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Tatsuya Imai's early life and NPB career

Tatsuya Imai's early life, childhood and career in Japan

Tatsuya built up his lower body in the track and field club!

Tatsuya Imai(今井達也 in kanji) was born on May 9, 1998, in Kanuma City, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. His mother played volleyball through high school, and his father played baseball through high school.

Tatsuya developed an interest in baseball before entering elementary school. He was a child who would ride his tricycle around and run outside as soon as he woke up, but at night, he would become engrossed in watching professional baseball broadcasts on TV. Consequently, upon entering elementary school, he joined the local "Hokko Sports Youth Club" alongside his older brother and began playing baseball.

The team members were all seniors to Tatsuya, but his baseball instincts stood out. His coach at the time, Mr. Azuma, said, "He was fast on his feet and quick to grasp the game. He took advice and applied it immediately." He also had a fierce competitive spirit; if he couldn't execute something perfectly, he'd get frustrated, but he'd grit his teeth and practice it over and over.

Tatsuya's idol at the time was pitcher Koji Uehara (former Major Leaguer). Tatsuya was captivated by how he dominated hitters with his fastball in MLB. Because of this, he too wanted to thrill spectators with his fastball, prioritizing speed over control. His fastball peaked at 68 mph.

Tatsuya served as captain starting in fifth grade and became the ace pitcher and cleanup hitter. He became the linchpin of both pitching and hitting, and even as a child, overconfidence began to creep in. During a practice game against another team one day, he lost his control, driven solely by the desire to throw fastballs. When Mr. Azuma announced a change of pitcher, he slammed the ball into the ground in frustration. Seeing this, Mr. Azuma ordered him to run laps as punishment until the end of the game. He wiped away tears as he kept running.

Regarding that time, Tatsuya said, "Back then, I was self-centered and selfish. This incident made me truly understand that baseball isn't a solo sport." Coach Higashi reflected, "He didn't sulk at my instructions, but thought about why I told him to do something. His strength lies in ultimately turning that into motivation to work harder."

The team was weak at the time, with a 7-11 record over 18 games, failing to qualify for the national tournament. Even so, Tatsuya wrote in an essay before graduating elementary school: "I will strive daily. When I become a high school student, I want to play at Koshien Stadium. And I will work hard to achieve my childhood dream of becoming a professional baseball player."

When he entered junior high school, Tatsuya joined the local Kanuma Boys team. He remained a pitcher even in junior high, but at the time he was thin and his fastball only reached about 78 miles per hour. Furthermore, he was suffering from growing pains because his bones and muscles couldn't keep up with his sudden growth spurt. He spent long days unable to pitch.

Therefore, he also joined the track and field club in junior high school to strengthen his legs and lower body. In the track club, he mainly focused on the long jump and short-distance running. The training he did then laid the foundation for his later lower-body strength and speed. Although it was for baseball, he took his track practice seriously. As a result, in his third year of junior high, he jumped 6 meters 20 centimeters in the long jump at the district tournament and won an award.

At that time, Tatsuya spent more time building his physique than actually pitching. Even so, watching his teammates shine on the mound made him realize he still strongly wanted to be a pitcher. The training he did during his time away from pitching—cultivating springiness and balance through long jump, and building explosive power through sprinting—definitely increased his pitching speed.

By the summer of his third year of junior high, he had finally regained his ability to throw, and his team made it to the national tournament. However, due to the lingering effects of his injury, he wasn't the team's undisputed ace. Consequently, when it came time to choose a high school, he received no offers from scouts at baseball powerhouse schools. Tatsuya had intended to attend the same high school as his older brother, but his brother discouraged him. His brother believed Tatsuya would definitely improve if he played at a higher level. Tatsuya enrolled at Sakushin Gakuin High School, a local baseball powerhouse.

Upon entering high school, he threw himself into baseball practice as if to make up for lost time. By his sophomore summer, he was serving as a relief pitcher on standby for the prefectural tournament. However, in the semifinals, he gave up a game-tying three-run home run and was pulled after one inning, having allowed three hits, two walks, and three runs. Despite this, the team advanced to the final. He entered as a reliever in the sixth inning but was pulled again after one and a third innings, having allowed one hit and four walks. Although the team qualified for the summer Koshien tournament, he was left off the roster.

This incident became a major turning point for him. Speaking about that time, Tatsuya said, "I think being cut from the team meant I wasn't recognized as a viable player yet. I couldn't even pitch properly at the prefectural tournament, so there was no way I could pitch well at Koshien. From then on, I decided to practice so I could pitch on the mound at Koshien when I became a senior in high school."

Then, in addition to his regular practice routine, he began designing his own training menu incorporating running, core training, and weight training. He would devise his own training and practice sessions, then test them in matches. He repeated this cycle—designing his own training and practice, then testing it in matches—and steadily improved. He overcame each challenge before him one by one, building his confidence step by step.

Then, in his senior year at Koshien Stadium, where he became the ace pitcher, he threw a career-high 93 mph in the opening game. He surpassed that mark again in the second round with a 94 mph pitch, drawing attention from professional scouts. In the championship game, he delivered a stellar performance, allowing only one run over nine innings to earn the winning pitcher title. Throughout the tournament, he struck out 44 batters over 41 innings with just five earned runs (1.10 ERA). His performance at Koshien earned him recognition, and he was selected as the first overall pick by the Saitama Seibu Lions in the 2016 draft, signing a contract with the team.

Tatsuya spent his first year as a pro gaining experience in the minor leagues. He made his professional debut in 2018, pitching six innings and allowing one run to earn his first professional win. That year, he appeared in 15 games (14 starts), recording a 5-5 record with a 4.81 ERA. In 2019, he earned his first opening day rotation spot, appearing in 23 games (22 starts) and posting a 7-9 record with a 4.32 ERA.

In 2020, his pitching performance did not improve, resulting in a 3-4 record with a 6.13 ERA over 19 appearances (11 starts). In 2021, he secured a spot in the starting rotation for the entire season. While recording a league-high 99 walks, he reached the required innings pitched for the first time. He started 25 games, finishing with an 8-8 record, but showed clear growth with 3 complete games (tied for 2nd in the league) and a 3.30 ERA (1st on the team).

In 2022, he missed the season opener due to injury and returned on July 7th. Subsequent health issues and injuries limited him to just 9 starts (5 wins, 1 loss, 2.41 ERA). In 2023, determined to erase the previous year's struggles, he maintained strong form, achieving 16 quality starts in 19 starts, recording 10 wins, 5 losses, and a 2.30 ERA.

In 2024, he became the opening day starter for the first time in his career, posting a 10-8 record with a 2.34 ERA and a league-leading 187 strikeouts in 25 starts. He earned his first career title as the league leader in strikeouts and also led the league with a 60.0% high-quality start rate. In 2025, he again started the season opener and continued his dominant pitching, achieving a High Quality Start (HQS) in his first 10 consecutive games. He started 24 games, posting a 10-5 record with a 1.92 ERA, a career-high 5 complete games and 3 shutouts, and a league-best .176 batting average against.

Following the conclusion of the 2025 season, the team submitted a posting request for his transfer to MLB. On January 2, 2026, he signed a three-year contract with the Houston Astros. His uniform number was assigned as "45," previously worn by Carlos Lee and Gerrit Cole.

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