In his fourth year since Tommy John (TJ) surgery, Orix Buffaloes left-handed pitcher Ryoga Tomiyama has returned to the first-team mound.

"My velocity has returned, and I think my condition is now close to how it was during the year I pitched 51 games," Toyama said with a relaxed smile.

Toyama is from Wakayama Prefecture. He joined the Orix Buffaloes as a fourth-round draft pick in 2018 from Kyushu Kokusai University High School and Toyota Motor. In 2021, his third year, he appeared in a team-high 51 games as a situational reliever, contributing to the team's first league championship in 25 years. However, he injured his elbow and underwent Tommy John (TJ) surgery in October 2022, becoming a developmental player. Although he was re-registered as a rostered player in March 2024, he struggled to regain his form, and his first-team appearances over the following two years were limited to a total of 21 games (16 games and 5 games respectively).

This season marks his eighth year as a professional and the fourth year since his surgery. He started the season with a pitch style that incorporated a sidearm delivery he had been working on during last autumn's Kochi camp, but he stopped it early on as it did not lead to results. 'I could understand if I were able to get hitters out as a closer by throwing overhand and then adding a sidearm delivery as a "playful variation," but if I can't even throw well overhand, doing it with cheap tricks just isn't my style of pitching,' he said. His aim was to retire left-handed hitter with a versatile pitch style that mixed in different deliveries every few balls, but he found himself feeling somewhat unsatisfied.

"Originally, my strength was aggressive pitching. In the farm league, I focused on returning to my roots—challenging hitters by throwing into the strike zone rather than trying to outmaneuver them with clever tricks," said Toyama. This return to basics comes after three years of failing to produce results following surgery. "I felt within myself that I was reaching a point where my position was in jeopardy," he revealed.

On the farm team, he sweated on the ground in the intense heat, keeping pace with the younger players. 'On the second team, I started by trying to earn recognition. Since we are professionals, I think everyone has their pride, but I approached it with the mindset of chipping away at that pride even a little to do whatever I could to contribute to the team.' It is said that he even asked the second-team coaches questions typical of a young player with no first-team experience, such as how opportunities for promotion to the first team come around and what criteria are used for being called up.

By stopping the sidearm delivery, his velocity returned. Returning to his roots allowed him to swing his arm freely, and his strike outs increased. He was promoted to the first team for the first time this season on August 7th and appeared in 12 games. In the game against the Softbank Hawks on August 29th (Kyocera Dome), he recorded his first hold in two years. Manager Mamoru Kishida also told him, "That kind of pitching is what makes you attractive."

On his 29th birthday on May 3rd, he invited his family to a minor league game. 'I invite them every year if the schedule aligns, but my family probably thought this might be the last year,' he said. As one of the few left-handed relief pitchers, he is expected to be a valuable asset next season as well, but he noted, 'I don't know yet. Right now, I just need to produce results. I'll just do my best to contribute to the team by pitching wherever I'm told.' Stepping back from the brink, he aims to lead the team, which cannot afford to lose, to a win with his aggressive pitch.

Interview and text by Masaki Kitano