He left an outstanding mark on Pacific League stage, etching his name into the league's history.

In 2026, Pacific League will have three pitcher who are over 40 years old. Takayuki Kishi pitcher of Rakuten Eagles Rakuten, Nao Miyanishi pitcher Hokkaido Nippon-Ham, and Yoshihisa Hirano of Orix Buffaloes are all legendary pitcher who have built outstanding records in Pacific League.

This time, we'll review the achievements each pitcher has displayed throughout their careers, and also introduce the roles they are expected to play in their respective teams this season. We'll take another look back at the legacy of great pitcher who have left their mark on the league's history, and look forward to seeing them perform even better this season.

Takayuki Kishi pitcher (Tohoku Rakuten Eagles)

pitcher Kishi joined Seibu Lions (currently Saitama Seibu Lions) in the 2006 college student and working adult draft slot. In his rookie year in 2007, he won 11 wins and ERA 3.40, and in 2008, he won the Japan Series MVP. He has shown outstanding stability with double-digit win seven times in four consecutive years since his rookie year and seven double-digit in the eight years since he entered the pros, and in 2014, he won the title with the highest winning percentage with 13 wins and 4 losses.

In 2017, he moved to Tohoku Rakuten Eagles and continued to play an active role, and in 2018, the second year of his transfer, he recorded 11 wins and a ERA of 2.72, winning the Best ERA and the Golden Glove Award. He recorded 103 wins in 10 years during his time at Saitama Seibu Lions and 67 wins in 9 years at Tohoku Rakuten Eagles, accumulating a total of 170 wins, which is second among active players.

In 2023, at the age of 39, he hit a ERA 3.07 at 120 inning, and in 2024, when he turned 40, he reached 143.1 inning and ERA 2.83, reaching the required innings pitched and 2.83. In 2025, ERA was over 4 points in his 20-year career with a ERA of 4.38, but he supported pitcher with 109 inning as the team struggled with a lack of starting pieces.

Tohoku Rakuten Eagles in 2025 was the only team in Pacific League without a single pitcher to reach the required innings pitched. As such, Kishi's ability as a pitcher inning eater, who has recorded a total of 2680 innings pitched, which ranks third among active players, is valuable. I hope that this season, which is in his 20th year as a professional and 42 years old, will continue to show stable work as a starter as before.

Nao Miyanishi (Hokkaido Nippon-Ham pitcher)

pitcher Miyanishi joined Hokkaido Nippon-Ham in the third round of the 2007 college student and adult draft. He has been on the mound as a left reliever since his first year, and has set a Pacific League record of appearing in more than 50 games for 14 consecutive years since entering the professional ranks. His career hold of 424 is the highest in NPB history, and he has amassed an unparalleled track record that can be called one of the best reliever pitcher of all time.

He won the Best reliever pitcher title three times in 2016, 2018 and 2019, and was a key player in the bullpen 's three league titles. Throughout his career, he showed outstanding stability in the ERA 1-point range 5 times and 2-point range 8 times, continuing to support The Fighters 's bullpen from the golden age to the difficult period.

Although he finished with fewer than 50 appearances for the first time in his career in 2022, he appeared in more than 30 games in both 2023 and 2024, and ERA showed a consistent pitch with 2 runs. In 2025, he will reach the mark of 900 career appearances, recording 13 hold points and a ERA 3.20 in 31 games. At 40 years old, he does not feel the age of pitch, and has contributed to the team's breakthrough.

The presence of the legendary left-hander, who boasts the fourth-highest number of appearances in NPB history, continues to be a living example for the young team's bullpen. The Fighters This season, which is in its 19th year, it will be interesting to see if he can further extend his career appearances, the most in active career, and lead the team to their first league championship since 2016, when he won the reliever title as a mental support for the pitcher team.

Yoshihisa Hirano (Orix Buffaloes Buffaloes pitcher)

pitcher Hirano joined Orix Buffaloes in 2005 as a college student and working adult draft slot. In 2006, his first year as a professional, he recorded 10 complete game and four shutout game, and was active as a starter in the early stages of his career. He switched to relief in 2010 and became the best reliever with 49 hold points in 2011 and the first 40 saves in Pacific League history in 2014.

After that, he continued to play an active role as the guardian of Orix Buffaloes and moved to the Diamondbacks in the 2017 off-season. In 2018, his first year in MLB, he pitched in 75 games, recording 32 hold 3 saves and a ERA 2.44 ERA, proving his ability to the fullest on the world's highest stage. He appeared in 150 games during his three years in MLB and returned to his old club Orix Buffaloes in the 2020 off-season.

From 2021, the first year of his return, he served as the team's closer again and recorded 28 or more saves for three consecutive years. In 2021, he showed an outstanding sense of stability with a ERA 2.30 and from 2022 with a ERA 1 point range for two consecutive years, contributing greatly to the team's three consecutive league titles. In 2023, he achieved the feat of 250 saves in Japan and the United States, becoming the first pitcher in history to achieve both 200 hold and 250 saves in Japan and the United States.

Although he has reduced the number of appearances in the last two years, he has shown a difference in class with a ERA of 1.69 in 16 games in the second team in 2025, and in the same year, he has reached the NPB career of 250 saves. This season, he is also coaching juniors as a pitcher part-time coach, but I hope that he will achieve 1000 strike out in his NPB career, which is close to one more pitcher, and show his performance as a mental support to support bullpen.

Will these three legends deliver memorable pitch this season and become a pillar of support for the team?

pitcher Kishi is expected to perform stably as a starting lineup this season, and pitcher Miyanishi is also expected to pitch as a valuable left reliever to support the team's progress. In addition to his return to the first team, pitcher Hirano is expected to contribute to a wide range of roles as a pitcher part-time coach, and there is no doubt that the value of each pitcher in his club will be very significant this season as well.

There are only a handful of players who can continue to play an active role on the professional baseball stage even after the age of 40, even if you look at the long history of baseball. We hope that the three legends featured in this article will continue to show impressive pitch this season and continue to support the team as before.

Text: Ryota Mochizuki