Tatsuya Imai
Breakdown
Performance
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April 5, 2026
Fans nine in first MLB win
Imai (1-0) picked up the win in Saturday's 11-0 rout of the A's, allowing three hits and three walks over 5.2 scoreless innings. He struck out nine.
Analysis
After a bumpy MLB debut that saw him last just 2.2 frames, the 27-year-old righty looked much more comfortable in his second trip to the mound Saturday as he fired 58 of 94 pitches for strikes and came one out short of his first quality start for the Astros. Imai will take a 4.32 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and 13:7 K:BB through his first 8.1 innings into his next outing, which lines up to come on the road next weekend in Seattle.
March 30, 2026
Struggles in MLB debut
Imai did not factor into the decision in the Astros' 9-7 win over the Angels on Sunday. He allowed four runs on three hits and four walks while striking out four across 2.2 innings.
Analysis
Imai looked poised over the first two innings of his MLB debut, striking out four of the first eight batters he faced. However, things unravelled in the third, when he ran up his pitch count and yielded four runs in the frame before being pulled. Imai struggled with his control, with only 36 of his 74 pitches resulting in strikes (48.6 percent). It might take some time for him to adjust to his new surroundings after spending nine years with the Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan, but the expectations will still be high given the three-year, $54 million contract that he signed with Houston during the offseason. Imai will look for a better result in his next start, which is tentatively slated for next weekend on the road against the Athletics.