2001 Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes Roster
Team Record: 78-60
Finished 1st in the JPPL
Manager: Masataka Nashida (78-60)
Location: Osaka, Japan
Ballpark: Fujiidera Stadium
The Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes of the Japan Pacific League ended the 2001 season with a record of 78 wins and 60 losses, finishing first in the JPPL.
The Kintetsu Buffaloes led the league with 770 runs, powered by 211 home runs. Osaka yielded 745 runs, most in the circuit. Karl Rhodes crushed 55 homers for the squad, while Naoyuki Omura, Norihiro Nakamura, Kenshi Kawaguchi, Koichi Isobe and Yuji Yoshioka each walloped 15 or more, too. Norihiro Nakamura recorded 132 runs batted in. Karl Rhodes paced all regular hitters by hitting .327. Kat Maekawa topped the squad with 12 wins and a team-best 5.91 ERA, best among qualifying pitchers.
Norihiro Nakamura, Sean Bergman, Akinori Otsuka, Karl Rhodes, Jeremy Powell, Narciso Elvira, Hisashi Iwakuma, Freddy García and Shawn Gilbert were all players from the 2001 Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes who played in the Major Leagues during their careers.
Masataka Nashida served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masahiro Abe | R | R | May 12, 1978 | 6'0" | 176 | Kawasaki, Kanagawa JP |
| Hisashi Aikyo | R | R | December 4, 1976 | 5'9" | 165 | Takatsuki, Osaka JP |
| Motoyuki Akahori | R | R | April 7, 1970 | 5'11" | 158 | Fujieda, Shizuoka JP |
| Sean Bergman | R | R | April 11, 1970 | 6'4" | 205 | Joliet, IL US |
| Narciso Elvira | L | L | October 29, 1967 | 5'10" | 160 | Tlalixcoyan, Veracruz MX |
| Bill Flynt | L | L | November 23, 1967 | 6'5" | 215 | Escondido, CA US |
| Akihito Fujii | R | R | June 18, 1976 | 5'7" | 172 | Osaka, Osaka JP |
| Hironori Fujisaki | R | R | May 21, 1980 | 6'0" | 165 | Nobeoka, Miyazaki JP |
| Kenji Furukubo | R | R | June 23, 1964 | 5'9" | 165 | Toyonaka, Osaka JP |
| Freddy García | R | R | August 1, 1972 | 6'2" | 190 | La Romana, La Romana DO |
| Shawn Gilbert | R | R | March 12, 1965 | 5'9" | 170 | Camden, NJ US |
| Makoto Hagiwara | R | R | April 6, 1973 | 5'10" | 167 | Daito, Osaka JP |
| Kei Ichihara | S | R | September 8, 1973 | 5'7" | 145 | Ikoma-gun, Nara JP |
| Hiroshi Ishige | R | R | July 13, 1970 | 6'2" | 205 | Choshi, Chiba JP |
| Koichi Isobe | L | R | March 12, 1974 | 5'9" | 181 | Higashi, Hiroshima JP |
| Hisashi Iwakuma | R | R | April 12, 1981 | 6'3" | 210 | Higashi Yamato, Tokyo JP |
| Ken Kadokura | R | R | July 29, 1973 | 6'3" | 200 | Iruma, Saitama JP |
| Hiroto Kato | L | L | April 29, 1969 | 5'11" | 154 | Yachiyo, Chiba JP |
| Kenshi Kawaguchi | L | R | June 28, 1976 | 5'9" | 198 | Yame, Fukuoka JP |
| Hirotoshi Kitagawa | R | R | May 27, 1972 | 5'11" | 203 | Itami, Hyogo JP |
