2003 Yakult Swallows Roster
Team Record: 71-66
Finished 3rd in the JPCL
Manager: Tsutomu Wakamatsu (71-66)
Ballpark: Meiji Jingu Stadium
The Yakult Swallows of the Japan Central League ended the 2003 season with a record of 71 wins and 66 losses, finishing third in the JPCL.
The Swallows scored 683 runs and conceded 627 runs. Alex Ramírez walloped 40 home runs for Yakult, while Ken Suzuki, Todd Betts and Atsuya Furuta each swatted 15 or more, too. Alex Ramírez drove in 124 runs and topped all qualifying hitters on the roster by hitting .333. Masanori Ishikawa led the squad with 12 wins, and Yuya Kamada recorded a 3.21 ERA, best among pitchers with enough qualifying appearances.
Players from the 2003 Yakult Swallows who spent time in the Majors during their careers included Akinori Iwamura, Ryota Igarashi, Jason Beverlin, Kevin Hodges, Shingo Takatsu and Alex Ramírez.
Tsutomu Wakamatsu served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Todd Betts | L | R | June 24, 1973 | 6'0" | 185 | East York, ON CA |
| Jason Beverlin | L | R | November 27, 1973 | 6'5" | 220 | Ashtabula, OH US |
| Katsuyuki Dobashi | R | R | December 5, 1968 | 5'10" | 182 | Funabashi, Chiba JP |
| Nobuyuki Ebisu | R | R | April 24, 1972 | 6'0" | 205 | Kobe, Hyogo JP |
| Shugo Fujii | L | L | May 12, 1977 | 5'9" | 190 | Iyo, Ehime JP |
| Masakazu Fukukawa | R | R | December 29, 1976 | 5'10" | 190 | Osaka, Osaka JP |
| Atsuya Furuta | R | R | August 6, 1965 | 5'11" | 176 | Kawanishi, Hyogo JP |
| Chihiro Hamana | L | R | November 11, 1969 | 5'11" | 158 | Hinata, Kyoto JP |
| Masato Hanada | R | R | October 25, 1977 | 5'11" | 176 | Fukuoka, Fukuoka JP |
| Kevin Hodges | R | R | June 24, 1973 | 6'4" | 200 | Houston, TX US |
| Hiroki Hongo | L | R | September 14, 1976 | 6'0" | 180 | , Shiga JP |
| Tadashi Honma | R | R | August 5, 1977 | 6'2" | 198 | Niitsu, Niigata JP |
| Ryota Igarashi | R | R | May 28, 1979 | 5'11" | 200 | Tokyo, JP |
| Tetsuya Iida | R | R | May 18, 1968 | 5'8" | 158 | Chofu, Tokyo JP |
| Atsunori Inaba | L | L | August 3, 1972 | 6'1" | 207 | Nishi Kasugai-gun, Aichi JP |
| Katsutoshi Ishido | L | R | April 18, 1980 | 6'1" | 182 | Hazu-gun, Aichi JP |
| Hirotoshi Ishii | L | L | September 14, 1977 | 5'11" | 220 | Ichihara, Chiba JP |
| Masanori Ishikawa | L | L | January 22, 1980 | 5'6" | 152 | Akita, Akita JP |
| Akinori Iwamura | L | R | February 9, 1979 | 5'9" | 200 | Uwajima, Ehime JP |
| Yuya Kamada | R | R | November 30, 1978 | 6'0" | 187 | Akita, Akita JP |
| Ryu Kawabata | R | R | November 10, 1976 | 5'9" | 160 | Joyo, Kyoto JP |
| Hirotsugu Maeda | L | L | January 3, 1976 | 5'8" | 180 | Munakata, Fukuoka JP |
| Mitsuru Manaka | L | L | January 6, 1971 | 5'7" | 165 | Odawara, Tochigi JP |
| Shinji Matsuda | L | L | December 17, 1967 | 5'7" | 154 | Nishinomiya, Hyogo JP |
| Yuichi Matsumoto | L | L | December 18, 1980 | 6'0" | 185 | |
| Hajime Miki | R | R | April 25, 1977 | 5'11" | 165 | Osaka, Osaka JP |
| Ryuji Miyade | R | R | August 18, 1977 | 6'3" | 194 | Uwajima, Ehime JP |
| Shinya Miyamoto | R | R | November 5, 1970 | 5'9" | 155 | Suita, Osaka JP |
| Toshihide Narimoto | R | R | September 11, 1968 | 5'11" | 193 | Nishinomiya, Hyogo JP |
| Yoshiyuki Noguchi | R | R | May 16, 1981 | 6'1" | 172 | Niihari-gun, Ibaraki JP |
| Kosei Ono | R | R | July 11, 1974 | 5'9" | 178 | Yamato, Tokyo JP |
| Alex Ramírez | R | R | October 3, 1974 | 5'11" | 180 | Caracas, Distrito Federal VE |
| Yataro Sakamoto | R | R | May 24, 1982 | 6'0" | 190 | Hiroshima, Hiroshima JP |
| Hideki Sato | R | R | April 21, 1970 | 6'0" | 182 | Fuji, Shizuoka JP |
| Shinichi Sato | R | R | August 7, 1965 | 6'1" | 180 | Sapporo, Hokkaido JP |
| Munehiro Shida | R | R | June 16, 1979 | 5'10" | 165 | Ofunato, Iwate JP |
| Noriyuki Shiroishi | R | R | April 17, 1973 | 6'0" | 181 | Omiya, Saitama JP |
| Ken Suzuki | L | R | January 13, 1970 | 6'3" | 195 | Koshigaya, Saitama JP |
| Yuhei Takai | L | L | June 25, 1984 | 5'9" | 172 | Kawasaki, Kanagawa JP |
| Shingo Takatsu | R | R | November 25, 1968 | 6'0" | 180 | Hiroshima, Hiroshima JP |
| Shohei Tateyama | R | R | March 17, 1981 | 5'11" | 205 | Atsugi, Kanagawa JP |
| Hirobumi Watarai | R | R | January 26, 1972 | 5'11" | 171 | Funabashi, Chiba JP |
| Futoshi Yamabe | L | L | January 4, 1971 | 5'11" | 167 | Yawatahama, Ehime JP |
| Tatsuki Yamamoto | L | L | August 31, 1970 | 6'0" | 171 | Kurashiki, Okayama JP |
| Masahiro Yoshikawa | L | R | June 29, 1978 | 5'8" | 176 | Kami-gun, Kochi JP |
