Nerves got the best of Houston Astros right-hander Tatsuya Imai in his big-league debut Sunday.
In a 9-7 loss to the Los Angeles Angels, Imai pitched 2.2 innings, walking four. The former Nippon Professional Baseball standout signed a three-year, $54 million contract in the offseason.
“I went out there looking to have fun, but with that said, it’s a different environment from the time I was in Japan,” he said to the AP in Japanese through an interpreter. “I was kind of nervous, which may have been a bad thing, but it was just a different atmosphere for me.”
Ten family and friends from Japan watched Imai’s big-league debut.
“I wanted to perform better for them and get through five innings today, but as you saw, I threw up too many pitches in the first and second innings,” he said. “So, I didn’t perform up to the level that I wish to for them.”
Tatsuya Imai’s struggles perplex manager
Imai’s inability to find the strike zone perplexed Astros manager Joe Espada. In his final season in the NPB, Imai had the fewest number of walks (45) in a full season of work (163.2 innings) in his career.
“I wasn’t expecting the scattering the zone,” Espada said. “He’s shown the ability to throw strikes. So, first one, we got that one out of the way. I’m sure that Imai can’t wait to get back on the mound.”
Imai’s next start should come April 4 at the Athletics, who could present a different challenge for the former NPB standout. The A’s play in a hitter’s park, Sutter Health Park in Sacramento, California. The Athletics ranked seventh in the majors in home runs at home last season with 105.
In his NPB career. Imai allowed six home runs in 2025 and eight in 2024, but served up double digits in every other full season (over 100+ innings).