It seems that yet another Japanese star is all set to make his MLB debut in the near future. Hiroto Takahashi is a Japanese pitcher and is considered to be the protégé of MLB star Yoshinobu Yamamoto. He is also a member of Samurai Japan in the World Baseball Classic. There is still time before he eventually makes his MLB debut, but his pitching skills have already attracted a lot of attention not only in Japan but also in the United States.

Who is Hiroto Takahashi? Everything to know

Hiroto Takahashi was born on August 9, 2002, in Owariasahi, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. He attended Chukyo University Senior High School. Takahashi is a 23-year-old Japanese right-handed pitcher who plies his trade for the Chunichi Dragons of the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He was drafted by the Chunichi Dragons with the 1st pick in the 2020 NPB Draft and made his NPB debut for the team in March 2022.

Since then, he has evolved into one of the best young pitchers in the league, especially known for setting a club record with the fastest pitch thrown at 98.2 mph on July 7, 2022. Last season, he recorded 547 strikeouts in 26 games with an ERA of 2.32. Takahashi’s pitching style is considered similar to that of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, with a high 90s fastball and an 80 mph split finger, alongside a few more pitches.

Talking about his pitching similarity with Yamamoto in an interview with MLB.com, Takahashi said

“I’m trying to take away anything that I can, steal everything from Yoshinobu.”

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Hiroto Takahashi is all set to make his second appearance with Samurai Japan at the World Baseball Classic this year. Notably, the youngster also has experience pitching against MLB players in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. He faced Mookie Betts, who hit an infield single off his pitch. He then struck out Mike Trout and Paul Goldschmidt, gave up a hit to Nolan Arenado, and got Kyle Schwarber to fly out.

Who are Hiroto Takahashi’s parents? All you need to know

There is not much information available in the public domain about Hiroto Takahashi’s parents.

Is he married? Know the details

No information is available in the public domain regarding whether Hiroto Takahashi is married.

Hiroto Takahashi, NPB contract, salary, and net worth

Hiroto Takahashi signed a contract worth 100 million yen, from which he got 50 million yen and a salary of 16 million yen when he started his career in the NPB. He then received a 12,000 yen wage for the 2024 season. However, information related to his net worth is not available in the public domain.

Inside his professional career

Hiroto Takahashi first made his NPB debut for the Chunichi Dragons in March 2022 and quickly attracted attention by throwing his fastest pitch at 98.2 mph in July of the same year. He continued to evolve and become one of the best pitchers in Japanese baseball.

Takahashi would see his best NPB season in 2024. In that season, he pitched a complete shutout game against the Hiroshima Toyo Carp in July under 100 pitches and qualified for the “Maddux.” In 25 games that season, he recorded 145 strikeouts with a 2.53 ERA.

Now that Hiroto Takahashi is a part of Team Japan in the World Baseball Classic, he will be looking forward to resuming his dominant pitching career on an international stage once again.