is a Japanese professional
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...
for the
Saitama Seibu Lions
The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based north of Tokyo in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture. Before 1979, they were based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture in Kyushu. The team is owned by a subsidiary of Seibu Railway ...
of
Nippon Professional Baseball
or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''.
Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...
(NPB).
Career
Taira was drafted by the
Saitama Seibu Lions
The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based north of Tokyo in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture. Before 1979, they were based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture in Kyushu. The team is owned by a subsidiary of Seibu Railway ...
with the team’s fourth selection in the
2017 Nippon Professional Baseball draft out of Yaeyama Commercial High School. Taira spent the 2018 season with Seibu’s farm team, posting a 5.40 ERA in 10 appearances.
On July 19, 2019, Taira made his
Nippon Professional Baseball
or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''.
Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...
debut. He finished this season with a 2-1 record and 3.38 ERA in 26 appearances. The following season, Taira played in 54 games for Seibu, posting a stellar 1.87 ERA in 53.0 innings of work. Because of his efforts, Taira was named the 2020
Pacific League Rookie of the Year.
On June 28, 2021, Taira tied the NPB record for consecutive mound appearances without giving up a run, with 38, a record also held by former
Hanshin Tigers
The Hanshin Tigers (Japanese: 阪神タイガース ''Hanshin Taigāsu'') are a Nippon Professional Baseball team playing in the Central League. The team is based in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and is owned by Hanshin Electric Railwa ...
pitcher
Kyuji Fujikawa
is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher. He pitched for the Hanshin Tigers of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) and the Chicago Cubs and Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Fujikawa pitched in the 2006 and 2009 World Ba ...
. On July 1, Taira passed Fujikawa and set a new NPB record by making his 39th consecutive mound appearance without giving up a run. Taira’s streak ended at 39 on July 6, when he allowed an RBI hit to
Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters
The are a Japanese professional Baseball in Japan, baseball team based in Kitahiroshima, Hokkaidō. They compete in the Pacific League of Nippon Professional Baseball, playing the majority of their home games at ES CON Field Hokkaido. The Figh ...
hitter Yuto Takahama.
In 2021, Taira was named an
NPB All-Star for the first time in his career.
References
External links
Career statistics - NPB.jp
1999 births
Living people
Baseball people from Okinawa Prefecture
Nippon Professional Baseball pitchers
Saitama Seibu Lions players
Nippon Professional Baseball Rookie of the Year Award winners
Baseball players at the 2020 Summer Olympics
Olympic baseball players of Japan
Olympic medalists in baseball
Olympic gold medalists for Japan
Medalists at the 2020 Summer Olympics
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