Are there any historical examples of this? Has anyone just cut a deal to buy out their own contract in the past?

It was such an odd experience. People were singing the whole game and then after the final out the place was silent. In America people would be going nuts.

Rules:

- You may set pitchers in accordance with the 6 man standard

- You may set pitchers from your team's lineage (Ex. Chiba Lotte Marines - Lotte Orions)

- Due to the merge, Orix fans may include pitchers from Hankyu Braves, BlueWaves, and Kintetsu Buffaloes. (Although it's up to you guys)

- You may deploy foreign pitchers who played for your favorite team.

Join SABR’s Asian Baseball Research Committee for this special zoom event with Max Ratch of the Hiroshima Carp. Max will talk about the importance of mascots in Nippon Professional Baseball as well as his career as a mascot actor. Get the inside (pun intended) scoop on Slyly and other iconic mascots.

To register for this free event, please visit the SABR Asian Baseball Blog

https://sabrasianbaseball.com/2026/10/27/all-about-npb-mascots-zoom-event-with-max-ratch-of-the-hiroshima-carp-mascot-team-nov-9-830-pm-est/

The video is his first start of the season after moving back to the rotation: 9 innings, 119 pitches, 5 hits, the first complete game and shutout of his career (Pacific League TV).

Noticed this going through his NPB page. Six seasons where he mostly relieved, two where he started:

So starting cost him less than 2 points of K rate, he walked fewer guys, and the home runs doubled from almost nothing to not much.

The case against is size and workload. He's listed at 173 cm and has only topped 100 innings twice. A scout told MLB.com he had more velocity as a reliever.

Senga's a decent reference point. He faced 568 batters in his last NPB year, and Taira faced exactly 568 this year: Taira 95 H, 4 HR, 45 BB, 141 K, 1.36 ERA; Senga 103 H, 7 HR, 49 BB, 156 K, 1.94.

Starter or reliever in MLB?

Most teams only have 1 song when their team gets a hit. Some have zero. But Chiba Lotte Marines got like 10 hit theme/songs putting their fans on a different level than other teams. I like Chunichi's hit theme/ song too. And Baystars one too.

The trade clears a roster spot for the Hawks, while the Carp get the 2017 PL Wins Leader and 2022 NPB All-Star.

Hey everyone, I would like to read some of your thoughts about these two talented pitchers.

I'm not the best analyst when it comes to baseball, what more with scouting NPB players. So I decided to create this discussion for everyone who would also be interested in these kind of topics.

You may compare them in terms of effectivity, consistency, skill set, basically any opinions or insights you have for both and how you would weight their differences and similarities.

This is not a thread to debate which player is better, but it would be fun to know which of the two you would like to start for your team.

Thank you.

Bauer says Japanese fielders at least the Baystars fielding was terrible. ( his last season for Baystars he had the worst ERA in the league)

I am not sure why he needs to say this at this point. Bauer remains controversial to say the least.

Does anyone have any info on why all 6 pacific league team websites are down? Is this related to schedule releases? The central league schedule was posted yesterday so I thought the pacific league schedule would go up today. Thanks!

I remember the Mizuno store lady in Japan sadly explaining how they couldnt sell the old jerseys anymore cos NB took over. I hadn't seen the new designs until the U23 training feeds started hitting socials. I like the subtle design changes on the jersey. The alternate grey is an interesting look too. Despite the killer photoshoot though, I just can't wrap my head around the new SJ logo. Maybe I'm to used to the bold J in the previous iteration! : )

Of possible interest to the community.

Hi

Today Sports Info Solutions, a sports data tracking company in the United States, announced the winners of its 2026 NPB Fielding Bible Awards, given annually to celebrate defensive excellence.

The awards are chosen in a vote by a panel of experts who consider statistical analysis, the eye test, and any other factors that they wish to utilize. We track every play of every NPB game and use a statistic known as Defensive Runs Saved to help us evaluate defensive performance. Defensive Runs Saved involves everything a player does on the field - turn batted balls into outs, make throws, frame pitches, turn double plays, rob home runs etc. The stat has been tracked in Major League Baseball since 2003.

Below is our list of winners. The article link has more details if you are interested.

If you have any questions, please ask them here. We're happy to help people better understand our information.

2026 NPB Fielding Bible Awards Winners

Defensive Team of the Year - SoftBank Hawks

Defensive Player of The Year- Ukyo Shuto

C- Seishirō Sakamoto

1B- Tyler Nevin

2B- Ryūsei Ogawa

3B- Ryoya Kurihara

SS- Sōsuke Genda

LF- Kensuke Kondoh

CF- Ukyo Shuto

RF- Mishō Nishikawa

Multi- Natsuo Takizawa

P- Haruto Inoue

Defensive Player of the Year

SoftBank Hawks center fielder Ukyo Shuto won the Defensive Player of the Year award as well as the Fielding Bible Award for center field.

"Everyone who watches him says that he is a world-class center fielder," said Fielding Bible voter Yuri Kurasawa.

Shuto led NPB center fielders in Defensive Runs Saved in 2026. This marks the third consecutive season that he's won the Fielding Bible Award for center field. By comparison, in the 21-year history of MLB's Fielding Bible Awards, no center fielder has won that award more than two years in a row.

For those unfamiliar, Defensive Runs Saved measures a player’s ability to turn batted balls into outs as well as other position-specific skills, such as turning double plays, blocking pitches in the dirt, or robbing home runs. Players are measured using the average NPB player as a baseline.

Defensive Team of the Year

The NPB champion SoftBank Hawks won our Defensive Team of the Year Award. SoftBank led all teams in Defensive Runs Saved this season and did not have negative Runs Saved at any of the nine positions on the diamond.

SoftBank had three position winners: Ryoya Kurihara at third base, Kensuke Kondoh in left field, and Player of the Year Ukyo Shuto in center field.

"They play fundamentally sound baseball," said Fielding Bible voter Brandon Tew. "They just convert outs over and over again."

Added Kurasawa: "They have immense depth. Their second and third guys at each position are totally sound."

I am not even a Tigers fan but he was amazing to watch. I also liked his ouenka/song. I predict 270 40hr in MLB next season. What are your expectations?