HOUSTON -- Chalk it up to some nerves and perhaps even not yet being able to find the right sleeping and eating patterns in his new surroundings.
Astros pitcher Tatsuya Imai, the Japanese star who made his Major League debut in Sunday’s 9-7 win over the Angels at Daikin Park, lasted only 2 2/3 innings and was pulled after squandering a four-run lead.
All’s well that ends well, though, as the Astros rallied to win late for the second game in a row to split the four-game series.
“I went out there looking to have fun, but with that said it’s a different environment from when I was in Japan,” he said. “I was kind of nervous, which may have [led to] bad things, but it was just a different atmosphere for me.”
Imai, signed by the Astros in January, said he was still getting adjusted to the different mound slopes used in Major Leagues and Japan, though he did pitch in an exhibition game at Daikin Park last week. Sunday, he was rocked for four earned runs, three hits and walked four while striking out four batters. Of his 74 pitches, only 36 were strikes.
“I wasn’t expecting [him] kind of scattering the zone,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “He’s shown an ability to throw strikes. The first [outing], he got that one out of the way. I’m sure Imai can’t wait to get back on the mound.”
No Astros starting pitcher was able to finish six innings in the four-game series against the Angels, with Houston’s starters posting a 7.64 ERA in 17 2/3 innings. Astros pitchers also walked 28 batters in the series, which is a club record for four games to start a season.
“This is a good staff,” Espada said. “We are known for putting zeros on the board on the pitching side. We got some guys who are starting to get set in new roles and we’ll get it going. But the Angels, they were tough. They put [together] some really good at-bats, they were patient. They made us work hard for all 27 outs.”
Imai’s outing went awry quickly in the third. With the bases loaded and one out, Jorge Soler doubled into the left-field corner to clear the bases and cut Houston’s lead to 4-3. Jo Adell’s RBI single tied the game, prompting Espada to pull him. Astros catcher Christian Vázquez said he didn’t sense any nerves, even in the dugout between innings.
“You see it in the eyes that he’s nervous or has a lot of emotions going on, but he looked very calm and that’s a good sign for a debut in the big leagues,” Vázquez said.
After walking Zach Neto to start the game, Imai threw three consecutive fastball strikes to Mike Trout. The last pitch clipped the zone and was called a strike, but Trout tapped his helmet to initiate an ABS challenge. The strike call was confirmed correct, and Imai had his first career strikeout. He struck out Soler later in the first, and ended the second with consecutive swinging strikeouts of Josh Lowe and Travis d’Arnaud.
Imai relied mostly on his fastball (37 pitches) and slider (27 pitches) and threw only seven splitters and three curveballs, all of which were against lefty hitters. He generated only seven whiffs.
“I’ve always been a fastball-slider kind of pitcher, so that’s how I attack hitters,” he said. “With that said, I definitely saw a need for incorporating the changeup and split more often. I need to work on the quality of those pitches if I want to face hitters and make it more challenging.”
When asked what he wanted to work on the most prior to his next outing, Imai said: “I definitely want to eat better and sleep better before the next start.”
Imai was a three-time All-Star in NPB with the Seibu Lions, including in both 2024 and ’25 and last year went 10-5 with a career-best 1.92 ERA and 178 strikeouts in 163 2/3 innings. In 2024, he went 10-8 with a 2.34 ERA and set career highs with 187 strikeouts and 173 1/3 innings pitched.