Ryoji Aikawa
| Ryoji Aikawa | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Aikawa with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Yokohama DeNA BayStars – No. 81 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Catcher / Manager | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Born: July 11, 1976 Ichikawa, Chiba, Japan | |||||||||||||||||||||
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |||||||||||||||||||||
| NPB debut | |||||||||||||||||||||
| August 21, 1999, for the Yokohama BayStars | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Last NPB appearance | |||||||||||||||||||||
| October 3, 2017, for the Yomiuri Giants | |||||||||||||||||||||
| NPB statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting average | .260 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Home runs | 69 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Runs batted in | 475 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams | |||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||
Medals
| |||||||||||||||||||||
Ryoji Aikawa (相川 亮二, Aikawa Ryōji; born July 11, 1976) is a Japanese former professional baseball catcher who currently serves as the manager for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He played in NPB for the BayStars, Tokyo Yakult Swallows, and Yomiuri Giants from 1995 to 2017.[1]
Awards
[edit]Aikawa was a member of the Japanese national baseball team at the 2006 World Baseball Classic and 2013 World Baseball Classic. He also won the Bronze medal at the 2004 Olympic Games.
Coaching career
[edit]On October 20, 2025, Aikawa was appointed as the manager of the Yokohama DeNA BayStars, replacing Daisuke Miura.[2]
Faith
[edit]Aikawa is a Christian. Aikawa has spoken about his faith saying, "There are always hurdles and obstacles to overcome in daily life, but knowing God is there helps me get through difficult times. I wish more Japanese people would find Jesus Christ as I have, and I am thankful I have been able to play professional baseball for such a long time."[3]
Family
[edit]His younger brother, Juri, is an actor and model.[4]
References
[edit]- ^ "Ryoji Aikawa". Baseball Reference. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
- ^ "x.com".
- ^ "Still on the Diamond". April 6, 2015.
- ^ "JURI Profile" (PDF). Gig Management Japan. Retrieved March 8, 2017.
External links
[edit]- Career statistics from Baseball Reference (Minors)
- Career statistics - NPB.jp (in Japanese)
  | This article about a Japanese Olympic medalist is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
.jpg){kind=small} | This biographical article relating to a Japanese baseball catcher is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |