Another forthcoming posting was announced Sunday morning. According to the Nippon-Ham Fighters’ PR page on X, the team is posting pitcher Hiromi Itoh.
Itoh, 29, pitched to a 3.18 ERA across 172 2/3 innings of baseball. The right-handed pitcher struck out 159 and walked only 34.
His best season was arguably 2025 when he threw 196 2/3 innings with a 2.52 ERA. He led the league in wins (14), innings pitched (20-plus more than second place), and strikeouts outperforming current Houston Astros starter Tatsuya Imai. As a result, he was named the winner of the Sawamura Award, given to the NPB’s most outstanding pitcher.
Overall, throughout his NPB career he owns a 2.92 ERA across six seasons.
Itoh did pitch for Japan in the World Baseball Classic this past season, but struggled, allowing five runs over four innings of work. He did throw 2 1/3 innings scoreless in the 2023 version of the event.
