Masumi Kuwata Debut in MLB

I just realized something funny.

They called up Kuwata just in time for inter-league play, which meant that over 12 games, the Pirates would be playing:

1. the Yankees (with Hideki Matsui)
2. the Rangers (with Akinori Otsuka)
3. the White Sox (with Tadahito Iguchi)
4. the Mariners (with Ichiro, and Kenji Johjima)

There aren't as many Japanese players in the NL as in the AL, so isn't that a pretty crazy coincidence? I bet the Japanese media assigned to cover the Pirates will be pretty happy over the situation! "Kuwata goes to Seattle to play against Ichiro's team..." is probably a much better headline than "Kuwata sits in the bullpen," for sure.

Does anyone know what impact Kuwata will have for the Pirates? Will he be like Hasegawa?

Kuwata will be a middle reliever for the Pirates, and he'll be setting up for Saolomon Torres, the Pittsburgh closer.

- Does anyone know what impact Kuwata will have for the Pirates? Will he be like Hasegawa?

Highly unlikely. Kuwata's near the end of his career and has not been productive for years. The MLB/AAA sample size is too small to judge, but I doubt he'll be successful here. Of course, as a Pirates fan, that means they'll keep him around for years. I think in the short term, he's secure. The bullpen is horrid this year - the only set pitchers are Capps and Marte, and possibly Grabow. Also, Jim Tracy has expressed lots of praise for Kuwata's poise and control. I'm guessing they'll keep him around for at least another month if not all year.

He was pretty good when I saw him last week in Seattle. On Thursday, he pitched 2 scoreless innings and got 4 strikeouts.

I found it amusing that my old Pirates #18 shirt, with "Kendall" on the back, is now a Kuwata shirt from the front.

Just because a person hasn't put up productive numbers for a while doesn't mean in any way that a person is "finished." Kuwata is great, he always has been good, and now that the Giants have finally let him go he is getting to pitch in the MLB. Trust me, his "style" can be dominant in MLB. Pitching in MLB is easy. Murakami even says so. And he struck out Ichiro with brilliant aggressive pitching. And he did a great job against all those AL teams in clutch relief spots, so pfffft.

And yes, he can be like Hasegawa. But even better because Kuwata is smarter. It's hard to explain, but from a pitcher-hitter standpoint, that means a lot. Hitters can't read him. And hitters can't sit back and wait on him because he just makes them foul it off or swing and miss. He gets ahead of hitters by putting the ball where they won't do anything with it or swing and miss at it. And Kuwata knows how to finish hitters off, for crying out loud, for what, like 25 years now he has been famous in Japan?

This guy has pitched in 6 games in the MLB regular season and has only given up that homer to Alex who got lucky, in my opinion, because Kuwata looked a little flustered after walking Abreu, whom Kuwata was owning. He walked Matsui after getting the first strike. But made sure he got the next guy out. He got Jeter, Damon, Ichiro, Beltre, Vlad Guerrero, and several other MLB stars out already.

Fantasy-wise, I don't think he is going to give you much for stats as a reliever, but as a pitcher he is great. I don't see why he can't be around another year or two. As someone to rely on he's in great shape, even considering his ankle.

- This guy has pitched in 6 games in the MLB regular season and has only given up that homer to Alex who got lucky...

I know it's your opinion, but a home run is a home run there is no luck. Saying Alex got lucky is just a sad excuse.

Of course there are such things as lucky home runs - they happen all the time. As to whether Rodriguez was lucky, I'll leave that to others to debate.

I am opinionated, and perhaps I'll be more clear when I speak in the future.

I meant from the pitcher's perspective, A-Rod got lucky. He was lucky to even have an at bat in that inning, much less get a pretty fat pitch to drive to right field.

Abreu was owned in that at bat and fouled off pitches and earned a walk. In that game, Kuwata made hitters swing and miss, fishing or swinging at strikes. I guess I shouldn't call that lucky, but I am calling it lucky because I think normally Kuwata would have finished Abreu off. It was Kuwata's first game during the MLB regular season, so he had to experience some things in the game first, but he got the first 5 guys out and Abreu was the last hitter he was seemingly going to face in his nice outing. But Abreu worked a walk. And A-Rod came up to spoil things like he's good at doing (WBC anyone).

By the way, back in the dugout after the home run, A-Rod still couldn't get a read on him. Neither could any of the other Yankees. And Matsui wouldn't be able to tell them anything. I don't think he knows where Kuwata is coming from either. But I'll shh for now.

By "in that game" I meant in later games.

Hold up. Did you just say pitching in MLB is easy?

I meant pitching for Kuwata in MLB is easy. And I don't mean easy as in "little or no effort required." He concentrates and does things to the best of his ability. I meant easy in that many MLB hitters don't even know their own weaknesses in their approach, and that many are much easier to get out than players in NPB. I believe this.

In relief he knows what to do and what not to do. For instance, when he came in with 2 outs to face pinch hitter Ben Broussard he knew he had to avoid a 3 ball count with 2 on, and he threw him difficult to hit strikes, and got a soft ground ball to first.

Did anyone see how bad he made Adrian Beltre look? All Kuwata did was throw the ball with his impossible to read motion and put it in spots out of the hitter's hitting zone. He teased them a little by starting the ball where the hitter thought he could foul it off, but Kuwata made the ball dive out of even those zones so the hitters ended up swinging knowing they weren't going to hit it. He pretty much owned in all of his appearances in America (spring, AAA, MLB).

And that at bat against Ichiro in relief should have told people this guy is good. At the end of his career, maybe. But I think if Kuwata wants to he could stay in MLB.

His manager is Jim Tracy and his pitching coach is Jim Colborn. Also not a tremendous amount of pressure playing on the Pirates. I think it is a great situation for Kuwata in MLB.

Fans are harsh. LOL.

I saw 91 on the radar gun on 1 pitch against Florida, and the pitch was a strike though it was called a ball.

If Kuwata pitches like he did Monday, he might not be around for long. He gave up 7 earned runs in just two thirds of an inning, yesterday. Kuwata is now up to a 7.94 ERA in 11 and 1/3 innings this year.