189:. Until spring of his sophomore year, he had only one league appearance to his name, but in fall of his senior year he was given more opportunities to pitch where he posted a 0.29 ERA receiving a valuable player award. In July 2023, Kusaka was selected for the USA VS Japan Collegiate All-Star Series while in fall of the same year, he threw a personal best high velocity of 153km/h. On 28 September, he submitted his intention to turn pro with NPB.
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He would enter Sōshi Gakuen Senior High School, and make the bench in his sophomore year. While his team would make it to the 100th anniversary
Koshien tournament that year, Kusaka was unable to make an appearance. In summer of his senior year, his school would lose out to Kurashiki Commercial Senior
208:, with the Dragons prevailing in the lottery. On 14 November, he signed a ¥16,000,000 per year deal with a ¥100,000,000 sign-on bonus with ¥50,000,000 in incentives. On 14 December he was officially unveiled with the other 2023 draftees being presented with the
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On 16 January 2024, it was reported that Kusaka had a ulnar collateral ligament sprain preventing him from throwing. On 30 January, it was confirmed that Kusaka would undergo
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High in the semi-finals of the
Okayama Prefectural Tournament. Kusaka's fastest speed at this point was 146 km/h, but his teammate from the same grade,
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Kusaka throws a fastball that tops out at 153km/h. He also throws a two-seamer, curveball and slider having the most confidence in the former two.
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Kusaka started playing baseball from year while at Wake
Municipal Fujino Elementary School. At Wake Municipal Middle school, he played for a
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Kusaka, idolizes former
Chunichi Dragons ace, manager and fellow Okayama native
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448:"【中日ドラゴンズ】 1位で亜細亜大の右腕草加勝を指名、上位で社会人・大学の即戦力内野手を獲得｜ プロ野球 ｜ ドラフト名鑑2023（DAZN News）"
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for his fighting spirit, aspires to master a 'fireball fastball' akin to
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494:"中日が1位指名の亜大・草加勝と仮契約「1年目からローテに入れるよう頑張る」契約金1億円、年俸1600万円：中日スポーツ・東京中日スポーツ"
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515:"【中日】ドラフト1位の草加勝『縁起がいい』背番号「14」に「草加だと認知されるぐらいの番号に」とギラリ：中日スポーツ・東京中日スポーツ"
656:"中日ドラフト1位・草加勝、『闘魂』と『火の玉ストレート』兼ね備える！星野仙一さんと藤川球児さんに感銘：中日スポーツ・東京中日スポーツ"
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565:"中日ドラフト1位・草加勝「右肘内側側副靱帯損傷」の診断…期待の右腕、15日に"違和感"で新人合同自主トレを切り上げる（中日スポーツ）"
405:"亜大のドラフト候補・草加勝が自己最速更新の153キロも「負けたら意味がない」鈴木一央監督の初陣飾れず ｜ BASEBALL KING"
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427:"大学日本代表の最速153キロ右腕、亜大・草加勝ら大学生６人、高校生２人がプロ志望届 - アマ野球 : 日刊スポーツ"
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260:
from a neighboring city, aspiring to follow in his footsteps.
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607:"【中日】ドラフト１位・草加勝が２月１日にトミー・ジョン手術 復帰まで１年以上 来季後半戦以降の完全復活目指す"
586:"中日ドラフト1位ルーキー草加勝がトミー・ジョン手術へ 復帰まで約１年：中日スポーツ・東京中日スポーツ"
362:"高校時代は西純矢の控え投手…亜細亜大・草加勝がドラフト戦線に急浮上！ ｜ BASEBALL KING"
701:
539:"中日ドラ1草加勝が右肘靭帯を損傷 新人合同自主トレ中に違和感…球団発表（Full-Count）"
185:After graduating high school, Kusaka would enter
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196:, Kusaka was selected in the first round by the
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154:Kusaka was the first-round draft pick for the
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628:"秘伝「亜細亜ツーシーム」！？中日ドラ1・草加勝投手の決め球の秘密とは（CBCテレビ）"
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338:"「夏は西だけでは勝てない」―創志学園の"2番手"、146キロ右腕の決意と可能性"
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1773:Baseball people from Okayama Prefecture
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313:"創志学園・西、最速１５４キロも夏終わった「自分らしい投球、良かった」／岡山"
194:2023 Nippon Professional Baseball draft
160:2023 Nippon Professional Baseball draft
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1586:Position player development coach: 85
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1783:Nippon Professional Baseball pitchers
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212:previously worn by former team aces
232:ruling him out of the 2024 season.
