Filling the gap left by the ace who has been the opening pitcher for two consecutive years is an urgent task for the team.

After playing for Saitama Seibu Lions for nine seasons through 2025, Tatsuya Imai pitcher will move to the MLB Astros starting in 2026, and the move of Imai pitcher, who has hit double digits win for three straight years since 2023 and started pitcher the season for two consecutive years, means a big opening in the starting rotation.

In this issue, we introduce the pitcher of Saitama Seibu Lions, which has the potential to fill the hole left by Imai pitcher in the future. We will review the successes each pitcher has shown so far and their characteristics in terms of metrics, as well as their hopes of taking advantage of the opportunities created by the ace's transfer.

Kaima Taira pitcher

Considering his past track record on the professional stage, Kaima Taira pitcher could be called the top candidate to fill the void left by pitcher Imai. pitcher Taira has been on the mound as a reliever for four seasons since his first-team debut in 2019, and has recorded ERA 1 point or less for three consecutive seasons since 2020. He also won Rookie of the Year titles in 2020 and Best reliever pitcher in 2022.

In addition, from 2020 to 2022, they left an outstanding number of strike out with a rate of 10.00 or higher for three consecutive years, and developed a dominant pitch as a corner of the winning pattern. In both 2020 and 2021, his BB rate was in the 4-point range, and his ball control was an issue, but in 2022, his BB rate also improved significantly to 2.81. At a young age, he grew into one of the leading relief pitcher in the baseball world and showed an overwhelming presence in mound.

In 2023, when he switched to the starting lineup, he threw 150 inning and reached the required innings pitched, recording a good record of 11-7 with a ERA of 2.40. strike out recorded a strike out number of innings pitched with a rate of 9.18 and more than , indicating that it can maintain high strike out power even when throwing long inning. BB With a 3.30 ERA, he did not collapse in terms of pitch control, and had a season that proved that his aptitude as a starter was more than high.

The following year, in 2024, he entered the opening rotation as a starter and showed a stable pitch of ERA 1.42 in five games. However, after May, he was forced to leave for a long time due to a breakdown, and after returning in August, he switched back to relief depending on the team's circumstances. While playing two roles, he has achieved a good ERA of 1.66, proving once again that he is a multi-talented person.

In 2025, he will pitch as a closer throughout the year, making 31 saves and winning his first title for the most saves. ERA 1.71 and a strike out percentage of 9.06, and the pitch content is excellent, showing once again that it is one of the best pitcher in the league. If he can show the same good pitching as in 2023 this season, which is expected to return to the starting lineup, it should be possible to minimize the hole left by pitcher Imai.

Shinya Sugai pitcher

　Shinya Sugai pitcher joined Saitama Seibu Lions with the third pick in the 2021 development player draft and won a contract under control in the middle of 2024, his third year of high school. In the same year, he pitched in 8 games, including 5 starts for the first team, and in the Orix Buffaloes game on July 15, he pitched 7 strike out and no runs in 7 innings, marking his first professional win.

In the same year, although they faced a first-team wall with a ERA of 5.25, their strike out rate of 8.25 and BB rate of 3.75 both recorded above certain numbers, showing some of their high potential. The following year, in 2025, he pitched in two games in the open game and pitched well with a runs in 8 inning, making his first opening rotation.

Even after the opening, he continued to pitch as a starting lineup, and as of June 12, he accumulated white stars at a high pace with 5 wins in the early stages. Although he only appeared in 3 first-team games since July, he showed great growth from the previous year with 5 wins and 5 losses and a ERA of 3.58 in 11 games, and had a season that raised expectations for further breakthroughs next season and beyond.

The longest innings pitched per game is 6 inning, which he recorded in his first appearance of the season, and he still has physical challenges, but the fact that he has left a presence on the first-team stage at the young age of 22 is a reliable factor. If he can pick up his throwing stamina and improve his strike out and BB rates, which have dropped compared to the previous year, he should have a good chance of making a big breakthrough as a starting left-hander this season, his fifth year as a professional.

Hibiki Shinohara pitcher

　Hibiki Shinohara pitcher was drafted fifth overall in the 2024 draft by Saitama Seibu Lions. In 2025, his first year as a pro, he pitched in 16 games for the second team and won 8 games, pitching 73.2 inning and recording a good ERA 2.20 BB He showed outstanding control of the ball with a 1.59 earned-run average and supported the starting lineup of the second team with a stability that was unmatched for a high school graduate rookie.

On September 7, he made his debut as a starter, and on September 26, he made his second start mound. In both games, he failed to complete five innings and struggled with a 4 runs, but his strike out rate of 10.29 and BB rate of 2.57 were excellent.
He posted excellent numbers in terms of metrics. struck out His K/BB ratio, calculated by dividing Walk by , was 4.00, above the 3.50 level, which is considered excellent, and showed some of his high potential even in his difficult pitch career.

Avg As indicated by his .441 batting average and .519 BABIP, he was hit hard by many batters at the first base, and it will be necessary for him to improve the quality of his pitches so as not to be overpowered by the strong hitter players at the first base. However, the combination of his high control of the ball, which he showed both in the first and second forces, and his outstandingly high strike out rate in the first force is very promising, and expectations are rising for him as a big talent with the potential to carry the team in the future.

In the past, Saitama Seibu Lions has seen Hideaki Wakui pitcher make his breakthrough in 2006, his second year out of high school, winning 12 games and going on to win the most games the following year. Will Shinohara, also in his second year after graduation, be able to make an early breakthrough and support the team's pitcher lineup?

Will he be able to fill the gap left by the ace who tried out for the MLB, as in the past, and lead the team to success?

Saitama Seibu Lions has had a history of urgently needing to develop a successor when an ace player decided to play in the MLB. When Daisuke Matsuzaka moved to the MLB in the 2006 offseason, the development of pitcher Wakui and the signing of pitcher Takayuki Kishi filled the gap left by the "Heisei Monster," and two years later, in 2008, the team won the Japan Series championship.

When pitcher Yusei Kikuchi transferred to MLB in the offseason of 2018, the growth of pitcher pitcher and Mitsunari Takahashi, combined with the success of new recruit Zach Neal, led to consecutive league championships in 2019. Will Saitama Seibu Lions be able to fill the void left by pitcher, as they have done in the past, and lead the team to success? Fans and non-fans alike will be keeping an eye on pitch of the three pitcher featured here.

Written by Ryota Mochizuki