spent the entirety of his first two seasons in the [[Professional baseball|pros]] with the Carp's ''nigun'' team (Japanese for "[[minor league]]" or "[[farm team]]"), often battling with various injuries. He managed to hit .306 in his second season (2001) in the [[Western League (Japanese baseball)|Western League]].

===2002===
Kurihara became the ''nigun'' team's cleanup hitter for his third season in the pros and was chosen to play in the 2002 Fresh [[All-star game|All-Star Game]] (the Japanese equivalent of the [[All-Star Futures Game]]) that summer, starting in the cleanup spot for the Western League (minors) team in the game held on July 11 (though he went 0-for-4 with two [[strikeout]]s). He was [[List of baseball jargon (C)#called up|called up]] to the ''ichigun'' ("major [[Sports league|league]]") team in late August, making his professional debut as a [[pinch hitter]] in a game against the [[Chunichi Dragons]] on August 31 (he [[Batted ball|grounded out]] to [[Shortstop|short]] against [[Right-handedness|right-hander]] [[Daisuke Yamai]]). He made his first start on September 4 against the [[Hanshin Tigers]] as the team's [[Batting order (baseball)##7, #8|No. 7 hitter]] and [[third baseman]] and hitting a home run off Tigers right-hander (and current [[Closer (baseball)|closer]]) [[Kyuji Fujikawa]] for the first [[Hit (baseball)|hit]] of his career the following day (September 5).

Kurihara hit .305 with six home runs and 50 RBIs in the Western League that season, leading the league in RBIs and finishing third in [[batting average (baseball)|batting average]] among all [[Batting average (baseball)#Qualifications for the batting title|qualifying players]]. He was chosen to play in the [[Baseball at the 2002 Asian Games|14th Asian Games]] held in [[Busan]] as a member of the [[Japan national baseball team|Japanese national team]] along with other industrial league and minor league players (one from each of the twelve [[Nippon Professional Baseball#Teams|NPB teams]]) after the regular season.

===2003===
Despite high expectations by the Carp organization for the 2003 season, Kurihara struggled to secure a permanent spot on the ''ichigun'' team's [[Schedule (workplace)|roster]], going back and forth between the majors and minors. He hit .315 with 13 home runs and 53 RBIs in the Western League, leading the league in homers and RBIs and finishing second in batting average (marking the third straight [[Seasonal year|year]] he had hit over .300). He also improved his [[slugging percentage]] from .446 to .586 and struck out just 24 times. However, he played in just 26 games at the ''ichigun'' level, hitting .276 (but with a meager .286 [[on-base percentage]]) with three homers and six RBI. He recorded his first career [[stolen base]] on April 16 against the [[Yomiuri Giants]].

===2004===
Kurihara played well in the 2004 pre-season, hitting .250 with three home runs but [[List of baseball jargon (K)#knock|knocking]] in a team-high 16 RBI. He made his first start in the season opener of his career as the Carp's No. 6 hitter and first baseman, starting the season off slowly but going on to make 61 starts at the ''ichigun'' level (often over teammate and fellow [[Infielder#Corner vs. middle infielders|corner infielder]] [[Takahiro Arai]], who was both older and more experienced at the time) and hitting .267 with 11 homers and 32 RBIs in 90 total games.

On October 2, with the Carp finding themselves tied in the ninth inning with two [[Out (baseball)|outs]] and [[Baserunning#Running the bases|runners]] on [[Second baseman|second]] and third in a close game against the Tigers, Kurihara swung and missed with two strikes but failed to realize that [[catcher]] [[Akihiro Yano]] had [[Uncaught third strike|failed to catch]] the [[Pitch (baseball)|pitch]]. Though [[outfielder]] Shigenobu Shima came racing [[Baseball field#Home base|home]] to [[Score (sport)|score]] the game-winning [[Run (baseball)|run]], Kurihara failed to run to first, resulting in his being tagged out and costing his team a win (the game ended a 4-4 tie in [[Extra innings#Asia|extra innings]] as per NPB regulations). Though the Carp were already far out of title contention at the time, the baserunning blunder drew the ire of then-[[Manager (baseball)|manager]] [[Koji Yamamoto (baseball, born 1946)|Koji Yamamoto]], who removed Kurihara from the active roster and sent him down to the minors, declining to use him at all for the remaining eight games of the season despite opting to rest many of his starters and use other young players in place of them.

