Chihiro Sumida

Chihiro Sumida (隅田 知一郎)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 9", Weight 167 lbs.

• School Nishinippon Institute of Technology
• High School Hasami High School

• Born August 20, 1999 in Omura, Nagasaki, Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Chihiro Sumida has pitched in Nippon Pro Baseball.

Sumida was drafted by the Hiroshima Carp, Yomiuri Giants, Yakult Swallows and Seibu Lions in the first round of the 2021 NPB draft, and the Lions won the lottery for his rights. He soon joined the rotation as a rookie, recording a 3.75 ERA in 16 starts. However, Seibu's lineup was very weak, so he only had a 1-10 record. Sumida broke Kihachiro Tanaka's team record for having a 12-game losing streak (over multiple seasons) in 2023, and ended up 9-10 with a 3.44 ERA. He ranked 9th in wins (tied with Shunpeita Yamashita, Naoyuki Uwasawa and Takayuki Kishi), 2nd in losses (tied with Hiromi Itoh and Dietrich Enns) 7th in strikeouts (between Tatsuya Imai and Uwasawa). Sumida then made it onto Japan's roster of the 2023 Asia Professional Baseball Championship, pitching 7 shutout innings with 7 strikeouts against South Korea and being named as the pitcher on the All-Tournament Team.

The Nagasaki native extended his solid performance in 2024, and he went 9-10 with a 2.76 ERA. He was 4th in losses (tied with Kazuya Ojima), 2nd in innings (3 1/3 behind Kohei Arihara), 5th in strikeouts (154, between Atsuki Taneichi and Livan Moinelo) and 8th in ERA (between Takayuki Kato and Kishi). Sumida made it onto Japan's roster for the 2024 Premier 12. He relieved Hiroto Takahashi in the 5th inning against South Korea, and he completed 3 innings with only one run allowed due to Dong-hee Yoon's RBI double and got the win over Do-gyu Kwak. He then succeeded Haruto Inoue in the 7th inning versus the Dominican Republic, and he pitched a shutout inning with 2 Ks (against Alen Hanson and Daneurys De La Cruz). Sumida next relieved Takahashi in the 5th inning against the USA, and he gave up a solo shot to the first batter he faced in the game, Colby Thomas. Sumida then gave up a single to Termarr Johnson, and he retired the other 6 batters he faced, with 4 strikeouts (against Chris Okey, Matt Shaw, Luke Ritter and Ryan Ward) to get a win over Darrell Thompson. He pitched 2 shutout innings with 5 Ks against Chinese Taipei in the Gold Medal game, and Japan won Silver in the event. He tied Takahashi for the event lead in strikeouts, and he was tied for 3rd in wins (1 behind Inoue and Yi Chang). Oddanier Mosqueda beat him out for honors as the All-Star reliever.

Sumida was selected into the 2025 NPB All-Star Game, and he pitched 1 1/3 shutout inning in Game 2 although he allowed two singles, to Teruaki Sato and Yuta Izuguchi. He ended up 10-10 with a 2.59 ERA in 2025, and he led the league in losses. He was also 7th in wins (tied with Imai), 7th in innings (159 2/3, between Taneichi and Hiroya Miyagi), 6th in strikeouts (149, between Taneichi and Koki Kitayama) and 8th in ERA (between Itoh and Taneichi). He represented Japan in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, and he relieved Tomoyuki Sugano in the 5th inning against Australia. He fanned 7 with only one unearned run allowed due to catcher Kenya Wakatsuki's throwing error, and he got the win over Jon Kennedy. He then succeeded Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the 5th inning against Venezuela, but he gave up a leadoff walk to Jackson Chourio. Sumida struck out Ronald Acuña Jr., then Maikel Garcia crushed a 2-run homer. Sumida struck out Luis Arraez, and Shoma Fujihira replaced him.

Sumida's repertoire features a fastball that peaks at 93.2 mph, a slider, forkball, cutter, curveball and a changeup.