After suffering 91 losses last year and aiming to bounce back from last place, the Saitama Seibu Lions finished the 2025 season in 5th place with a record of 63 wins, 77 losses, and 3 ties. pitcher staff recorded the third-best ERA in the league at 2.99 and led the league with 24 shutout game. It was a stable season for both starters and relievers.

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Tatsuya Imai Chihiro Sumida showed impressive pitch and finally achieved double digits.

Opening pitcher Tatsuya Imai pitcher another stable performance this season, marking his third consecutive season with 10 wins. With an effortless form, he threw fastballs approaching 160 km/h, recording 178 strike out second in the league) for strike out rate of 9.79, and a league-Avg of .176, resulting in ERA of 1.92.

He started the season with 10 consecutive quality starts, and in May he had an excellent record of 3 wins in 5 games with ERA of 0.97, earning him the monthly MVP award. In the game against Yokohama DeNA on June 17, he pitched against pitcher and set a new team record by striking strike out a single game while pitching a complete win shutout game with no Hit by Pitch or hit batsmen, showcasing his overwhelming strength.

pitcher Mitsunari Takahashi had a tough season last year, finishing with 0 wins and 11 losses in 15 games. This season, he was in the opening rotation but went win in four games, but on April 29th, his chance finally came. closer Tohoku Rakuten Eagles to four hit and no runs in six innings, earning his first win in 597 days since September 2023. He continued to stay in the rotation, finishing with a record of 8 wins and 9 losses in 24 games ERA of 3.04.

In November, the team applied for posting, opening the door for both pitcher to challenge themselves in Major League Baseball. At the fan appreciation event held after the announcement, they bowed to the fans at the end of the closing ceremony. pitcher Imai was overcome with emotion and shed tears, then shook hands firmly with pitcher Takahashi Kosei, and the fans gave the two of them warm applause.

　pitcher Chihiro Sumida has been pitching well since the start of the season in April, winning all four games with ERA of 0.58, earning him the MVP award for March and April and making his first appearance in the All-Star Game. His performance declined after the summer and he struggled to win, but on September 21st he recorded his 10th win of the season against Tohoku Rakuten Eagles, achieving double-digit win for the first time in his fourth year. His final record was 10 wins and 10 losses ERA of 2.59 in 23 games. He is a candidate for ace and is expected to perform even better next season.

Seventh-year right-pitcher Yutaro Watanabe had a big year. He started in the second game of the season and pitched a career-high 23 games, posting a 2.69 ERA. He posted solid performances in May and June, with a zero-point ERA, and on September 6th against Chiba Lotte Marines, he pitched his first complete game game shutout game win, allowing no Hit by Pitch Maddux to score.

If pitcher Imai and Takahashi Mitsunari are transferred, there will undoubtedly be concerns about the starting lineup next season. However, the team pitcher pitcher Kaito Yoza, who has posted a solid record of 6 wins and 5 losses with ERA of 2.50 in 16 appearances this season, as well as 2024 Rookie of the Year Natsuki Takeuchi pitcher and it is expected that Kaima Taira will also join the starting lineup. Other pitcher include Shinya Sugai pitcher pitched well in the early stages, earning five wins, and Hibiki Shinohara, pitcher made his first-team debut despite being a high school graduate rookie. This year will be an exciting year to watch the growth of the young starting pitchers.

Guardian Kaima Taira wins title, new players also added

Meanwhile, relief pitcher Kaima Taira, the team's guardian angel, won the most saves title for the first time. He showed exceptional stability, pitching 18 consecutive runs games from May to July, and finished with a 4-2 record in 54 games (8 innings, 31 ERA) and an ERA of 1.71. He's expected to transition to a starting role next season, and in 2023 he recorded 11 wins as a starter. Will he be able to bring many more win to the team as a starter again?

pitcher Hiroshi Kaino made a significant impact as a setup man from the start of the season. On June 15th, he broke the team record with 15 consecutive games with hold point, recording 33 hold, the most on the team and second in the league. In addition, third-year pitcher Haruto Yamada made his regular season debut on April 3rd and runs 15 consecutive scoreless appearances from his debut. With a pitch style that skillfully utilizes breaking ball, he appeared in 49 games throughout the year, recording 3 wins, 3 losses, 17 holds, and ERA 2.08, shining as a rising star in the relief pitching staff.

This season, the performances of the new foreign relievers also shone. Pitcher pitcher appeared in 49 games, recording 1 win, 4 losses, 31 holds, and an ERA of 1.74. With strike out rate of 13.31, he displayed overwhelming ability in his first year and made a great contribution to the team. pitcher E. Ramirez also continued pitch steadily, despite a temporary absence, with ERA of 1.01 in 27 games, including 23 consecutive scoreless runs.

The relief corps is solid, with new talent also making an impact. While not a winning combination, pitcher Yuta Nakamura continued to pitch well with a 1.04 ERA in 20 games since July, Yuta Kuroki pitcher in 29 games, and Shinnosuke Hada recorded the fastest speed of a Japanese left-handed pitcher at 160 km/h. If pitcher becomes bullpen pitcher next season, it will be interesting to see who will take on the role of closer and how each pitcher will be used.