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204:after each team had missed out on
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1574:Baserunning/defense coaches: 81
473:"岡山発 中日ドラフト1位・和気町初のプロ野球選手 草加勝 投手"
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1505:Baserunning/defense coaches: 71
1538:Pitching/development coach: 77
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139:is a professional Japanese
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384:"第44回 日米大学野球選手権大会 試合・大会詳細"
1778:Japanese baseball players
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609:(in Japanese). 2024-01-30
407:(in Japanese). 2023-09-03
364:(in Japanese). 2023-04-29
340:(in Japanese). 2018-12-25
319:(in Japanese). 2019-07-28
137:, born November 21, 2001)
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35:Chunichi Dragons – No. 14
33:
24:
1788:Chunichi Dragons players
16:Japanese baseball player
1554:Hitting coaches: 84
1473:Pitching coaches: 76
270:Dragons.jp (Japanese)
192:On 26 October at the
1640:2023 NPB Draft Picks
1493:Hitting coaches: 75
730:Shinnosuke Ogasawara
1793:People from Okayama
1546:Pitching coach: 82
1459:Kazuyoshi Tatsunami
1176:Christián Rodríguez
425:Muramatsu, Mariko.
224:Professional career
202:Chiba Lotte Marines
1566:Battery coach: 72
1485:Battery coach: 80
258:Yoshinobu Yamamoto
230:Tommy John surgery
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1749:
1708:Development Picks
1674:Rintarō Tsujimoto
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1588:Hiroyuki Watanabe
1350:Kenshin Kakigoshi
1152:Yasuhiro Yamamoto
1120:Rintarō Tsujimoto
1096:Hiroyuki Nakajima
1037:Ryūnosuke Yamaasa
143:player. He plays
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60:November 21, 2001
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198:Chunichi Dragons
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149:Chunichi Dragons
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107:Chunichi Dragons
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43:Starting pitcher
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1560:Masahiko Morino
1556:Nobumasa Fukuda
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1511:Takayuki Ōnishi
1507:Naomichi Donoue
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1467:Atsushi Kataoka
1465:Head coach: 88
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1219:Yūki Okabayashi
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1168:Hiroki Fukunaga
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1128:Masami Ishigaki
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1080:Kaito Muramatsu
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970:Raidel Martínez
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914:Kento Fujishima
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906:Tatsuya Shimizu
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858:Kōnosuke Fukuda
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187:Asia University
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19:Baseball player
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1576:Yūto Morikoshi
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1475:Akinori Ōtsuka
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1299:Yutaro Itayama
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1291:Seiya Hosokawa
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1184:Seishū Higuchi
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1136:Shōnosuke Hama
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1045:Kōta Ishibashi
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962:Humberto Mejía
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890:Yoshiki Sunada
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746:Yūki Hashimoto
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707:current roster
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264:External links
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254:Kyuji Fujikawa
245:
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236:Pitching Style
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214:Shinji Imanaka
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1768:Living people
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1717:Tōki Hiwatari
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1495:Kazuhiro Wada
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1479:Daisuke Yamai
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1438:Carlos Monier
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1414:Tōki Hiwatari
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1398:Akio Moriyama
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1382:Toshiya Okada
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1374:Yūma Fukumoto
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1334:Frank Álvarez
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1259:Seiji Kawagoe
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1160:Dayán Viciedo
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1064:Mikiya Tanaka
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1666:Keishi Tsuda
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1532:Kazuki Inoue
1530:Manager: 89
1521:Second squad
1457:Manager: 73
1430:Rii Kawakami
1390:Tento Nonaka
1366:Shō Ishikawa
1342:Tsubasa Katō
1251:Kenta Bright
1235:Yōhei Ōshima
1112:Keishi Tsuda
1013:Shingo Usami
834:Reia Nakachi
778:Kōdai Umetsu
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1763:2001 births
1725:Towa Kikuta
1649:Draft Picks
1548:Takuya Asao
1540:Eiji Ochiai
1448:First squad
1422:Towa Kikuta
1358:Mao Hoshino
1317:Development
1283:Shunta Gotō
1275:Shōhei Katō
1227:Kōsuke Ukai
1202:Outfielders
1029:Takuma Katō
1021:Taisei Miya
938:Kōtarō Ueda
850:Hiroto Fuku
826:Hiroto Mori
770:Yūya Yanagi
762:Shō Iwasaki
180:Junya Nishi
172:rubber-ball
1757:Categories
1698:Ryūma Katō
1690:Shōta Habu
1658:Shō Kusaka
1088:Shō Nakata
1055:Infielders
986:Ryūma Katō
922:Kōki Saitō
898:Shōta Habu
882:Yūgo Umeno
754:Shō Kusaka
662:2024-01-14
638:2024-01-19
613:2024-01-29
592:2024-01-29
571:2024-01-19
545:2024-01-19
521:2024-01-14
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411:2024-01-14
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368:2024-01-14
344:2024-01-14
323:2024-01-14
298:2024-01-14
276:References
218:Eiji Bandō
134:Kusaka Shō
122:Shō Kusaka
56:2001-11-21
26:Shō Kusaka
1568:Shōta Ōno
1487:Kōhei Oda
1406:Ren Kondō
802:Yūdai Ōno
722:Akira Neo
113:–present)
1733:Gōki Oda
1523:coaching
1450:coaching
1211:Gōki Oda
996:Catchers
713:Pitchers
632:CBC News
471:日本放送協会.
244:Personal
147:for the
141:baseball
174:team.
158:in the
145:pitcher
86:Throws:
72:, Japan
70:Okayama
1578:, 87
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1477:, 83
1144:Ryūku
292:"草加勝"
99:Teams
88:Right
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111:2024
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