Name (Japanese): ジョー・ガンケル
Date of Birth: December 30, 1991
Hometown: Boynton Beach, Florida
University: West Chester University (Pennsylvania)
Family Status: Married, one daughter
Position: Pitcher
Height: 196 cm (6’5″)
Weight: 102 kg (225 lbs)
Threw/Batted: Right/Right
Wore #: 49
Originally drafted by: Boston Red Sox, 2013 (Round 18)
Top Squad Debut on: June 24, 2020 @ Swallows (4 IP 7 H 2 BB 3 K 3 R, L)
Career NPB Stats:
| Yr | Team | ERA | GP | GS | CG | SO | No BB | GC | W | L | HLD | HP | SV | W% | IP | BF | H | HR | K | K/9 | BB | HBP | WP | BK | R | ER | AVG vs. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Tigers | 3.18 | 28 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 11 | 13 | 0 | .333 | 56.2 | 232 | 54 | 6 | 39 | 6.19 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 20 | .252 |
| 2021 | Tigers | 2.95 | 20 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .750 | 113 | 465 | 99 | 10 | 87 | 6.93 | 24 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 37 | .228 |
| 2022 | Tigers | 2.73 | 16 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .500 | 92.1 | 372 | 80 | 6 | 52 | 5.07 | 16 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 32 | 28 | .233 |
| Career | 2.92 | 64 | 42 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 16 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 0 | .571 | 262 | 1069 | 233 | 22 | 178 | 6.11 | 53 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 92 | 85 | .235 |
Brief Biography
Joseph Dillon Gunkel came from an athletic family. His grandfather played baseball professionally, and his father also played in college. He grew up with two baseball-playing siblings as well. After mostly playing corner infield and outfield through high school, he got serious about pitching in college and was ultimately drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 18th round of the 2013 Amateur Draft. He went through four major league organizations (Boston, Baltimore, Los Angeles Dodgers, Miami) though the highest he got was AAA. After the 2019 season in New Orleans and Jupiter (Marlins affiliates), he elected to become a free agent and hoped to sign somewhere that would give him more playing time.
The Hanshin Tigers signed him to a deal on December 15, 2019, and he looked to become part of the rotation in 2020. During the preseason (and exhibition games played while waiting for NPB to set a date for Game 1 during the pandemic), he had ups and downs. Some games went really well; others saw teams teeing off on his stuff. When the regular season finally started on June 19, he got exactly one start, allowing three runs in four innings of work against the Yakult Swallows at Jingu Stadium. After being farmed, he was relegated to the bullpen as the team figured they could get more out of him in relief. The move worked well for him, as he appeared in 22 games and recorded 13 holds out of the bullpen. At season’s end, he made his way back into the rotation, starting 5 games. He performed well enough to earn himself a one-year deal for the upcoming season.
Gunkel started the 2021 season on fire. He was the starter in the third game, against the Yakult Swallows, and earned himself the win. He went on to win six straight decisions, and did not collect his first loss until July 14. His six straight wins from Opening Day are good for third best in team history among foreign pitchers, behind Gene Bacque (1964 = 9 wins) and Trey Moore (2003 = 7 wins). He would stay in the rotation for most of the year, starting 20 games and throwing a career-high 113 innings while going 9-3. Once again, he was called back for 2022 with hopes that he would stay with the team long-term.
Unfortunately, things did not go as planned in 2022 for the team or for Joe. He was not in the rotation for the first week of the year (a forgettable one for the team, as they lost all six, and stretched that streak to nine), and his first start saw him get knocked out after four innings, which included a first-inning grand slam home run by Sho Nakata of the Yomiuri Giants. Gunkel had a few notable highlights in 2022, though. He recorded a three-hit game against the Saitama Seibu Lions on June 2, including a game-opening RBI double. He also picked up his first complete game, narrowly missing out on a shutout against the Orix Buffaloes on June 12. Perhaps the biggest highlight of Joe’s life came later that month when his wife gave birth to their first child, a beautiful girl that they named Kinsley. Unfortunately, on the mound, Gunkel’s season never got better after that. In fact, at one point (August 15?), he contracted Covid-19 and was deactivated. While rehabbing, his mounds on the farm (3 GP 7.2 IP 14 ER) were not strong enough to deserve a call-up to the top squad. On the whole, his top-squad season ERA was the best of his three seasons (2.73 in 16 starts), but the team elected to release him at season’s end.
On December 20, the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks announced that they had signed Gunkel to a contract for the 2023 season.
Related Articles:
Episode 139b: The Gunkel Interview (February 2, 2022)
January 2022: Joe Gunkel (January 27, 2022)
Edwards & Gunkel Meet the Press (January 28, 2020)
Tigers Sign RHP Gunkel (December 15, 2019)