As the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) postseason progresses, here is a look at the top news and notes from the past day in Japan’s highest level of professional baseball.
Five Yomiuri Giants to Play in Winter Leagues
Fresh off a Climax Series appearance, five Yomiuri Giants have announced their intent to stay in game form, appearing in Winter Leagues overseas. Yuhi Nishidate and Teppei Mataki will play for Cangrejeros de Santurce of the Puerto Rican League. Nishidate was effective this past season, appearing in 28 games and totaling a 3.82 ERA over 30.2 innings pitched. However, Mataki is the key addition for the Cangrejeros, as the southpaw totaled a 2.5 ERA and won five games over 97.1 innings pitched.
Makoto Kyõmoto, Ryusei Yamada, and Yuto Akihiro will join the Adelaide Giants of the Australian Baseball League. Kyõmoto and Akihiro will be looking for game opportunities after missing significant time last season —combining to appear in 30 games total. Yamada was a lockdown reliever for the Giants in 2024, adding a 1.65 ERA over 27.1 innings.
Free Agency Beginning to Shape Up
One hundred eleven players are set to enter the free agency market this offseason, with 61 having the opportunity to appear overseas. Kohei Arihara and Keita Sano headline the market. The former added a terrific 2.36 ERA over a whopping 182.2 innings, winning 14 games over that span. Sano added a .273 batting average with a .705 OPS, blasting eight home runs over 139 games. He added two seasons of 20 or more home runs in 2020 and 2022.
Kajitani Retires
Former Yomiuri Giants outfielder Takayuki Kajitani announced his retirement via a press conference earlier today. The 36-year-old played 14 seasons in the NPB, adding 126 career home runs and 980 hits. He finished with a career batting average of .270. The outfielder played 11 seasons with the Baystars before finishing his career in Yomiuri. He had a career season in 2020, hitting .323 with 19 home runs and 140 hits. He appeared in just six games in 2024.
Watch the NPB playoffs on DAZN.
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WBN NPB: https://worldbaseball.com/league/japan/
Photo Credit: Shosei Togo of the Yomiuri Giants celebrates winning against Yokohama DeNA Baystars at Tokyo Dome on May 24, 2023 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Sports Nippon/Getty Images)
