Left-handed pitcher Tsuyoshi Wada (Softbank Hawks), born in 1981, is expected to continue playing next year.
Wada took the mound in the away game against the Chiba Lotte Marines held at Jojo Marine Stadium in Chiba Prefecture, Japan on the 25th, and led the team to a 10-1 victory by allowing 5 hits and 1 run in 5 innings. He recorded a personal high of 8 strikeouts this season and earned his 7th win of the season in about a month and a half. It was crucial that he overcame the crisis of first and second bases with no outs in the fifth inning without allowing a run. He was satisfied after the game, saying, “I was able to throw with a good rhythm without any dead balls.”
Although Wada has overcome hardships, his skills remain the same. This year, he is second on the team in wins after Kohei Arihara (9 wins). Both the average ERA (3.34) and on-base runs allowed per inning (WHIP, 1.19) are at a high level. The West Nippon Shimbun (Nishi Nippon), which reports news from the Fukuoka area in Japan, said that the Softbank club has confirmed its policy of renewing Wada’s contract next season, saying, “The left arm, which is not old, is expected to return to the team next season at the age of 43.”
Wada joined Softbank of the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) through the 2002 rookie draft. A veteran with a NPB career record of 157 wins, 87 losses, and an ERA of 3.18. He reigned as NPB’s top pitcher for quite a long time, including being selected as Rookie of the Year in 2003 and Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 2010. In 2014, he challenged the American Major League (MLB) and played for the Chicago Cubs for two years before returning to NPB.스포츠토토
He also served as a key resource for Samurai Japan in several international competitions, including the 2004 Athens Olympics, the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and the 2006 World Baseball Classic (WBC). Last April, he became the winning pitcher at the age of 42 years and 1 month, breaking the record for the club’s oldest winning pitcher held by Yutaro Imai in 1991 (previously 41 years and 9 months).
Although he is not young, he is steady. Last year, he went 7 wins, 4 losses, and had an ERA of 2.78, and continued to play a part in Softbank’s starting lineup this season. A club official said, “Of course, we are thinking of it as our full potential for next year.”