Doosan's batters overwhelmed 156km/h ace, 17 innings of scoring support. Isn't that too much?

Apr 14, 2025

Doosan's batters overwhelmed 156kmh ace, 17 innings of scoring support. Isn't that too much?
Seibu ace Imai won his first victory against Softbank on the 4th. This year, it is difficult to win despite good pitching due to lack of scoring support. Photo capture = Seibu Lions SNS



Doosan's batters overwhelmed 156kmh ace, 17 innings of scoring support. Isn't that too much?
Imai took the mound in a practice game against Doosan in February and struck out 6 out of 9 outs. Imai ranked first in this category last year with 187 strikeouts. Reporter Park Jae-man
Doosan's batters overwhelmed 156kmh ace, 17 innings of scoring support. Isn't that too much?
Yimai won 10 games for the second consecutive year until last year. Following last year, he threw as the starting pitcher for the opening game this year as well. Photo capture = Seibu Lions SNS
Seibu Lions right-hander Tatsuya Imai (27) has powerful fastballs with speeds of up to 160 kilometers per hour. He started 25 games last year and recorded "187 strikeouts" in 173 ⅓ innings. It ranked first overall in this category. It is the first individual title he won after joining as a rookie in 2017. It overwhelmed Shosei Toko (156 Yomiuri Giants), the No. 1 player in the Central League.

The ace of the weakest team is sad. He won 10 games for two consecutive years last year. If there was support for the batters, they would have gone higher. Last year, Seibu had a team batting average of 2.12 percent. He finished last out of 12 teams in both leagues. It was an overwhelming last place where no comparison target could be found. The team's winning rate was only around .300 (0.350).

On February 26, Miyazaki Sunmarin Stadium in Miyazaki, Japan, Imai started the practice game and beat Doosan Bears batters. He struck out four times in a row starting with the first batter in the first inning. He struck out six out of nine outs without four pitches. With a maximum speed of 156 kilometers per hour, Imai, who was selected for the Japanese national baseball team, was scheduled to play in a special match against the Netherlands in early March.




He continues his good pitching from the beginning of the season. He had a high-quality start (more than seven innings and less than two earned runs) in three consecutive games.

Imai started the opening game against the Nippon Ham Fighters on March 28 and pitched nine complete innings. A week later, he scored seven scoreless innings against the Softbank Hawks and eight scoreless innings against Nippon Ham on April 11.

According to the six-man starting rotation, he pitched 24 innings on Friday for the third consecutive week. a 0.75 ERA.




He ranks first in the Pacific League in ERA and tied for first in the number of pitches. However, he has only one win (one loss). It is regrettable to support scoring again this year. In the game where the ace took the mound, the lineup failed to gain strength.

Doosan's batters overwhelmed 156kmh ace, 17 innings of scoring support. Isn't that too much?
Imai, a bullpen pitcher for the Japanese baseball team. Photo Camera = Japan Baseball Team's website
In the opening game, he gave up two runs in nine innings and was completely defeated. Seibu's lineup did not score a run until the ninth inning against Nippon Ham starter Kanemura Shoma. He suffered a 0-2 Youngbong plaque. Imai hit a one-run home run in the seventh inning by No. 2 Kiyomiya Kotaro and No. 3 Franmil Reyes in the ninth inning.

April 4th, an away game against Softbank in Fukuoka. It was the only game in which scoring support came out. While going 0-0, the batters exploded in a series in the top of the fourth inning. He hit six runs against softbank ace Kohei Arihara. He brought down Arihara in the middle of the inning. a 6-0 salary win. Imai earned his first win with seven scoreless innings.




The match against Nippon Ham at Econ Field in Kitahiroshima, Hokkaido, on the 11th. Imai blocked with Muan Mart until the 7th inning with 2 outs. He recorded eight scoreless innings and was replaced at 0-0. Seibu lost with a walk-off two-run homer in the 12th inning. Seibu's batters remained silent while Imai pitched eight innings of three hits and no runs in poor condition.

He pitched 17 innings in two appearances against Nippon Ham, including the opening game. During this period, scoring support is '0'. Since he is the starter for the opening game, even if he has no choice but to face the first or second starters in the rotation, the batting average of the batters is serious. Nippon Ham starter Satsiya Yamasaki also pitched eight innings of two hits and no runs
Doosan's batters overwhelmed 156kmh ace, 17 innings of scoring support. Isn't that too much?
Imai started the final against APBC Korea in November 2023 and allowed two runs in four innings. Noh Si-hwan hit a two-run double off Imai. Photo Camera = Japan Baseball Team's website
I did.

It was similar last year. He has a 0.77 ERA in five games since the opening game. He made a high-quality start for five consecutive games and won only two games. Imai won the opening game against the Rakuten Eagles last year with seven innings of 11 strikeouts and no runs in his first start. From the opening game, he made six high-quality starts in seven games and won three games.

Imai said, "My goal is to challenge the major leagues.



This article was translated by Naver AI translator.