2002 Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes Roster
Team Record: 73-65
Finished 2nd in the JPPL
Manager: Akinobu Mayumi (0-0), Masataka Nashida (0-0)
Location: Osaka, Japan
Ballpark: Fujiidera Stadium
The Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes of the Japan Pacific League ended the 2002 season with a record of 73 wins and 65 losses, finishing second in the JPPL.
The Kintetsu Buffaloes plated 598 runs and allowed 592 runs, most in the league. Karl Rhodes walloped 46 home runs for Osaka, while Yuji Yoshioka and Norihiro Nakamura added 15 or more also. Karl Rhodes drove in 117 runs. Norihiro Nakamura topped all qualifying hitters on the roster by hitting .294. Jeremy Powell led the team with 17 wins, and Hisashi Iwakuma registered a 3.7 earned run average, leading hurlers with significant time on the mound.
Sean Bergman, Hisashi Iwakuma, Mike Johnson, Norihiro Nakamura, Akinori Otsuka, Jeremy Powell, Karl Rhodes and Nigel Wilson were all players from the 2002 Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes who played in the Majors during their careers.
Akinobu Mayumi and 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 |
| 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 |
| Osamu Hoshino | L | R | May 4, 1970 | 6'0" | 171 | Omiya, Saitama JP |
| Akihito Igarashi | L | R | April 12, 1968 | 5'11" | 158 | Maebashi, Gunma 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 |
| Mike Johnson | L | R | October 3, 1975 | 6'2" | 175 | Edmonton, AB CA |
| Ken Kadokura | R | R | July 29, 1973 | 6'3" | 200 | Iruma, Saitama JP |
| Shinichi Kato | R | R | July 19, 1965 | 5'11" | 178 | Kurayoshi, Tottori 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 |
| Hideo Koike | L | L | March 18, 1969 | 5'9" | 158 | Onishi, Aichi 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 |
| 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 |
| Akihito Moritani | S | R | October 8, 1979 | 5'8" | 171 | Kyoto, Kyoto JP |
| Takashi Muto | L | R | June 6, 1973 | 5'9" | 165 | Kawasaki, Kanagawa JP |
| Kenji Nagasaka | R | R | October 29, 1977 | 6'0" | 198 | Yokohama, Kanagawa JP |
| Norihiro Nakamura | R | R | July 24, 1973 | 5'10" | 205 | Osaka, Osaka 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 |
| 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 |
| Nigel Wilson | L | L | January 12, 1970 | 6'1" | 185 | Oshawa, ON CA |
| 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 |
| Toyohiko Yoshida | L | L | September 4, 1966 | 5'8" | 173 | Higashi Kunisaki, Oita JP |
| Katsunari Yoshikawa | R | R | April 28, 1977 | 6'0" | 182 | Uji, Kyoto JP |
| Motohiro Yoshikawa | R | R | July 29, 1979 | 6'1" | 187 | Takasaki, Gunma JP |
| Yuji Yoshioka | R | R | July 29, 1971 | 6'2" | 209 | Adachi Ward, Tokyo JP |
