Kaima Taira’s return to the starting rotation has gone about as well as the Saitama Seibu Lions could have hoped.
The 26-year-old right-hander earned his 10th victory of the season on Tuesday night, tossing seven scoreless innings in a 3-1 win over the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters at Belluna Dome in Tokorozawa.
Taira scattered six hits and one walk while striking out nine across 105 pitches, lowering his ERA to an NPB-best 1.46.
Taira generated a season-high 27 swinging strikes and averaged 97.3 mph with his fastball while throwing multiple pitches over 99 mph. According to pitch-tracking data dating back to 2014, it was the highest average fastball velocity recorded by an NPB starter other than Shohei Ohtani and Roki Sasaki, surpassing starts by other flamethrowers such as Shunpeita Yamashita and Kodai Senga.
Taira maintained that premium velocity when he needed it late in the outing. With two runners aboard in the sixth inning, five of his six pitches to Naoki Arizono registered above 99 mph as he escaped another scoring threat.
“I was in trouble, so I’m glad I was able to execute there,” he said in his postgame interview.
The performance improved Taira to 10-3 with 109 strikeouts in 117 innings this season. Through 19 starts, he owns a 23% strikeout rate, 9% walk rate, and 1.03 WHIP.
He also reached the qualifying innings threshold again and immediately moved into first place on the NPB ERA leaderboard. Alongside other top arms like Chihiro Sumida and Kona Takahashi, the Okinawa native has helped the Lions hold the best starting rotation ERA in NPB this season.
It is the latest development in what has been an unorthodox career for one of Japan’s most talented pitchers. Nicknamed the “Sea Demon,” Taira first established himself as an elite reliever, winning Pacific League Rookie of the Year in 2020 and leading the league with 34 holds in 2022.
After repeatedly expressing his desire to start, he moved into the rotation in 2023 and went 11-7 with a 2.40 ERA and 153 strikeouts over 150 innings.
Injuries and team circumstances eventually pushed him back into the bullpen, and he became Seibu’s closer in 2025. Taira responded with 31 saves and a 1.71 ERA, leading the Pacific League in saves. This year, he was given another opportunity to return to his preferred starting role.
His 10th victory also produced a unique piece of NPB history. Taira became the first pitcher to record 30 or more saves in one season and then win 10 games exclusively as a starter the following year.
“I think luck has been on my side,” Taira said of reaching double-digit wins. “Even today, Alexander Canario helped me out with his defense in right field, so this is the result of a lot of good luck.”
Despite that track record, Taira is sometimes quickly written off as a potential Major League starter because of his unconventional build. Listed at just 5-foot-8 with a short, stocky frame, he does not fit the traditional profile of a high-velocity starter expected to handle a major workload.
But Taira also uses his height to his advantage, prioritizing a flat vertical approach angle from a lower release. His arsenal resembles an “Ohtani-lite” package because of the sheer number of different pitch shapes he can throw and how well he covers the velocity band.
Beyond his mid-to-upper-90s four-seamer, Taira mixes in a sinker, cutter, splitter, changeup, slider, sweeper, and curveball. The variety allows him to give hitters dramatically different looks rather than relying on brute force alone — especially important because his four-seamer does not have high ride.
Major League teams are paying attention. Eight MLB organizations reportedly had scouts in attendance Tuesday: the Yankees, Cubs, Mariners, Rangers, Angels, Tigers, Padres, and White Sox. The interest is hardly surprising given his performance and his long-standing desire to eventually pitch in the United States.
Taira has been open about his MLB ambitions, though any move in the near future would require Seibu to make him available through the posting system. Whether the Lions consider doing so after the 2026 season or wait another year remains to be seen, as they posted both Takahashi and Tatsuya Imai last winter (Takahashi went unsigned and returned to the team).
If Taira reaches the MLB market within the next couple of offseasons, there should be plenty of interest in a still-young right-hander who combines plus velocity and outlier traits with a deep arsenal and a long track record of dominating in different roles.