1. Early life and amateur career
Kanabushi's early life and baseball development occurred in Brazil, followed by his high school and university baseball career in Japan, which paved his way to professional baseball.
1.1. Background and youth baseball
Hugo Kanabushi began playing baseball at the age of five in his native Brazil. By the age of 14, he had been selected four times to represent Brazil in international hardball tournaments. His performance at a tournament held in Japan in 2004, where his team finished third and he earned a spot on the Best Nine, led to his opportunity to come to Japan for further baseball development.
1.2. High school and university baseball
After moving to Japan, Kanabushi attended Sano Nihon University High School. He struggled to adapt to dormitory life and underwent left elbow surgery during his second year, ultimately not making any official game appearances during his high school career. Notably, Tomoyuki Sawamura, who would later become his teammate with the Yomiuri Giants in 2016, was one year his senior and shared a dorm room with him.
Following high school, Kanabushi enrolled at Hakuoh University and joined its baseball club, which was part of the Kanto Shinetsu Student Baseball League. In the spring of his second year, he gained experience pitching on a national stage at the All-Japan University Baseball Championship Series. He secured his first collegiate win in the spring of his fourth year and helped his team clinch the first division league championship in the autumn. On October 27, 2011, Kanabushi was selected by the Tokyo Yakult Swallows as the second pick in the development player category during the 2011 NPB Draft. Hakuoh University, despite having a relatively small baseball club of around 50 members, had a remarkable draft year in 2011, with three players selected, including Masayoshi Tsukada by the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks and Takehiro Okajima by the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.
2. Professional career
Kanabushi's professional career spanned across two NPB teams, the Tokyo Yakult Swallows and the Yomiuri Giants, followed by a stint in an independent league.
2.1. Tokyo Yakult Swallows
Kanabushi began his professional career with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows as a development player in 2012. On July 30, 2012, he was promoted to a registered player, making him eligible for first-team appearances. He made his first-team debut on October 3, 2012, pitching as the second reliever in a game against the Yokohama DeNA BayStars at Yokohama Stadium. After the season, he was selected to the Brazil national baseball team for the 2013 World Baseball Classic alongside his Swallows teammates and fellow Brazilians, Yuichi Matsumoto and Rafael Fernandes.
In 2013, during the 2013 World Baseball Classic first round in Fukuoka, he pitched in relief appearances against Cuba on March 3 and China on March 5. However, after the tournament and the start of the NPB season, on July 17, he underwent Tommy John surgery to reconstruct a ligament in his left elbow. This injury kept him from making any first-team appearances in 2013 and 2014. He returned to the first team on July 28, 2015, pitching in relief against the Hiroshima Toyo Carp at Meiji Jingu Stadium, which marked his first top-level appearance in three years. This was his only first-team appearance that season, and on October 2, 2015, he was released by the Swallows.
2.2. Yomiuri Giants
After being released by the Swallows, Kanabushi participated in the 12-team tryout on November 10, 2015, at Kusanagi Baseball Stadium. He recorded a fastball speed of 91 mph (146 km/h) and retired all three batters he faced in a simulated game. Following this performance, on November 13, the Yomiuri Giants announced they had signed him as a development player. His registered name was "Hugo", and he was assigned jersey number 025.
In 2016, on March 28, Kanabushi was registered as an official player alongside Jun Hasegawa. His jersey number was changed to 95. Despite the promotion, he did not make any first-team appearances that season and was again released by the Giants on October 2, 2016. Hoping to continue his professional career in NPB, he participated in the 12-team tryout for the second consecutive year on November 12, 2016. In a similar format to the previous year, he faced three batters, recording one strikeout, allowing one hit, and issuing one walk.
2.3. Tochigi Golden Braves (Independent League)
On December 2, 2016, it was announced that Kanabushi would join the Tochigi Golden Braves, a team set to participate in the independent Baseball Challenge League from the following year. He played for the Braves through the 2017 and 2018 seasons. On October 31, 2018, he was released as a free agent from the team, ending his tenure in the independent league.
3. National team career
Hugo Kanabushi has been a key member of the Brazil national baseball team, representing his country in various international competitions. He was selected for Brazil in the 2013 World Baseball Classic - Qualification, the 2013 World Baseball Classic itself, the 2017 World Baseball Classic - Qualification, and the 2019 Pan American Games Qualifier. During the 2013 World Baseball Classic in Japan, he pitched in relief during the first-round games against Cuba on March 3 and China on March 5.