Kurihara married a [[Batboy|batgirl]] who worked at [[Hiroshima Municipal Stadium (1957)|Hiroshima Municipal Stadium]], the Carp's home [[Baseball park|ballpark]], at the end of the [[Calendar year|year]].

===2005===
Despite hopes that he would cement his place in the Carp's starting [[Batting order (baseball)|lineup]], Kurihara missed the opener of the 2005 season due to injuries. While he did not play at the ''ichigun'' level until June 21 in a game against the Swallows and did not see his first start until June 28 against the Tigers, he hit .275 with five home runs and 18 RBIs and slugged .551 in a 20-game [[Physical therapy|rehab]] stint in the minors, leading then-''nigun'' team manager Tomio Kinoshita to say that it would be last time Kurihara would ever play at [[Yū, Yamaguchi|Yū]] Baseball Ground, the home of the Carp's farm team. Kurihara replaced teammate [[Kenjiro Nomura (baseball)|Kenjiro Nomura]] at first base after the veteran got his 2000th career hit and went on to play in 77 games, making 66 starts and hitting .323 with 15 homers and 43 RBI. He hit .352 with 10 homers and 21 RBIs in the month of August alone and his .366 on-base and .563 slugging percentage were all career highs, as were his numbers in all three [[Major League Baseball Triple Crown|Triple Crown]] categories.

Kurihara had his [[Squad number|uniform number]] changed from '''50''' to '''5''' during the [[Season (sports)#Off-season|off-season]]. His wife gave birth to their first child (a daughter) that July and held their wedding reception in December.

===2006===
Kurihara spent much of January 2006 in [[Arizona]] to prepare for the coming 2006 season, reducing his [[body fat percentage]] from 10 to 9 percent and bulking up until he weighed {{convert|100|kg|lb|abbr=on}}. He saw his first start in the cleanup spot on May 24 in an interleague game against the [[Orix Buffaloes]] (though he went 0-for-3 with a pair of strikeouts and a [[Base on balls|walk]]) and hit .379 with five home runs and 23 RBIs that month. He got hot in July as well, hitting .305 with seven homers and 19 RBIs and winning the first Central League monthly [[Most Valuable Player]] award of his career.

Kurihara experienced [[Back pain|pain]] in his [[Human back|lower back]] in August and was found to have a [[Spinal disc herniation|spinal disc hernia]]<ref>[http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/sb20070121wg.html "Carp manager Brown confident of his team's success in 2007"] ''The Japan Times''</ref> upon further diagnosis, forcing him to undergo surgery on August 23 and miss the remainder of the season. (Ironically, right-hander and then-staff ace [[Hiroki Kuroda]], who was the co-winner of the monthly MVP award along with Kurihara, also suffered an injury that same month and ended up missing much of the season.) Regardless, Kurihara played in 109 games until his season-ending injury, hitting .295 with 20 homers and 69 RBI.<ref>[http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/sb20080525wg.html "Carp need more production from Kurihara"] ''The Japan Times''</ref>

===2007===
Kurihara began his off-season [[Physical exercise|workout]] in Arizona for the second straight year alongside teammates Shima and Kei Yoshida, bringing his body fat percentage back down to 9 percent (from its peak of 13 percent while he was out due to injury) and his weight to {{convert|92|kg|lb|abbr=on}}. He played in all 144 games for the first time in his career despite [[Osteophyte|bone spurs]] in his elbow and finished the 2007 season with a .310 batting average (fifth in the league), 25 home runs and 92 RBI.<ref>[http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/sb20090410n1.html "WBC experience inspires Kurihara"] ''The Japan Times''</ref> He was the only right-handed hitter in the league that finished with a slugging average of over .500 and less than 100 strikeouts that year. He was also equally effective against [[Left-handedness|left-handed]] and right-handed pitchers, hitting .307 with 10 homers and a .564 slugging percentage against lefties and .311 with 15 homers and a .490 slugging percentage against righties. In particular, his two-run home run off Tigers closer Kyuji Fujikawa (who was then on pace to set an NPB record for most [[Save (baseball)|saves]] in a single season) on September 13 was the first home run that Fujikawa had allowed all season.

