Hiromi Makihara
A Japanese pitching ace whose pinpoint control and fierce competitiveness anchored the Yomiuri Giants for nearly two decades.
Born 1963 (age 63)·Japanese baseball player·Birthday: August 11·Baby Boomers
Biography
Hiromi Makihara was the stoic, unflappable heart of the Yomiuri Giants' pitching rotation during the late 1980s and 1990s. Known for his meticulous preparation and a devastating forkball, he wasn't just a power arm; he was a chess master on the mound, outthinking batters with surgical precision. His career was a model of consistency and excellence, earning him six All-Star selections and the adoration of Tokyo's demanding fans. The pinnacle of his craft came on a September day in 1994, when he achieved baseball's rarest feat: a perfect game, retiring 27 consecutive batters. That game encapsulated his career—a flawless, controlled performance under immense pressure. After 19 seasons, all with the Giants, he retired not just as a star, but as a symbol of the franchise's proud tradition.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Hiromi was born in 1963, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Hiromi Was Born
The biggest hits of 1963
#1 Movie
Cleopatra
Best Picture
Tom Jones
#1 TV Show
Beverly Hillbillies
Hiromi's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1963Born
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1968Started school
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1976Became a teenager
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1979Could drive
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1981Could vote
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1984Turned 21
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1993Turned 30
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
2003Turned 40
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2013Turned 50
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
2023Turned 60
ChatGPT goes mainstream; Israel-Hamas war begins
Gas: $3.52/galHome: $361,600Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Flowers" — Miley CyrusBest Picture: Oppenheimer
2026Age 63 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Pitched a perfect game on September 18, 1994, against the Hiroshima Toyo Carp.
- Won the Central League Rookie of the Year award in 1987.
- Selected as a Central League All-Star six times over his career.
- Spent his entire 19-year NPB career with the famed Yomiuri Giants.
Did You Know?
He was known for an exceptionally high leg kick in his pitching delivery.
After retirement, he served as a pitching coach for the Yomiuri Giants.
His perfect game in 1994 was the first in Japanese baseball in four years.
“A pitcher's fight is won before the ball leaves his hand.”
