After suffering 91 losses last year, the Saitama Seibu Lions in 2025 were looking to bounce back from last place, finishing the season in fifth place with 63 wins, 77 losses, and 3 ties. pitcher staff recorded a 2.99 ERA, third in the league, and led the league in shutout game with 24. It was a solid season for both starters and relievers.

◇Click here for fielder edition

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

He opened pitcher Tatsuya Imai pitcher He has been a consistent performer this season and has marked his third consecutive 10-win season. Throwing a straight ball of nearly 160 km/h with no power form, he had the league's second-best strike out rate of 9.79 at 178 strike out, and also led the league in Avg with a .176 mark and recorded a ERA 1.92.

In May, he won 3 of 5 games and ERA 0.97, including 10 consecutive HQS since the season opener, and won the MVP award for the month. In a game against Yokohama DeNA on June 17, he showed his overwhelming power by throwing a team new record 17 strike out in one game against Bauer pitcher, with no walks Hit by Pitch shutout game win.

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, paving the way for both pitcher to take on the major leagues. At the fan appreciation event held after the announcement, Imai bowed to the fans at the end of the closing ceremony. pitcher Imai was so moved he shed tears, and exchanged a firm handshake with pitcher Mitsunari Takahashi, who was met with a warm round of applause from the fans.

　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 played an active role as a setup man from the beginning of the season. On June 15th, he broke the team record with 15 consecutive games of hold points, recording 33 hold, the most on the team and second in the league. Third-year pitcher Haruto Yamada made his regular season debut on April 3rd and runs 15 consecutive games without allowing a run. He pitched in 49 games throughout the year, with a pitch style that skillfully controlled breaking ball, finishing with a record of 3 wins, 3 losses, 17 hits, and ERA 2.08, shining as a rising star in the relief corps.

The new relief pitcher also performed well this season. Wingenter pitched in 49 games, posting a 1-4 record and a 1.74 ERA in 31 hits. He also displayed his overwhelming ability in his first year, contributing greatly to the team with strike out rate of 13.31. E. Ramirez pitcher despite being sidelined for a while, continued to pitch consistently with a 1.01 ERA in 27 games, including 23 consecutive runs games.

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.