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The Los Angeles Dodgers’ big bets on Japanese pitchers paid off earlier this month.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto received the World Series MVP honors, Roki Sasaki recorded critical outs, and Shohei Ohtani started in Game 7. Now, Tatsuya Imai is the latest Japanese ace and free agent who has his sights set on Major League Baseball. But the right-hander hopes his path to the majors does not pass through Los Angeles.
Imai is in the midst of a 45-day posting window, which affords him the opportunity to agree to a contract with any major league team of his choosing.
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Tatsuya Imai of Saitama Seibu Lions throws against Orix Buffaloes at Belluna Dome on April 25, 2025, in Tokorozawa, Saitama, Japan. (Sports Nippon/Getty Images)
“I rather take them down,” Imai told Japan’s TV Asahi program “Hodo Station,” per MLB.com, with a hint of laughter.
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“Of course, I’d enjoy playing alongside [Shohei] Ohtani, [Yoshinobu] Yamamoto and [Roki] Sasaki,” Imai added, “but winning against a team like that and becoming a World Champion would be the most valuable thing in my life.”
Imai most recently pitched for Nippon Professional Baseball’s Seibu Lions. The 27-year-old became available to MLB teams on Nov. 19. He did experience some ups and downs in his first few NPB seasons, but eventually settled in and became one of the league’s more reliable starting pitchers.
Tatsuya Imai (48) of Samurai Japan reacts after pitching in the top of the seventh inning during the game between Samurai Japan and Netherlands at Kyocera Dome Osaka on March 5, 2025, in Osaka, Japan. (Gene Wang/Getty Images)
Last season, Imai pitched in a combined no-hitter and was named to his third career All-Star team. He has a 3.15 career ERA over 159 games with the Lions.
Imai also noted that he hopes to sign with a team whose roster does not currently feature any Japanese players.
Pitcher Tatsuya Imai (48) of Japan throws in the 1st inning during the Asia Professional Baseball Championship Final between South Korea and Japan at Tokyo Dome on Nov. 19, 2023, in Tokyo, Japan. (Gene Wang/Getty Images)
“They’d just tell you anything if you asked, right?” Imai said in reference to the idea of teaming up with a fellow Japanese player in the U.S. “I don’t really want that; in a way, I want to experience that survival vibe, and facing cultural differences and figuring them out on my own is part of the fun.”
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The Dodgers have effectively cornered the market on the most premier international players in recent years, but Imai’s latest comments throw cold water on the idea of Los Angeles adding a fourth Japanese native pitcher to its rotation in 2026.
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