Kohei Arihara… married…pitched at Koryo High School in his native Hiroshima, graduating in 2010…was a pitching standout at Tokyo’s Waseda University with a 2.72 ERA in 62 career games…was one of three players selected as 1st round contested picks in the 2014 NPB Pro Draft… was picked by four clubs before being awarded by lottery to Hokkaido.
2020
In final season with Hokkaido led the Pacific League and was T3rd in NPB in complete games (3) and ranked among the JPL leaders in innings (2nd, 132.2), ERA (3rd, 3.46), starts (T3rd, 20), and wins (T7th, 8)…topped the Fighters staff in starts and innings, tied for 1st in wins, and was 2nd in strikeouts (106)…NPB played an abbreviated 120-game season…had the JPL’s 2nd best strikeouts to walks ratio at 3.53 (30 BB), and his 13 GIDP induced tied for the most in the league…held opposing batters to a .250/.299/.366 stat line with RHB hitting .233 (44- 189) and LHB at .260 (81-311).
SUMMARY: Opened the year by going 1-5, 4.82 in his 1st eight starts through 8/8…was 3-1, 0.93 (3 ER/29.0 IP) in his next four outings before issuing nine ER in 2.1 IP, 9/13 at Tohoku…finished the year with a 4-2 record and 2.02 ERA (11 ER/49.0 IP) in final seven games beginning 9/19…worked 6.0 or more innings in 17 of 20 starts while issuing 3 or fewer runs 13 times...pitched a 6-hit CG SHO, 10/10 vs. Orix…recorded 9 strikeouts twice, 8/15 at Chiba and 10/3 at Fukuoka.
2019
Led the Pacific League and tied for 1st overall in NPB with career high 15 wins…also posted NPB’s lowest opponents’ batting average (.191) and 2nd lowest ERA (career low 2.46)… placed among the JPL leaders in ERA (2nd), strikeouts (2nd, career high 161), and innings (3rd, 164.1)…was named an NPB all-star and placed 2nd in the JPL Best 9 voting for a pitcher at season’s end…was 8-2, 1.96 in his 1st 11 starts and 7-6, 2.92 in final 13 outings…fanned a career high 13 batters in a 4-hit CG SHO, 5/30 vs. Chiba, and had 11 strikeouts each, 4/7 vs. Saitama and 7/5 at Tohoku.
2018
Ranked 3rd on Fighters staff in wins (8)…was 4-2, 6.38 in seven starts through 5/27 before being assigned to Hokkaido’s Eastern League club…was 1-0, 2.25 in four relief appearances there before returning to Hokkaido in mid-June…worked four times out of the bullpen with two saves before returning to rotation on 7/9…posted a 4-3 record and 3.22 ERA in nine starts the rest of the year…recorded 12 strikeouts on 5/19 vs. Tohoku.
2017
Posted career highs in starts (25), complete games (4), and innings (169.0)…topeed the JPL in losses (13) and was among the league leaders in CG (5th), starts (T5th), and innings (6th)…was 3-5, 6.83 in 1st nine starts through 5/27 and was sent to the Eastern League for two starts… returned to go 7-8, 3.76 in final 16 outings, including 3-0, 2.45 in last three starts.
2016
Had JPL’s 5th lowest ERA (2.94) and ranked T6th in wins (11)…had a great start, going 10-3, 1.61 in 1st 14 games through 7/22, allowing just five homers in 106.0 IP… won 1st five decisions, 3/27-5/17…was 5-0, 0.49 (2 ER/37.0 IP) in 5 starts, 6/14-7/22, working 23.0 scoreless innings in final three games of that span…had a 5-hit CG SHO, 6/14 vs. Yokohama… was named an NPB all-star…beginning 7/29, went 1-6, 5.76 in last eight outings, allowing eight homers in 50.0 IP…dropped six consecutive decisions, 7/29-9/14…was 1-0 in two playoff starts for the Japan Series champion Fighters.
2015
Was bothered by right elbow soreness early in season and was 0-2, 1.17 in five Eastern League outings to begin the year…was promoted to Hokkaido in mid-May and went on to win Pacific League Rookie of the Year honors, going 8-6 in 18 starts…ranked 4th on the Fighters staff in wins, innings (103.1), and strikeouts (81)… defeated Orix in his NPB debut on 5/15 (2 ER/6.0 IP)…blanked Orix on four hits for 1st CG SHO on 9/5…was 1-1 in two playoff relief appearances against Chiba.
