BASEBALL

Orix slugger Kiyohara to retire

Tuesday 19th August, 07:26 AM JST

TOKYO —

Injury-prone veteran Orix Buffaloes slugger Kazuhiro Kiyohara said Monday he will retire at the end of the season. Kiyohara, fifth on the all-time home run list in Japanese baseball with 525, made the announcement in a comment issued through his Pacific League club after its game against his old team, the Seibu Lions, on his 41st birthday at Seibu Dome. ‘‘I’m thankful that I had my birthday at Seibu Dome in my last season,’’ Kiyohara said. ‘‘I’m grateful that they showed pictures of my old days at the stadium and this is a day I will never forget for the rest of my life.’’

Kiyohara started his career with the Lions in 1986 as a first-round draft pick after drawing the attention of professional scouts when he was a member of Osaka high school powerhouse PL Gakuen. Kiyohara batted cleanup from his first year with the Lions and won the Pacific League Rookie of the Year honor, while helping them to six Japan Series crowns and eight league championships in his stint with Seibu. He signed a free agent deal with the Yomiuri Giants after the 1996 season and moved to Orix in 2006. But his career has been plagued by injuries since leaving the Lions. Kiyohara underwent knee surgery twice last year and made his first top-team appearance in nearly two years on Aug. 3. Counting Sunday’s game, he has a .272 batting average, 2,120 hits and 1,527 RBIs in 2,325 games.

Kyodo

11 Comments

some14some at 07:38 AM JST - 19th August

He should have retired years ago, his career was over when he left 'Lions'
chibaman at 09:14 AM JST - 19th August

Agreed. He's been going on and on about continuing for the sake of the team (that's the spirit), when really his reasons for continuing are selfish and not knowing when to call it a day; he's been more of a burden than anything else for a long time now. Also I note his latest prescription for steroids was knocked back.
USNinJapan2 at 11:07 AM JST - 19th August

Injury-prone veteran? Try over-the-hill. Good riddance!
pathat at 11:16 AM JST - 19th August

Kazuhiro Kiyohara was an outstanding hitter with the Seibu Lions for many years, he had a couple good years with the Giants, but has been a complete waste of money for the brain-dead Orix Buffaloes` management the last 3 years.

The simple fact of the sorry matter is that Kiyohara played only 100 games in 2 of the past 10 seasons, while making salaries ranging from 450 million yen per year between 2002-2004, with his "low" coming in this season at 110 million yen, after not playing a single game in 2007.

If you figure his total reported baseball income over the past decade at the current exchange rate, he has been paid around $30 million during the time period. Pathetic.

One other thing is for sure: Kazuhiro Kiyohara will never be able to write a factual tell-all book about his career. He has too many things to hide.

Good-bye, Kiyo! You have been little more than an overpaid memory for many years anyway.
Pukey2 at 11:25 PM JST - 19th August

This guy looks like a walrus, it's amazing he can still move. Hell, he's even got the white whiskers. Why is it that, despite basball being an active sport, some players seem to balloon? Kiyohara aside, I think even Nomo has become chunkier nowadays. And just look at the state of Matsuzaka Daisuke.
romulus3 at 12:12 AM JST - 20th August

In Italy there was a player who never failed to make the national team and never failed to turn out for AC Milan even though he was average at best and over the hill at worst. This player alone cost Italy many titles over 10 years in popular opinion. He was at best a 3rd division player, playing elite calcio who demanded the ball in games and lost it many times over. His defensive effort was never evident. He lost us so many games. He was a bully and feared by his team mates. He was the nephew of a powerful mafia don. That is why he could not be refused.

This makes me wonder about Kiyohara as it defies logic as to why anyone would have wanted him, and paid him so much, considering his meager contributions since he should have been well into retirement.
telecasterplayer at 12:55 AM JST - 20th August

are there a lot of rumors of Kiyo associating with yakuza-types at the night clubs?
eresay at 10:38 PM JST - 20th August

Now he'll have more time to spend at the solarium! So sad to see a great player age so ungracefully. Dripping with gold and that bad tan, he looks like an extra in a bad yakuza movie.
lazyman0909 at 04:32 PM JST - 21st August

He stayed too long but he was fun to watch when he was with the Lions and Giants. Thank you Kiyohara
Blue_Tiger at 06:18 AM JST - 22nd August

He's had a good run. Good to know he knows when its time to put the glove down and walk away...
Crucifier99 at 07:36 AM JST - 22nd August

He is a kyuryou Dorobo put literally "Salary Thief." In this country if you are liked by the media you can get away with anything.