===2008===
With the Takahiro Arai's departure via [[Free agent|free agency]] to the Tigers, Kurihara was officially appointed the team's cleanup hitter for the 2008 season.<ref>[http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/sb20080320p5.html "2008 Central League Preview: Hiroshima Toyo Carp"] ''The Japan Times''</ref> While he struggled in the opening weeks of the season, hitting .290 but with just two home runs and six RBIs for the month of April, he hit .347 with three homers and 17 RBIs (slugging .505) in 24 games in interleague play and .408 with six homers and 18 RBIs in the month of July. He started all 144 games in the cleanup spot, hitting .332 with 23 homers and 103 RBI<ref>[http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200904030064.html "NPB: Profiles of the Central League teams"] ''The Asahi Shimbun''</ref> and keeping the Carp in [[Playoffs|playoff]] contention for much of the season.<ref>[http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/sb20090402j1.html "Giants aiming for third straight Central League title"] ''The Japan Times''</ref> He marked career highs in batting average (third in the league), hits (185; second), RBIs (fourth) and had the third-most [[plate appearances]] (616) of any player in the league.<ref>[http://www.japanbaseballdaily.com/pennantrace2008CL.html "Central League Pennant Race and Leaders 2008"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713092613/http://www.japanbaseballdaily.com/pennantrace2008CL.html |date=July 13, 2011 }} ''Japan Baseball Daily''</ref> His 68 strikeouts were the fewest in any season in which he had played more than 100 games thus far and the second-fewest of any player in the league who had hit more than 20 homers (Giants catcher [[Shinnosuke Abe]] hit 24 homers and struck out a mere 66 times).

Following the regular season, Kurihara and Arai (now with the Tigers) were both presented the Central League Golden Glove award at first base,<ref>[http://marinerds.blogspot.com/2008/10/2008-npb-golden-gloves.html "2008 NPB Golden Gloves"] ''Marinerds, etc''</ref> marking the first time two players were chosen at the same position since then-Giants right-hander [[Masumi Kuwata]] and then-Dragons left-hander Shinji Imanaka won the award as pitchers in 1993. He underwent [[Endoscopy|endoscopic]] [[surgery]] to remove articular [[cartilage]] fragments (the largest some {{convert|1.5|cm|in|abbr=on}} in diameter) in his elbow during the off-season.

{{Update section|date=January 2025|reason=no information after 2008}}

==Coaching career==
After retirement, Kurihara was installed as coach for the Eagles before joining former colleague, [[Tsuyoshi Yoda]] at the [[Chunichi Dragons]] as 2-gun hitting coach from the 2020 season.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nikkansports.com/baseball/news/201910290000219.html |title=中日が楽天退団の栗原コーチ招聘福田らの育成期待 - プロ野球 : 日刊スポーツ |date=2019-10-29 |work=Nikkan Sports |access-date=2019-10-29 |language=ja}}</ref>

==International career==

===2002 Asian Games===
Kurihara saw his first stint on the international stage in 2002, playing in the [[2002 Asian Games|14th Asian Games]] as a member of the Japanese national team (consisting entirely of industrial league and minor league players). He hit a home run against [[China national baseball team|China]] in the [[Baseball at the 2002 Asian Games|preliminary round]] on October 5 as the starting first baseman and [[Batting order (baseball)##5, #6|No. 6 hitter]] and contributed to Japan's [[Baseball at the 2002 Asian Games#Final round|bronze medal]] finish.

===2009 World Baseball Classic===
Though Kurihara was named to the national team's provisional roster for the [[2009 World Baseball Classic]]<ref>[http://www.mister-baseball.com/japan-publishes-preliminary-roster-2009-world-baseball-classic/ "Japan publishes preliminary Roster for 2009 World Baseball Classic"] ''Mister Baseball''</ref> and took part in the [[training camp]] held in [[Miyazaki, Miyazaki|Miyazaki]] in mid-February,<ref>[http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/sb20090323o3.html "Perseverance pays off for Kurihara"] ''The Japan Times''</ref> he was ultimately cut from the final 28-man team,<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20091224141344/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/baseball/more/02/22/japan.wbc.ap/ "Japan sets final WBC roster"] ''SI.com''</ref> perhaps partly due to the condition of his elbow, which he had had surgery on during the off-season). However, he was named one of the team's primary backup players and got his chance when [[Yokohama BayStars]] [[List of baseball jargon (S)#slugger|slugger]] [[Shuichi Murata]], the team's cleanup hitter, tore his [[hamstring]] while [[Baserunning#Running the bases|rounding]] first base in the second-round [[2009 World Baseball Classic – Round 2#Japan 6, South Korea 2|seeding match]] against [[South Korea national baseball team|South Korea]], held in [[San Diego]] on March 19.<ref>[http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090320&content_id=4035594&vkey=wbc&team=jpn "Japan scurrying to replace Murata"] ''MLB.com''</ref> National team manager [[Tatsunori Hara]] immediately called upon Kurihara to join the team.<ref>{{Cite web |title=WBC: Murata Injured, Kurihara to Stand In |url=https://www.npbtracker.com/2009/03/wbc-murata-injured-kurihara-to-stand-in/ |access-date=2025-01-30 |website=NPB Tracker}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2009-03-20 |title=Kurihara to replace Murata for Japan at WBC |url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2009/03/20/kurihara-to-replace-murata-for-japan-at-wbc/ |access-date=2025-01-30 |website=San Diego Union-Tribune |language=en-US}}</ref> Hara later said that he contacted Kurihara, whose dedication and commitment had impressed him during the Miyazaki camp, within five minutes of learning of the seriousness of Murata's injury.{{Citation needed|date=January 2025}}

