Haruto Takahashi delivered a complete game shutout for the Hanshin Tigers on Wednesday afternoon, leading them to a 2-0 win over the Tokyo Yakult Swallows in a matchup between two early Central League frontrunners.
The southpaw was in complete control all game, allowing just three hits while striking out seven and walking none on 110 pitches. He mixed and located his arsenal brilliantly, throwing 34 four-seam fastballs, 31 sinkers, 29 sliders, 10 cutters, five splitters, and one curveball to keep Swallows hitters off balance all day.
What made the outing even more remarkable was that it was already Takahashi’s third complete game shutout of the season, and he has made only four starts. He became the first Tigers pitcher since Hall of Famer Tadashi Wakabayashi in 1943 to record three shutouts before May, while also becoming the first NPB pitcher since Yudai Ohno in 2020 to throw three shutouts within any four-start span.
For Takahashi, the stuff has never been in question. The 30-year-old has long been regarded as a star and premier groundball artist when healthy, but has earned the nickname “glass ace” from Tigers fans because of multiple injury setbacks.
Coming into the game, Takahashi owned a stellar 2.63 ERA across 366 ⅓ innings in his NPB career since debuting in 2018. However, he has thrown more than 100 innings in a season only once, back in 2019. From 2021 to 2025, he failed to reach even 50 innings in a single campaign while dealing with several major injuries, including Tommy John surgery and shoulder surgery.
But this season has looked different. Takahashi opened the year by throwing his first shutout since 2021, and after Wednesday’s gem, he now owns a 0.27 ERA across 33 innings.
The Tigers are still being careful with his workload, skipping his turn in the rotation last week, but when he has taken the mound, the sinker-baller has looked every bit like one of the league’s most dominant arms.
“I hadn’t pitched in 16 days, so I was watching everyone else play hard and wanted to do my best to contribute too,” Takahashi said after the game. “I just let my catcher (Torai Fushimi) take the lead.”
Takahashi is also quickly putting himself in MVP and Sawamura Award conversations, as Japanese voters place great emphasis on traditional stats like wins and complete games. He currently leads all qualified NPB starters in ERA (0.27), while ranking second in WHIP (0.64), fifth in FIP (2.20), and fifth in groundball rate (57.5%).
The defending pennant-winning Tigers are now 16-9-1 and tied with the Swallows for first place in the Central.
Photo: Hanshin Tigers Haruto Takahashi delivers a pitch on April 29 against the Yakult Swallows (Courtesy of Hanshin Tigers)
