Athletes - Kazuhito Tadano

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	Athletes - Kazuhito Tadano

Kazuhito Tadano (Japanese: 多田野数人) (b. April 25, 1980, in Tokyo, Japan) is a pitcher for the Cleveland Indians. Tadano had been a highly regarded pitcher coming out of Rikkyo University and was expected to be a high draft pick in the Japanese baseball draft in 2002. However, before the draft, it became known that Tadano had starred in a gay pornographic video when he was a sophomore. Tadano was not drafted, and while teams denied that it was the reason, it was widely suspected that the commissioner of the Japanese leagues ordered the teams not to draft Tadano.

The Indians signed Tadano as a free agent in 2003, and he quickly rose through the Cleveland farm system. At each level of the system, however, he was forced to acknowledge and apologize to his teammates for having made the video. He claimed that he is not gay, but had participated in the video to make money through college years. Fellow Indians players Grady Sizemore and C.C. Sabathia have spoken out in support of Tadano.

Tadano made his debut for the Indians in 2004, making 14 appearances and four starts with a 4.65 ERA in 50 1/3 innings. He was sidelined due to an injury early in the 2005 season, but has since recovered and appeared to be shuttled between Cleveland and their AAA team, the Buffalo Bisons, as the organization needs.

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