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 is performing well again this season. He has pitched six complete game, the most in the league, and has reached the required number for the fifth consecutive year.

In his fifth year as a professional, Hiromi Ito pitcher made 27 starts, the most in the league, and recorded QS in 22 games, reaching the regulation innings pitched for the fifth consecutive year. After making his first complete game of the season in the Tohoku Rakuten Eagles game on April 8th, he marked five consecutive wins until the Orix Buffaloes game on May 13th and continued to pitch well from the beginning.

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 midway through the season

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

He continued to perform well after that, and in the fourth game of the final stage of the "2025 Persol CS Pacific League," he pitched a powerful 7 innings, 106 pitches, allowing only 8 hit 3 runs earning his first CS win. He was also selected for the "LUXAS Samurai Japan Series 2025" held in November, where he impressed with 2 innings, allowing only 1 hit and no runs. We look forward to seeing him continue to perform well.

Kota Tatsu and Ren Fukushima also fought hard as part of the starting rotation

Pitcher Kota Tatsu was the breakout pitcher this season. On May 4th, he pitched in a game against Saitama Seibu Lions, allowing only four hit and one runs in six innings, earning his first win in his first appearance of the season. He continued to pitch well thereafter, winning seven straight games without a loss since his debut. He was also selected to the All-Star team for the first time and recorded his first save. Overall, he pitched in 16 games, recording eight wins and two losses ERA of 2.09, three complete game and one shutout game, making it a year of great progress.

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 shutout game in the opening game, but switched to relief pitching 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