Kenta Kurihara

1.1. Birthplace and Family

Kenta Kurihara was born on January 8, 1982, in Tendō, a small city located in northern Yamagata Prefecture, Japan. He grew up in a family that operated a yakiniku (Japanese barbecue) restaurant in Tendo City.

1.2. Childhood and Baseball Beginnings

Kurihara began playing baseball as a third-grader. He quickly established himself as a key player on his Little League team, serving as both the ace pitcher and the cleanup hitter. During his junior high school years, he continued to play as a pitcher. Beyond baseball, Kurihara demonstrated exceptional athletic ability in track and field events, winning citywide competitions in the high jump, 100-meter dash, and shot put.

1.3. High School Career

Kurihara attended Nihon University Yamagata Senior High School, a private affiliate school of Nihon University. The school's baseball coach, Yoshiya Shibuya, had scouted Kurihara since his junior high days with the intention of developing him as a pitcher. However, upon seeing Kurihara's batting during practice, Shibuya was reportedly astonished by his exceptional bat speed and control, which allowed him to effortlessly hit balls over the fence. This led to Kurihara's conversion to an infielder. By the summer of his first year (equivalent to tenth grade), he was already batting fifth in the team's lineup, and by the fall, he had become the cleanup hitter.

In the spring of 1998, during his junior year, Kurihara achieved a remarkable batting average of .700 with two home runs in the Tohoku Regional Tournament. His performance helped lead his team to a berth in the 80th National High School Baseball Championship that summer. However, their appearance was brief, as they lost 10-1 to Seiryo High School, the Ishikawa champions, in the first round. In that game, Kurihara went 1-for-4 with his team's sole RBI. Despite this early exit from the national stage, Kurihara's talent was widely recognized.

1.4. Physical Attributes and Scouting

By his senior year in 1999, Kenta Kurihara was a highly coveted position player, noted for his exceptional power and speed. He was scouted by 11 different NPB teams. Throughout his high school career, he hit a total of 39 home runs. His physical prowess was impressive: he could bench press a maximum of 265 lb ^{(120 kg)}, squat a maximum of 728 lb ^{(330 kg)}, and had a back muscle strength of 617 lb ^{(280 kg)}. He also demonstrated considerable speed, running the 50-meter sprint in 6.0 seconds and the 100-meter sprint in 11.7 seconds. Scouts evaluated him as a powerful and fast player. Upon entering professional baseball, his strength metrics were noted as comparable to then-prominent players like Tomonori Kanemoto and Itsuki Asai. He was initially dubbed the "second Satoshi Eto", a promising right-handed power hitter.

2.1. Draft and Professional Entry

Despite rumors that the Yakult Swallows were considering him for an upper-round selection, Kenta Kurihara was chosen by the Hiroshima Toyo Carp in the third round of the 1999 NPB amateur draft. He signed with the Carp for an estimated signing bonus of 45.00 M JPY and an annual salary of 5.00 M JPY. He was assigned uniform number 50. At the time of his entry into professional baseball, Kurihara was the only active player from Yamagata Prefecture in all of Japanese professional baseball, a distinction he held until the end of the 2002 season.

2.2. Hiroshima Toyo Carp (2000-2015)

2.3. Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles (2016)

2.3.1. Tryout and Single Season

Following his departure from the Carp, Kenta Kurihara participated in a tryout with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles during their autumn training camp, starting on November 12, 2015. This was a significant move, as Rakuten had reportedly considered acquiring him back in 2011 when he first obtained domestic free agent rights. The Eagles' vice chairman, Senichi Hoshino, observed Kurihara during the tryout and publicly stated that he had "exceeded expectations" and "passed" the test. On November 15, after a red-and-white game, manager Masataka Nashida officially announced that Kurihara, along with three other tryout participants, had been signed. Kurihara was assigned uniform number 0.

3.1. 2002 Asian Games

Kurihara made his debut on the international stage in 2002, participating in the 14th Asian Games as a member of the Japanese national team. This team was composed entirely of players from industrial leagues and minor league teams, with one player selected from each of the twelve NPB teams. On October 5, in a preliminary round game against China, Kurihara started as the first baseman and No. 6 hitter, where he hit a home run. His contributions helped Japan secure a bronze medal finish in the tournament.

3.2. 2009 World Baseball Classic

Kurihara was initially named to the provisional roster for the 2009 World Baseball Classic and participated in the training camp held in Miyazaki in mid-February. However, he was ultimately cut from the final 28-man roster, possibly due to the condition of his elbow, which he had undergone surgery on during the off-season. Despite this, he was designated as one of the team's primary backup players.

His opportunity arose when Yokohama BayStars slugger Shuichi Murata, the team's cleanup hitter, suffered a hamstring tear while rounding first base in the second-round seeding match against South Korea in San Diego on March 19. Japan national team manager Tatsunori Hara immediately called upon Kurihara to join the team. Hara later stated that he contacted Kurihara within five minutes of learning the seriousness of Murata's injury, having been impressed by Kurihara's dedication and commitment during the Miyazaki camp, where Kurihara remained to train even after being cut from the initial roster.

Kurihara arrived in San Diego on March 21, the day before the semi-finals against the United States. He struggled to overcome the jet lag and fatigue from travel, going 0-for-3 with two strikeouts and grounding into a double play. Despite his individual performance, Japan went on to defeat the United States 9-4 in the semi-finals on March 22 and then beat South Korea 5-3 in the finals on March 23, securing their second consecutive World Baseball Classic title.