Kurihara arrived in San Diego on March 21, the day before the [[2009 World Baseball Classic – Finals#Semifinals|semi-finals]] against the [[United States national baseball team|United States]], and struggled to overcome the [[jet lag]] and [[Fatigue (medical)|fatigue]] due to travel, going 0-for-3, striking out twice and [[Batted ball|grounding]] into a [[double play]]. However, Japan won anyway, defeating the United States 9-4 in the semi-finals on March 22 and South Korea 5-3 in the [[2009 World Baseball Classic – Finals#Finals|finals]] on March 23 to earn their [[World Baseball Classic#Results|second consecutive title]].

==Playing style==
{{More citations needed|section|date=January 2025}}

===Hitting===
Listed at {{convert|183|cm|in|abbr=on}} and {{convert|97|kg|lb|abbr=on}}, Kurihara is a burly right-handed [[pull hitter]]. While he does not have exceptional [[List of baseball jargon (D)#discipline|plate discipline]] (.352 career on-base percentage as of May 16, 2009), he strikes out less often than other power hitters. He is particularly adept at hitting [[Pitch (baseball)#Breaking balls|breaking balls]] but has gradually improved on his ability to hit [[fastball]]s from year to year. He also has no trouble going the [[Opposite field|opposite way]] and remains one of the few players in Japanese professional baseball that has power to all fields. He has commented that he modeled his swing after [[Hiromitsu Ochiai]], who played for the [[Chiba Lotte Marines#History|Lotte Orions]], Dragons, Giants and [[Nippon-Ham Fighters]] and won Triple Crown honors in 1982, 1985, and 1986.

===Fielding===
Though Kurihara entered the pros as a third baseman, he switched to first base during his days in the minors and has played that position almost exclusively since 2006. Kurihara was never regarded as being particularly skilled [[Defense (sports)|defensively]], winning the Gold Glove award at first base in 2008 but becoming the subject of criticism by many who believed he was chosen largely on merit of his offensive production. He was also plagued by a chronically loose [[Glenohumeral joint|shoulder joint]] earlier in his career, so much so that he was once prohibited from diving for [[Baseball (ball)|balls]] by the ''nigun'' coaching staff upon [[Joint dislocation|dislocating]] his [[shoulder]] in a minor league game.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
*{{Baseballstats|brm=kuriha001ken}}
*[http://npb.jp/bis/eng/players/31535111.html NPB stats]

{{Chiba Lotte Marines roster navbox}}
{{Japan roster 2009 World Baseball Classic}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kurihara, Kenta}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:1982 births]]
[[Category:Japanese baseball players]]
[[Category:Baseball people from Yamagata Prefecture]]
[[Category:2009 World Baseball Classic players]]
[[Category:Hiroshima Toyo Carp players]]
[[Category:Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles players]]
[[Category:21st-century Japanese sportsmen]]
[[Category:Nippon Professional Baseball infielders]]
[[Category:Baseball first basemen]]
[[Category:Asian Games bronze medalists in baseball]]
[[Category:Asian Games baseball players for Japan]]
[[Category:Baseball players at the 2002 Asian Games]]
[[Category:Japanese baseball coaches]]
[[Category:Nippon Professional Baseball coaches]]
[[Category:People from Tendō, Yamagata]]
[[Category:Asian Games bronze medalists for Japan]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 2002 Asian Games]]
[[Category:World Baseball Classic players of Japan]]

Kenta Kurihara - Revision history

imported>Jevansen: Copying from Category:Asian Games bronze medalists in baseball to Category:Asian Games baseball players for Japan using Cat-a-lot