Taisuke Yamaoka

Taisuke Yamaoka (山岡 泰輔)

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 5' 8", Weight 154 lb.

• High School Setouchi High School

• Born September 22, 1995 in Hiroshima, Hiroshima Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Taisuke Yamaoka has played for Japan in international competition at three different age levels.

Yamaoka was a superb reliever in the 2013 World Junior Championship, allowing no runs in 7 2/3 IP, fanning 15 and giving up just 2 walks and 3 hits. He got a win over Canada and saved a game against Taiwan. He tossed two shutout innings (1 H) against the USA in the Gold Medal Game, which the US won, in relief of Yuki Matsui. He was named the All-Star reliever. He allowed one run in 3 1/3 IP in the 2014 U-21 Baseball World Cup.

Playing for Tokyo Gas in the industrial leagues after high school, Yamaoka was with the senior Japanese national team for the 2015 Asian Championship. He allowed two hits (to Chuang Na and Zan Cheng in five shutout innings (fanning seven) in the opener against China before Junichi Katayama relieved. He also started the finale versus host Taiwan. With a Silver Medal for the winners and a Bronze for the losers, he blanked Taiwan for four innings before giving up a run in the 5th (4 1/3 IP, 5 H, 3 BB, 3 K) and being replaced by Daiki Tajima. Japan wound up losing, 3-1, but Yamaoka got a no-decision. In the event, he led Japan in innings pitched (2 1/3 over Katsutoshi Satake and strikeouts (two more than Yuki Sameshima). The Orix Buffaloes took him in the first round of the 2016 NPB draft.

Yamaoka was 8-11 with a 3.74 ERA for Orix in 2017. Making the Pacific League team for the 2017 NPB All-Star Games, he relieved Keisuke Tanimoto in the 6th with a 1-1 tie against the Central League. He allowed one run in two innings before Kazuhisa Makita relieved but got the win as the PL had taken the lead. For the regular season, he was 11th in ERA, tied for 11th in wins, tied Ayumu Ishikawa and Hideaki Wakui for third in losses and was 9th with 133 K (between Manabu Mima and Kota Futaki). He got two of the 258 votes for the 2017 Pacific League Rookie of the Year Award, tying Shuta Ishikawa for second, well behind Sosuke Genda.

The Hiroshima native extended his solid performance in 2018, and he went 7-12 with a 3.95 ERA. He led the league with 21 homers allowed, and he was 7th in strikeouts (between Rick van den Hurk and Yuki Nishi) and 2nd in losses (1 behind Nishi). Yamaoka was then selected into the 2019 NPB All-Star Game, but he allowed 2 runs including a homer to Koji Chikamoto as the starter of Game 2 and Tomoyuki Sugano got the win over him. He ended up 13-4 with a 3.71 ERA in 2019, and he led the league in winning percentage, starts, complete games and earned runs allowed. He was also 2nd in wins (tied with Kodai Senga), 5th in ERA (between Rei Takahashi and Manabu Mima) and 3rd in strikeouts (between Kohei Arihara and Atsuki Taneichi).

Yamaoka then represented Japan in the 2019 Premier 12. He pitched a shutout inning against Chinese Taipei, and he relieved Shun Yamaguchi in the 4th inning against Venezuela. Yamaoka retired the first three batters he faced, but he then gave up three straight hits to Balbino Fuenmayor, José Godoy and Carlos Rivero. He forced Andrés Blanco to ground out, and Kan Otake relieved him; all three runners scored later. Yamaoka struggled again as he allowed three hits against the USA, and he succeeded Yudai Ono in the semifinals against South Korea. Yamaoka struck out three (Jae-Gyun Hwang, Sang-soo Kim and Ha-seong Kim) in his first three innings, but Korea broke through in the next inning. Jung-hoo Lee singled first, Yamaoka then retired Hyun-soo Kim and fanned Byung-ho Park, but he allowed three straight singles to Kyoung-min Hur, Baek-ho Kang and Hwang. South Korea scored twice that inning, but Japan still managed to advance to the final and won Gold.

In 2020, Yamaoka suffered from injuries so he only started 12 games with a 4-5 record and a 2.60 ERA. He went 3-4 with a 3.89 ERA in 2021, and he completed 2/3 of a shutout inning in the 2021 Nippon Series Game 5 to get the win over Scott McGough; the Buffaloes lost to the Yakult Swallows in 6 games. Yamaoka was 6-8 with a 2.60 ERA in 2022, and he allowed a solo shot to Dayan Viciedo in the 2022 NPB All-Star Game 1. He was named the starter of the 2022 Nippon Series Game 4, and he pitched 4 1/3 shutout innings. The Buffaloes beat the Swallows this time in 7 games. He was 2-1 with a 2.30 ERA in 2023, and he pitched a shutout inning in the 2023 Nippon Series game 1. However, he allowed 3 runs in 2/3 of an inning in Game 3, and the Tigers beat the Buffaloes in 7 games. Yamaoka suffered from injuries again in 2024, and he only pitched 6 games. He then involved in a gambling scandal before the 2025 season, and he was suspended for a month.

Sources

• Old IBAF website
• Samurai Japan
• YakyuDB