The Washington Nationals called up 27-year-old pitcher Shinnosuke Ogasawara to start against Garrett Crochet and the Boston Red Sox on Sunday.
The Nationals signed Ogasawara to a two-year, $3.5 million deal in January, and was the first player the Nationals franchise signed directly from Asia. He struggled in his debut, pitching just 2 2/3 innings and surrendering four earned runs.
He had made six minor league starts this year. He was sidelined with an oblique injury for a good portion of the season. He was placed on the injured list on April 17, and he started a rehab assignment on June 14.
He had a 4.50 ERA and 24 strikeouts in the Nationals’ minor league system. He was called up after Trevor Williams was placed on the injured list.
Before he signed with the Nationals, he pitched for the Chunichi Dragons in Nippon Professional Baseball for nine seasons, where he had a 3.62 ERA and was an NPB All-Star in 2023. He also represented Japan in the U-18 Baseball World Cup in 2015.
All four runs he gave up came in the first inning. He did not walk a batter, but he did give up seven hits. Four of those hits also came in the first inning. He was pulled from the game in the third inning at just 55 pitches. He had last pitched on June 26 in High-A Wilmington.
Despite his struggles, he did pick up his first big league strikeout. He got Romy Gonzalez swinging in the first inning. His only other strikeout came against Connor Wong in the second inning.
Photo: Washington Nationals starting pitcher Shinnosuke Ogasawara in action during a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox, Sunday, July 6, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
