Hiroto Saiki of the Hanshin Tigers throws against Yakult Swallows at Hanshin Koshien Stadium on June 9, 2024 in Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan. (Photo by Sports Nippon/Getty Images)
The starting pitchers for game one of the Nippon Professional Baseball league All-Star Series are Hiroto Saiki for the Central League and Sachiya Yamasaki for the Pacific League.
Both pitchers were born in Japan and have both had terrific starts to their 2024 campaign.
Saiki is a 25-year-old right-handed pitcher for the Hanshin Tigers, and boasts an impressive 8-3 record with a 1.20 ERA. He has played in the NPB for the Hanshin Tigers for six years. Over the last three years, Saiki has been one of the best pitchers in the NPB, having a sub-2.00 ERA each season since 2022. Saiki’s 1.20 ERA is the second-best in the NPB, and he has only given up two home runs all year.
Yamasaki is a 31-year-old left-handed pitcher for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, and he is having his best season in the NPB. The lefty has a 6-3 record with a 2.88 ERA in 2024. The Nippon-Ham Fighters ace is not your typical All Star Game starter; he is a ground ball pitcher who relies on his fielders. However, Yamasaki is prone to give up the home run ball, giving up nine home runs in his fifteen appearances in the 2024 season.
Game one of the two-game NPB All-Star Series will be played at Es Con Field Hokkaido, home of the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, at 5:30 a.m. EDT on July 23, 2024.