4.1. Hitting

Listed at 72 in ^{(183 cm)} and 214 lb ^{(97 kg)}, Kenta Kurihara was a burly right-handed pull hitter. While he was not known for exceptional plate discipline, as indicated by his .352 career on-base percentage as of May 2009, he maintained a lower strikeout rate compared to many other power hitters. He was particularly adept at hitting breaking balls and consistently improved his ability to hit fastballs throughout his career. Kurihara also possessed the rare ability to hit for power to all fields, making him one of the few players in Japanese professional baseball with such versatility. He publicly stated that he modeled his swing after Hiromitsu Ochiai, a legendary Japanese player who won Triple Crown honors multiple times in the 1980s. Kurihara was also known for frequently being hit by pitches, leading the league with 12 hit-by-pitches in 2008.

4.2. Fielding

Although Kurihara entered professional baseball as a third baseman, he transitioned to first base during his time in the minor leagues and played that position almost exclusively from 2006 onwards. He was generally not regarded as an exceptionally skilled defensive player. While he did win the Golden Glove Award at first base in 2008, some critics believed this recognition was largely a reflection of his offensive production rather than his defensive prowess. Earlier in his career, he was plagued by a chronically loose shoulder joint, to the extent that the nigun coaching staff once prohibited him from diving for balls after he dislocated his shoulder in a minor league game.

5.1. Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles (2017-2019)

Upon his retirement from playing, the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles offered Kurihara a coaching position. He officially joined the team as the nigun (minor league) hitting coach for the 2017 season. In November 2017, he also served as the hitting coach for the NPB Eastern League selection team in the 2017 Asia Winter Baseball League held in Taiwan.

In 2018, Kurihara continued as the nigun hitting coach until April 30, when he was reassigned to the ichigun (major league) hitting coach position, replacing Yosuke Takasu. This change was made in response to the first team's struggling offense, which had the lowest batting average in the league at .216. He remained in this role through the 2019 season before departing the organization.

5.2. Chunichi Dragons (2020-2021)

In 2020, Kenta Kurihara was announced as the first team hitting coach for the Chunichi Dragons. He was assigned uniform number 73. He served in this capacity for two seasons, working to develop the team's offensive strategies and improve player performance. On October 29, 2021, it was announced that he would be departing the Dragons at the end of the season.

5.3. Chiba Lotte Marines (2023-Present)

After leaving the Chunichi Dragons, Kurihara spent the 2022 season working in the professional scout group for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles. On December 11, 2022, it was announced that he would join the Chiba Lotte Marines as the nigun (minor league) hitting coach starting in 2023. He was given uniform number 77. In November 2024, the Chiba Lotte Marines announced that Kurihara would be promoted to the first team hitting coach for the 2025 season.

6.1. Marriage and Family

Kenta Kurihara married a former Hiroshima Carp "home run girl" in December 2004. In July 2005, the couple welcomed their first child, a daughter. They held their wedding reception in December of the same year. Kurihara's wife reportedly operates a nail salon and has maintained an official blog, occasionally appearing on Carp-focused radio programs.

7.1. Major Awards

Kenta Kurihara received several significant individual awards during his professional playing career, recognizing his excellence in hitting and fielding:

• Best Nine Award: 1 time (First Baseman: 2011)
• Golden Glove Award: 3 times (First Baseman: 2008, 2009, 2011)
• Monthly MVP: 3 times (July 2006, August 2011, September 2011)
• Excellent JCB MEP Award: 1 time (2007)
• Best Father Yellow Ribbon Award in "Professional Baseball Category": 2009

7.2. Career Milestones and Records

Kurihara achieved several notable career milestones and records:

• Firsts:**
  • First appearance: August 31, 2002, as a pinch hitter against the Chunichi Dragons.
  • First at-bat: August 31, 2002, against Daisuke Yamai.
  • First start: September 4, 2002, as a third baseman against the Hanshin Tigers.
  • First hit, first home run, and first RBI: September 5, 2002, a solo home run off Kyuji Fujikawa.
  • First stolen base: April 16, 2003, against the Yomiuri Giants.
• Milestones:**
  • 100 Home Runs: April 7, 2009, off Yasutomo Kubo (253rd player in NPB history).
  • 1000 Hits: August 26, 2011, off Hirokazu Sawamura (266th player in NPB history).
  • 150 Home Runs: September 10, 2011, off Shugo Fujii (156th player in NPB history).
  • 1000 Games Played: April 21, 2012 (449th player in NPB history).
• Other Records:**
  • Total career batting interferences suffered: 8 times (tied for 10th all-time in NPB).
  • Most batting interferences suffered in a single season: 4 times (2009, tied for 3rd all-time in NPB).
  • Two batting interferences suffered in a single game: August 28, 2009, against the Yokohama BayStars.
  • All-Star Game appearances: 3 times (2007, 2009, 2011). He was also selected in 2010 but declined due to injury.
• Unique Home Runs:** Kurihara hit the last home run at the old Hiroshima Municipal Stadium in 2008. In 2009, he hit the team's first home run at the new MAZDA Zoom-Zoom Stadium Hiroshima. He also hit the first professional home runs at Miyoshi Sports Park Baseball Field (Miyoshi City, Hiroshima Prefecture) and HARD OFF ECO Stadium Niigata (Niigata City, Niigata Prefecture).

8.1. Yearly Batting Statistics

8.2. WBC Batting Statistics

8.3. Yearly Fielding Statistics