This marks the fourth year for manager Tsuyoshi Shinjo. Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters made great strides last season and were highly anticipated, finishing the 2025 season in second place for the second consecutive year with a record of 83 wins, 57 losses, and 3 ties, a winning percentage of .593. In this article, we look back at the 2025 season for Hokkaido Nippon-Ham pitcher pitchers.

Ace pitcher Hiromi Ito had another successful season, reaching the required number of complete games for the fifth consecutive year with complete game league-leading 6.

5th year as a professional Hiromi Ito Both pitcher led the league in starts with 27 games, recorded quality starts in 22 games, and reached the required innings pitched for the fifth consecutive year. After achieving their first complete game of the season against Tohoku Rakuten Eagles on April 8, they marked five consecutive wins until the game against Orix Buffaloes on May 13, continuing their strong pitching from the start of the season.

He continued his momentum into the middle of the postseason, reaching his 10th win in the fastest time in both leagues in a game against Tohoku Rakuten Eagles on July 19th. In the third game of the "2025 Persol CS Pacific" final stage, he pitched 116 pitches in eight innings, allowing only five hit, one Walk 111 strike out, and no runs, saving his team from a bleak start. He ended up with a 14-8 record, a 2.52 ERA, six complete game, one shutout game, and 195 strike out, earning him the Most win pitcher Award (for the second year in a row) and the Most struck out pitcher Award (for the first time). He also won the Sawamura Eiji Award and the Mitsui Golden Glove Award for the first time, demonstrating pitch worthy of the title of ace.

Koki Kitayama changed number mid-season.

　pitcher Koki Kitayama made a career-high 22 starts, recording 9 wins and 5 losses with ERA of 1.63 and 4 complete game. On August 4th, number was changed from "57" to "15," and on the 6th, he pitched well, allowing only 2 hit and no runs in 8 innings.

He has maintained his good form ever since, and in Game 4 of the "2025 Persol CS Pacific League" Final Stage, he pitched a strong game, throwing 106 pitches over 7 innings, allowing 8 hit 3 runs to earn his first CS win. He was also selected for the "Ragzas Samurai Japan Series 2025" held in November, where he impressed with 2 innings pitched, allowing only 1 hit and no runs. We look forward to his continued success.

Kota Tatsu and Ren Fukushima are also working hard as part of the starting rotation.

pitcher who had a breakout season this year was Kota Tatsu. On May 4th, in a game against the Saitama Seibu Lions, he pitched 6 innings, allowing only 4 hit 1 runs, earning his first win of the season. He continued to pitch well thereafter, going undefeated with 7 consecutive wins since his debut. He was also selected to the All-Star team for the first time and recorded his first save. In the end, he appeared in 16 games, with a record of 8 wins and 2 losses, ERA of 2.09, 3 complete game and 1 shutout game, making it a year of great progress for him.

pitcher Ren Fukushima, who started the season in the second team, earned his first win in his first appearance of the season in the first team against Orix Buffaloes on July 13th. His second appearance of the season was against Chiba Lotte Marines on August 14th, where he pitched well, allowing only 7 hit 2 runs in 7 innings. Since then, he has been a part of the rotation, posting a 5-0 record with a 2.25 ERA in 8 games. In the second game of the "2025 Persol CS Pacific League" final stage, he recorded a career-high 10 strike out in 7.1 innings. He made a big impact on the big stage.

Shoma Kanemura pitched a complete game shutout game at the start of the season, but switched to a relief role midway through the season.

　pitcher Shoma Kanemura was selected as the opening pitcher for the first time in his career. He threw 105 pitches in 9 innings, allowing 6 hit, 1 Walk, 4 strike out and no runs, recording his first complete game shutout game, and he lived up to his calling. He went on to pitch in 11 games as a starter, pitching well with 4 complete game and 3 shutout game. However, his condition did not improve in June and July, with a monthly ERA in the 6s. After training with the minor league team, he was converted to relief pitching in the game against Saitama Seibu Lions on August 5th, posting a monthly ERA 1.64 and 3 hold. It will be interesting to see how he will be used next season.

Relief pitchers such as Kenta Uehara Yukiya Saito also performed well.

　Kenta Uehara pitcher made 27 appearances as a reliever this season, going 3-1, ERA 1.11, with 13 hold and 1 save. In a game against Chiba Lotte Marines on September 2, he escaped a pinch-hit situation with two outs and runners on first and second in the bottom of the 8th inning, closer and no outs in the bottom of the 9th runs for his first professional save. Last season, he made only seven appearances in the first team, but he made a breakthrough again as a reliever.

　Yukiya Saito pitcher posted a career-high 1.35 ERA in 47 appearances. In July and August, he pitched in a total of 18 games, posting a 0.00 ERA, steadily improving. He also recorded his fastest pitch of 161 km/h in the game against Saitama Seibu Lions on September 13th, raising expectations for a strong performance next season.

　pitcher Taisei Yanagawa also pitched in a career-high 37 games, posting a record of 2 wins and 1 loss, ERA of 1.02, 7 hold 11 saves. In a three-game series against Tohoku Rakuten Eagles from July 19th to 21st, he struck out three batters in three consecutive days, his first time pitching three consecutive games. He recorded three consecutive saves. He was removed from the roster in September due to back discomfort, but contributed greatly to the team's win.

The 2026 season is full of expectations. Will they make even greater strides?

After finishing last for two consecutive years, Hokkaido Nippon-Ham have performed well this season, finishing second for the second year in a row. Starting pitcher pitcher Yamazaki and Takayuki Kato, along with relief pitcher Seigi Tanaka and Taisho Tamai pitcher also performed well. Next season will mark manager Tsuyoshi Shinjo's fifth year as manager. How will the team fare next season as they seek their first league championship since 2016?

Written by Yokazu Sonoda