4. Playing style and characteristics
As a left-handed pitcher, Hugo Kanabushi's primary strength was his fastball, which could reach speeds of up to 92 mph (148 km/h). His repertoire of pitches also included a curveball, a slider, and a changeup. A noted weakness in his pitching style was his control.
5. Post-retirement activities
Upon his departure from the Tochigi Golden Braves, Kanabushi initially stated that his future plans were undecided. However, in 2019, he joined the Yomiuri Giants' international department as an interpreter. In this role, he primarily worked with the Giants' third team, facilitating communication by utilizing his proficiency in Japanese, Spanish, and Portuguese. On November 27, 2023, Kanabushi announced via his X (formerly Twitter) account that he would be leaving the Yomiuri Giants at the end of the 2023 season and returning to Brazil.
6. Career statistics and records
This section details Hugo Kanabushi's professional pitching statistics in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) and the independent league, along with notable records and milestones achieved during his career.
6.1. Professional statistics (NPB)
| Year | Team | Appearances | Wins | Losses | Saves | Complete Games | Win % | Innings Pitched | Batters Faced | Hits Allowed | Home Runs Allowed | Strikeouts | Walks | Hit Batters | Runs Allowed | Earned Runs | Wild Pitches | Balks | ERA | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Yakult | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ---- | 0.2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 13.50 | 6.00 |
| 2015 | Yakult | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ---- | 1.0 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 36.00 | 5.00 |
| NPB Total (2 years) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ---- | 1.2 | 15 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 27.00 | 5.40 | |
6.2. Independent league statistics
| Year | Team | Appearances | Wins | Losses | Saves | Complete Games | Win % | Innings Pitched | Batters Faced | Hits Allowed | Home Runs Allowed | Strikeouts | Walks | Hit Batters | Runs Allowed | Earned Runs | Wild Pitches | Balks | ERA | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Tochigi | 16 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 1 | .200 | 97.2 | 428 | 114 | 11 | 66 | 27 | 3 | 50 | 44 | 6 | 0 | 4.05 | 1.45 |
| 2018 | Tochigi | 20 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 1 | .200 | 106.1 | 479 | 119 | 8 | 83 | 41 | 5 | 60 | 56 | 4 | 2 | 4.74 | 1.51 |
| Independent League Total (2 years) | 36 | 4 | 16 | 0 | 2 | .200 | 204.0 | 907 | 233 | 19 | 149 | 68 | 8 | 110 | 100 | 10 | 2 | 4.41 | 1.48 | |
6.3. Records and milestones
- First appearance: October 3, 2012, against the Yokohama DeNA BayStars (24th game of the season) at Yokohama Stadium, entering in the bottom of the 6th inning as the second pitcher in relief, allowing 1 run and 4 walks in 2/3 innings.
7. Other details
This section compiles additional specific information regarding Hugo Kanabushi's career, including his jersey numbers and registered names.
7.1. Jersey numbers
Kanabushi's jersey numbers changed multiple times throughout his professional career:
- 119 (2012 - July 29, 2012, with Tokyo Yakult Swallows as a development player)
- 91 (July 30, 2012 - 2015, with Tokyo Yakult Swallows as a registered player)
- 025 (2016 - March 27, 2016, with Yomiuri Giants as a development player)
- 95 (March 28, 2016 - end of 2016 season, with Yomiuri Giants as a registered player)
- 66 (2017 - 2018, with Tochigi Golden Braves)
7.2. Registered names
The official registered names used by Hugo Kanabushi during his professional career were:
- Hugo (ウーゴJapanese, 2012, 2016 - 2018)
- Kanabushi Hugo (金伏 ウーゴKanabushi HugoJapanese, 2013 - 2015)
8. External links
- [http://tochigi-baseball.jp/news/2016/12-02-564/ Announcement of Hugo Kanabushi's signing with Tochigi Golden Braves]
- [https://tochigi-braves.jp/news/2018/10/31/4066/ Announcement of Hugo Kanabushi's departure from Tochigi Golden Braves]
- [https://hochi.news/articles/20190507-OHT1T50096.html Sports Hochi: Hugo Kanabushi becomes a third-team interpreter for Giants]
- [https://twitter.com/kanazilds66 Hugo Kanabushi on X (formerly Twitter)]
- [https://www.instagram.com/kanazilds66 Hugo Kanabushi on Instagram]