This project looks back on the 2026 season of the Pacific League warriors. This time, we will reflect on the performance of pitcher Kaima Taira, who served as a pillar of the starting rotation for the Seibu Lions—a team that made great strides this season to finish 2nd with 79 wins, 60 losses, and 4 draws—and earned the title for the best ERA.

A professional first shutout game in the opening match, an unprecedented feat in NPB history.

This season, returning to a focus on starting for the first time in three years, he made his season debut in the third game of the opening series against the Chiba Lotte Marines on Sunday, March 29th. The team had suffered a difficult start with two consecutive losses from the opening, but he built a mountain of groundouts from the early stages and, with run support, earned a 9-inning shutout game win. He secured his first win of the season with his first career complete game and shutout game.

Following that, he maintained stable pitch throughout March and April, throwing 37 inning over 5 games, allowing only 2 earned runs and recording an excellent ERA of 0.49. He was also honored with his first career Monthly MVP award.

During interleague play, he pitched in 3 games, delivering a Quality Start in each. In addition to contributing to the team's first-ever interleague championship, he also recorded his first career professional hit while batting in the game against Tokyo Yakult on May 26th. In the "Mynavi All-Star Game 2026," he made his 5th appearance via manager recommendation. He pitched as the second pitcher in Game 1, becoming the winning pitcher with 2 innings and 3 strike out no runs. He was awarded the Fighting Spirit Player Award.

Although he had a string of games where he was hit hard around the All-Star break, from August 11th onwards, he displayed outstanding stability with a High Quality Start in all 6 of his starts. Despite being removed from the roster in late September due to poor physical condition and the infectious disease special exception, he cleared the regulation innings pitched with 146 innings pitched for the season, winning his first starting title, the ERA award.

Winning the three titles of Best reliever, Most Saves, and ERA of the same pitcher became an unprecedented feat in NPB history. Furthermore, he also received the Best Battery Award along with rookie Taiga Kojima pitcher.

In the eight years since his debut in 2019, Kaima Taira pitcher has continued to deliver results, responding to every role from set-up man to closer, and then starter. This off-season, the path to the Major Leagues, which he had long expressed an aspiration for, has opened up. We look forward to the further evolution of Kaima Taira pitcher in the future.

◇Kaima Taira pitcher 2026 Stats
23 games 12 win 5 losses 146 innings pitched 141 strike out, ERA 1.36 WHIP 0.96