| Isao Koda | L | R | May 29, 1965 | 5'11" | 176 | Higashi Sonogi-gun, Nagasaki JP |
| Takuichi Koike | R | R | April 19, 1971 | 5'10" | 154 | Ayauta-guin, Kagawa JP |
| Tadatoki Maeda | R | R | October 4, 1977 | 5'9" | 176 | Wakayama, Wakayama JP |
| Kat Maekawa | L | L | September 25, 1978 | 6'0" | 215 | Osaka, Osaka JP |
| Masaki Maki | L | L | February 13, 1976 | 6'1" | 171 | Kita Kyushu, Fukuoka JP |
| Daisuke Masuda | L | R | September 27, 1973 | 5'11" | 165 | Akashi, Hyogo JP |
| Tetsuya Matoyama | R | R | October 1, 1970 | 5'10" | 182 | Himeji, Hyogo JP |
| Takuya Matsumoto | R | R | April 24, 1980 | 6'2" | 187 | Settsu, Osaka JP |
| Koishi Misawa | R | R | June 8, 1974 | 5'10" | 170 | Iruma-gun, Saitama JP |
| Daisuke Miyamoto | R | R | October 2, 1981 | 6'0" | 198 | Matsuura-gun, Nagasaki JP |
| Eiji Mizuguchi | R | R | January 9, 1969 | 5'8" | 171 | Nishi Uwa-gun, Ehime JP |
| Koki Morita | R | R | November 21, 1969 | 6'1" | 195 | Kayabe-gun, Hokkaido JP |
| Hiroyuki Nakahama | R | R | April 10, 1978 | 5'11" | 180 | Koriyama, Fukushima JP |
| Norihiro Nakamura | R | R | July 24, 1973 | 5'10" | 205 | Osaka, Osaka JP |
| Masashi Nara | R | R | May 17, 1977 | 6'0" | 185 | Kobe, Hyogo JP |
| Akira Okamoto | R | R | May 3, 1973 | 6'0" | 190 | Kobe, Hyogo JP |
| Naoyuki Omura | L | L | February 13, 1976 | 5'8" | 159 | Nishinomiya, Hyogo JP |
| Akinori Otsuka | R | R | January 13, 1972 | 6'0" | 200 | Chiba, Chiba JP |
| Jeremy Powell | R | R | June 18, 1976 | 6'5" | 230 | Bellflower, CA US |
| Karl Rhodes | L | L | August 21, 1968 | 6'0" | 175 | Cincinnati, OH US |
| Iori Sekiguchi | L | L | October 26, 1971 | 5'10" | 162 | Kumagai, Saitama JP |
| Kazuya Shibata | L | L | March 16, 1968 | 5'9" | 165 | , Hyogo JP |
| Shoya Shinzato | R | R | August 6, 1972 | 5'7" | 154 | , Okinawa JP |
| Yasunari Takagi | L | L | March 30, 1982 | 6'0" | 170 | Haibara, Shizuoka JP |
| Hiroshi Takamura | R | R | September 2, 1969 | 5'10" | 176 | Utsunomiya, Tochigi JP |
| Fumitoshi Takano | R | R | August 10, 1973 | 5'9" | 185 | Murayama, Tokyo JP |
| Yosuke Takasu | R | R | February 9, 1976 | 5'6" | 160 | Imari, Saga JP |
| Shinji Udaka | R | R | August 24, 1976 | 5'9" | 165 | Kadoma, Osaka JP |
| Shogo Yamamoto | L | L | May 28, 1978 | 5'10" | 170 | Nanao, Ishikawa JP |
| Hiroki Yamamura | R | R | May 2, 1976 | 5'11" | 163 | Naka Koma-gun, Yamanashi JP |
| Katsumi Yamashita | R | R | May 19, 1977 | 6'1" | 191 | Yao, Osaka JP |
| Kazuharu Yamazaki | R | R | July 21, 1972 | 6'0" | 173 | Shizuoka, Shizuoka JP |
| Katsunari Yoshikawa | R | R | April 28, 1977 | 6'0" | 182 | Uji, Kyoto JP |
| Yuji Yoshioka | R | R | July 29, 1971 | 6'2" | 209 | Adachi Ward, Tokyo JP |
| Toshiro Yufune | L | L | October 8, 1966 | 5'9" | 180 | Kaizuka, Osaka JP |
