Hayato Terahara

From BR Bullpen

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Hayato Terahara (寺原 隼人)

  • Bats Right, Throws Right
  • Height 5' 10", Weight 192 lb.

BR Register page

Biographical Information[edit]

Hayato Terahara played in Nippon Pro Baseball for 18 years.

Terahara was a high school star. In the 2001 Baseball World Cup, the youngster struck out 7 and allowed 6 hits and 2 runs in 4 innings, going 1-0 as one of the two least-used Japanese hurlers. He was picked by the Daiei Hawks, Chunichi Dragons, Yomiuri Giants and Yokohama BayStars in the first round of 2001 NPB draft that year, and the Hawks won the lottery for thr rights to him. In 2002, the teenager went 6-2 with a save and a 3.59 ERA for Daiei. He had a 7-5, 5.48 record in 2003 at age 19. He was clearly less effective than Daiei's other 5 pitchers who made 10 or more starts: Kazumi Saitoh, Tsuyoshi Wada, Toshiya Sugiuchi, Nagisa Arakaki and Brandon Knight. Terahara did not pitch in the 2003 Japan Series.

In 2004, the right-hander allowed 7 runs and 4 homers in just 8 1/3 IP; he gave up 4 runs in 4 innings in 2005. In 2006, Hayato returned to semi-regular action, going 3-7 with a 4.23 ERA while serving as a sometimes #5 starter for Softbank. Following the 2006 season, the former top prospect was traded to the Yokohama BayStars for Hitoshi Tamura, a former star who had struggled since an auto accident the year before.

Terahara debuted for Yokohama in 2007, going 12-12 with a 3.36 ERA and 163 strikeouts in 184 2/3 IP. He finished 7th in the Central League in ERA (between Kenta Asakura and Kenshin Kawakami), tied 2001 World Cup teammate Shohei Tateyama for second in losses (one behind teammate Daisuke Miura), was 5th innings, tied four others (including Hiroki Kuroda and Kawakami) for 5th in wins, tied Miura for second in complete games (4, trailing Kuroda), tied for 2nd in shutouts (2, one behind Miura), tied Kazuhisa Ishii for third in strikeouts (behind Tetsuya Utsumi and Kenichi Nakata) and tied Kuroda for 2nd in runs allowed (78, behind Miura).

The Miyazaki native made his first CL All-Star team, and he completed a shutout inning in the 2008 NPB All-Star Game 2. He was 3-9 with 22 saves and a 3.30 ERA as the BayStars closer in 2008, striking out 66 and allowing only 12 walks and 57 hits in 71 innings. He was forced into the closing role when Marc Kroon departed via free agency. He finished with the fewest saves of any CL closer, but he had very few opportunities on a team that went 48-94. Terahara returned to the rotation in 2009, and he went 2-7 with a 3.90 ERA. He had a 4-3 record with a 3.67 ERA in 2010.

The BayStars then traded him with Kazuya Takamiya to the Orix Buffaloes for Shogo Yamamoto and Go Kida, and he was selected into the 2011 NPB All-Star Game. As the starter of Game 1, Terahara completed 3 shutout innings with only one hit allowed to Hirokazu Ibata to win the fighting spirit award. He ended up 12-10 with a 3.06 ERA in 2011, and he was 7th in wins (tied with Yuki Karakawa and Brian Wolfe) and 5th in losses. He went 6-8 with a 3.92 ERA in 2012, and he announced that he would become a free agent; the Softbank Hawks signed him.

Terahara was 4-7 with a 4.65 ERA in 2013, and he suffered from a right knee injury so he only started 5 games in 2014. He got a win against the Rakuten Golden Eagles on April 16, and he became the third player in NPB history to get a win against 13 different teams. Terahara bounced back with a 8-3 record and a 3.44 ERA in 2015, and he had a 4.05 ERA in 14 appearances in 2016. He pitched 24 games with a 4.25 ERA in 2017, and he recorded a 2.39 ERA with 4 holds in 21 relief outings in 2018. The Hawks then released him, and he signed with the Yakult Swallows. However, Terahara started 4 games with a 6.19 ERA in 2019, and he announced his retirement. He returned to the Hawks system as minor league pitching coach in 2023.

Overall, Terahara was 73-81 with a 3.88 ERA, struck out 861 and pitched 1,205 innings in 18 seasons in NPB. His repertoire includes a fastball (tops out at 98 mph), slider and a shuuto (two-seamer).

Sources[edit]

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