is a Japanese

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

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

Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks The are a Japanese professional baseball team based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture. They compete in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) as a member of the Pacific League. The team was formerly known as the Nankai Hawks and was based in Osaka. ...

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 ...

Early baseball career

Higashihama pitched in the 3rd grade spring 80th

Japanese High School Baseball Invitational Tournament The National High School Baseball Invitational Tournament (選抜高等学校野球大会 ''senbatsu kōtō gakkō yakyū taikai'') of Japan, commonly known as "Spring Kōshien" (春の甲子園 ''haru no kōshien'') or "Senbatsu" (センバツ) ...

Okinawa Shogaku High School is a middle school and high school in the Kokuba district of Naha, Okinawa. Okisho, as it is called, is known for its performance in high school baseball tournaments, including National tournament wins in 1999 and 2008. Its colors are green, y ...

ace pitcher and won. He was selected as the

Japan national baseball team The is the national team representing Japan in international baseball competitions. It won the World Baseball Classic in 2006 and 2009, as well as WBSC Premier12 in 2019. The team is currently ranked 1st in the world by the World Baseball Sof ...

in the 37th and 38th USA VS Japan Collegiate All-Star Series and

2009 Asian Baseball Championship The 2009 Asian Baseball Championship is an international baseball competition that was held in Sapporo, Japan from July 27 to August 3, 2009. It was the 25th edition of the tournament and featured teams from China, Chinese Taipei, Indonesia, Jap ...

while attending Asia University.

Professional career

On October 25, 2012, Higashihama was drafted by the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks first overall pick in the

2012 Nippon Professional Baseball draft The 2012 Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) Draft was held on October 25, , for the 48th time at the Grand Prince Hotel Takanawa to assign amateur baseball players to the NPB. It was arranged with the special cooperation of Toshiba with official n ...

2013–2015 season

On April 11, 2013, Higashihama pitched his debut game as a

starting pitcher In baseball (hardball or softball), a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent's first batter of a game. Starting pit ...

against the

Orix Buffaloes The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team formed as a result of the 2004 Nippon Professional Baseball realignment by the merger of the Orix BlueWave of Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes of Osaka, Osaka Prefectur ...

. On April 23, he won the game for the first time. In 2013 season, he finished the regular season with a 5 Games pitched, a 3–1 Win–loss record, a 2.83 ERA, a 25 strikeouts in 28 2/3 innings. In 2014 season, Higashihama finished the regular season with a 7 Games pitched, a 2–2 Win–loss record, a 3.82 ERA, a 30 strikeouts in 35 1/3 innings. And he pitched in the

2014 Japan Series The 2014 Japan Series (known as the '' SMBC Nippon Series 2014'' for sponsorship reasons) was the 65th edition of Nippon Professional Baseball's (NPB) championship series known colloquially as the Japan Series. The best-of-seven playoff was won by ...

and recorded a hold. In 2015 season, Higashihama finished the regular season with a 6 Games pitched, a 1–2 Win–loss record, a 4.82 ERA, a 23 strikeouts in 28 innings. And he was selected as the Japan Series roster in the

2015 Japan Series The 2015 Japan Series was the 66th edition of Nippon Professional Baseball's postseason championship series. The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, champions of the Pacific League, played the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, champions of the Central League. The Hawks ...

2016–2020 season

In 2016 season, Higashihama finished the regular season with a 23 Games pitched, a 9–6 Win–loss record, a 3.00 ERA, a 100 strikeouts in 135 innings. In 2017 season, Higashihama finished the regular season with a 16–5 Win–loss record, a 2.64 ERA, a 139 strikeouts in 160 innings and he won the 2017

Pacific League The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues constituting Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship competes against the winner in the Central League for the annual Japan Series. It currently consis ...

the most wins Champion. And he pitched as a starting pitcher in the

2017 Japan Series The 2017 Japan Series (known as the ''SMBC Nippon Series 2017'' for sponsorship reasons) was the championship series of Nippon Professional Baseball's postseason. The 68th edition of the Japan Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the F ...

. On May 26, 2018, Higashihama was diagnosed with right shoulder dysfunction and spent two months in rehabilitation. On August 7, he returned in the game against the

Chiba Lotte Marines The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based in Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture, in the Kantō region, and owned by Lotte Holdings Co., Ltd. History The Marines franchise began in 1950 as the Mainichi Orions, an inaugural ...

. In 2018 season, he finished the regular season with a 17 Games pitched, a 7–5 Win–loss record, a 3.32 ERA, a 83 strikeouts in 103 innings. On October 10, he was selected

at the

2018 MLB Japan All-Star Series The 2018 MLB Japan All-Star Series was the twelfth edition of the MLB Japan All-Star Series, a best-of-six series between an All-Star team from Major League Baseball (MLB) and for the second time in series history, the Japanese national team, Sa ...

. On October 31, Higashihama pitched as a starting pitcher and won the game for the first time in the

Japan Series The Japan Series ( , officially the Japan Championship Series, ), also the Nippon Series, :File:2014_JS_logo.png is the annual championship series in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top baseball league in Japan. It is a best-of-seven series ...

. On June 5, 2019, Higashihama had right elbow surgery and spent the rest of the season on rehabilitation. In 2019 season, he finished the regular season with a 7 Games pitched, a 2–2 Win–loss record, a 6.37 ERA, a 26 strikeouts in 35 1/3 innings. In the opening game of the 2020 season against the Chiba Lotte Marines on June 19, 2020, Higashihama pitched as his first opening game starter. In 2020 season, he finished the regular season with a 19 Games pitched, a 9–2 Win–loss record, a 2.34 ERA, a 102 strikeouts in 119 innings. However, he was out of the

2020 Japan Series The 2020 Japan Series (known as the ''SMBC Nippon Series 2020'' for sponsorship reasons) was the championship series of Nippon Professional Baseball's (NPB) 2020 season. The 71st edition of the Japan Series, it was played from November 21 to 25. ...

roaster due to poor condition on his right shoulder.

2021 season–present

In 2021 season, Higasihama returned to the team on May 26 after a delayed start with a sore right shoulder. he recorded with a 14 Games pitched, a 4–4 Win–loss record, a 3.70 ERA, and a 61 strikeouts in 75.1 innings. On May 11, 2022, Higashihama threw a no-hitter against 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, wh ...

, and only giving up 2 walks. On July 27, he participated the All-Star Game for the first time in My Navi All-Star Game 2022. In 2022 season, he finished the regular season with a 23 Games pitched, a 10–6 Win–loss record, a 3.11 ERA, and a 94 strikeouts in 136 innings.

References

External links

Career statistics - NPB.jp
- Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks Official site {{DEFAULTSORT:Higashihama, Nao 1993 births Living people Asia University (Japan) alumni Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks players Japanese expatriate baseball players in Puerto Rico Nippon Professional Baseball pitchers Baseball people from Okinawa Prefecture Gigantes de Carolina players