May 13, 2019

By Kavan Young

Ottawa Champions

OTTAWA – The Ottawa Champions have re-signed reigning Can-Am pitcher of the year Jordan Kurokawa to a one-year contract.

Kurokawa, 26, went 12-5 in 19 games with the Champions last season and posted a 2.74 ERA and 90 strikeouts to earn Can-Am pitcher of the year honours.

“Having Jordan back really solidifies our rotation,” said manager Sébastien Boucher. “He’s a strong competitor and battles hard every single game, so having him back is a huge plus.”

Boucher said that although Kurokawa will join the team this weekend, he is still recovering from an injury and will not be in the lineup at this time.

“It’s a process with him right now,” said Boucher. “We’ll see how he feels and slowly work him into our rotation.”

The right-handed, Honolulu, Hawaii native earned Pitcher of the Month honours for both June and July. In June 2018, he went 4-1 with a 0.66 ERA, 32 strikeouts and threw two complete-game shutouts. In July he went 4-0 with a 1.32 ERA and 22 strikeouts over five starts.

Kurokawa is just the third pitcher in Can-Am league history to earn back-to-back Pitcher of the Month honours, joining Québec’s Jeff Duda in 2012 and New Jersey’s A.J. Wideman in 2009.

The six-foot-four, 195-pounder was originally drafted out of the University of Hawaii at Hilo by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 29th round of the 2016 MLB June Amateur Draft.