Kei Igawa is a starting pitcher for the New York Yankees. He was born in Oarai, Japan on July 13, 1979. He signed to a five-year contract with the New York Yankees in December 2007 after the Yankees posted the highest bid and gained exclusive negotiating rights from the Japanese Baseball League. Igawa was originally selected by the Hanshin Tigers out of Mito Shogyo High School, in Japan. The lefty was known for his strikeouts in Japan with 1174 total strikeouts in his eight years in the Japanese Baseball League.[1]