Kenichi Wakatabe

is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher, and current first squad pitching coach for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).

Early baseball career Wakatabe went on to Komazawa University, where he played in the Tohto University Baseball League.

He won the Best Pitcher Award and the Best Nine Award in the 1990 Fall League and won the Most Valuable Player Award and a second Best Pitcher Award and the Best Nine Award in the 1991 Fall League.

In 1992 season, he finished the regular season with a 10-13 Win–loss record, a 4.00 ERA, and a 13 complete games in 27 game pitched as a starting pitcher despite being a rookie player, and on October 1, 1992, he pitched his last game at Heiwadai Stadium against the Kintetsu Buffaloes, throwing against Buffaloes starting pitcher Hideo Nomo to record a one-hit shutout victory.

He also recorded 10 wins in the 1994 season, but has since suffered a slump. But he recovered in 1999, winning 10 games as a starting rotation pitcher and helping the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks to their first championship.

On October 21, 2000 Wakatabe pitched the first game of the 2000 Japan Series along with Kimiyasu Kudo, who had moved from the Hawks to the Yomiuri Giants the previous year. They pitched with the bones of the deceased Fujii tucked into their uniforms.

He won only six games in the 2001 season, but again in the 2002 season he won 10 games and was named an All-Star, pitched in the Sanyo All-Star Game 2002.

Wakatabe pitched in 271 games in 14 seasons overall, compiling a 71-75 Win-loss record and a 4.15 ERA.

He is the first squad pitching coach for the 2018 season, the second squad pitching coach again for 2019, and the third squad pitching coach beginning with the 2020 season.

On December 2, 2023, he was transferred to the first squad pitching coach.