Shinji Kurano

Shinji Kurano (倉野 信次) is a former Nippon Professional Baseball pitcher, and current the first squad Pitching coach for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He previously played for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.

Early baseball career
Kurano went on to Aoyama Gakuin University, where he won the 1996 Japan National Collegiate Baseball Championship with classmates Tadahito Iguchi, Masaumi Shimizu, and Toshikazu Sawazaki. They also defeated Sumitomo Metal Industries, a corporate baseball club, in the 1996 All-Japan Amateur Baseball Championship in their senior year.

Active player era
On November 21, 1996, Kurano was drafted fourth round pick by the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks in the  1996 Nippon Professional Baseball draft.

Kurano pitched in 164 games in 11 seasons with the Hawks, posting a record of 19 wins, 9 losses, and one save.

After retirement
Kurano worked as a team staff member for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks and served as their pitching coach from 2009 to the 2021 season.

He received coaching training for the Texas Rangers in 2A and 3A during the 2022 season, and served as a coach for the 2023 season.

On October 31, 2023, Kurano again served as the first squad pitching coach of the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.