Masahide Kobayashi
A pioneering Japanese reliever who brought his deceptive submarine delivery to become the first of his countrymen to close games in MLB.
Born 1974 (age 52)·Japanese baseball player·Birthday: May 24·Generation X
Biography
Masahide Kobayashi didn't throw heat; he threw from the depths. With a distinctive submarine pitching motion that saw his knuckles nearly scrape the dirt, he baffled hitters in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball for a decade. His success with the Lotte Marines, where he became one of the league's most reliable closers, paved the way for a trans-Pacific journey. In 2008, he signed with the Cleveland Indians, becoming the first Japanese-born pitcher used exclusively as a closer in Major League Baseball. While his MLB stint was shorter than his dominant run in Japan, his signing represented a shift, proving that pitchers with unorthodox styles could make the leap. Kobayashi's career is a story of specialization and adaptation, a sidearm artist who carved out a unique legacy on two of the world's biggest baseball stages.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Masahide was born in 1974, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Masahide Was Born
The biggest hits of 1974
#1 Movie
The Towering Inferno
Best Picture
The Godfather Part II
#1 TV Show
All in the Family
Masahide's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1974Born
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1979Started school
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
1987Became a teenager
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1990Could drive
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
1992Could vote
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
1995Turned 21
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
2004Turned 30
Indian Ocean tsunami kills over 230,000
Gas: $1.88/galHome: $157,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Yeah!" — UsherBest Picture: Million Dollar Baby
2014Turned 40
Russia annexes Crimea; Ebola outbreak in West Africa
Gas: $3.37/galHome: $160,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Happy" — Pharrell WilliamsBest Picture: Birdman
2024Turned 50
AI reshapes industries; Paris Olympics
Gas: $3.31/galHome: $372,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Espresso" — Sabrina CarpenterBest Picture: Anora
2026Age 52 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Became the first Japanese pitcher to debut in MLB as a full-time closer with the Cleveland Indians in 2008.
- Recorded 227 saves in Nippon Professional Baseball, primarily for the Chiba Lotte Marines.
- Was a key part of the Lotte Marines' Japan Series championship team in 2005.
Did You Know?
His submarine pitching style was so low that he was known to get dirt stains on the bill of his cap during his delivery.
He wore uniform number 22 in Japan but switched to number 31 in Cleveland because pitcher C.C. Sabathia already wore 52.
After retiring, he served as the pitching coach for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in NPB.
“My arm comes from the ground, and the hitter's eyes must follow.”
