 On April 19, 2002, Kuwata pitched brilliantly in defeating Hanshin Tigers ace Kei Igawa by a score of 1-0, and showed he could still be an important part of the Giants' rotation.Kuwata went on to have a banner year in 2002, posting a 2.22 ERA (lowest in the league), and winning over 10 games for the first time in four years.However, he pitched poorly from 2003-2006, appearing in a total of only 45 games (44 starts), while compiling an overall 9-16 record during those four years.