Soichiro Yamazaki

Soichiro Yamazaki (山﨑 颯一郎)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 2", Weight 187 lb.

• High School Tsuruga Kehi High School

• Born June 15, 1998 in Kaga, Ishikawa Japan

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Biographical Information

Soichiro Yamazaki has pitched in Nippon Pro Baseball and been on the Japanese national team

Yamazaki was the 6th round pick of the Orix Buffaloes in the 2016 NPB draft. He had a 4.63 ERA in the Japanese minors in 2017, and a 4.66 ERA with 100 1/3 innings pitched in 2018. He represented Japan in the 2018 U-23 Baseball World Cup He didn't allowed any runs in 10 3/2 innings pitched, and won the ERA title of the event (Hiroki Kondoh and Nivaldo Rodriguez were also at 0.00, in more innings). However, Yamazaki tore his left hand ligament, received Tommy John surgery, and missed all the 2019 and 2020 seasons.

The Ishikawa native debuted with the top team in 2021, pitched 8 games as a starter, and collected 2 wins with a 3.69 ERA. He started Game 4 of the 2021 Japan Series against the Yakult Swallows and allowed one run in five but was outdueled by 41-year-old Masanori Ishikawa; Hirotoshi Masui took over and would get tagged with the loss. The young pitcher was transitioned to being a reliever in 2022 and got 6 holds in 15 appearances with a 3.00 ERA. He had a 6.75 ERA over four appearances in the 2022 Japan Series but Orix beat the Swallows in the rematch of 2021's Series. He then made Japan's roster for the 2023 World Baseball Classic, replacing the injured Ryoji Kuribayashi in the second round. Yamazaki didn't played any games in the event and Japan won the tournament.

Yamazaki shined in 2023, and he was selected into the 2023 NPB All-Star Game; he pitched a shutout inning in Game 1. He ended up getting 27 holds and 9 saves with a 2.08 ERA in 53 relief outings, and he was 3rd in holds in the Pacific League (14 behind Luis Perdomo), 7th in appearances (tied with Perdomo, Seiryu Uchi and Yuki Matsumoto) and 7th in saves (between Tatsushi Masuda and Brooks Kriske). He relieved Daiki Tajima in the 7th inning of the 2023 Nippon Series Game 5, but he allowed 3 runs and got the loss. Yamazaki suffered from injuries, so he only pitched 7 games with a 1.35 ERA in 2024.