Tomoya Yagi

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Tomoya Yagi (八木 智哉)

  • Bats Left, Throws Left
  • Height 5' 11", Weight 172 lb.

BR Register page

Biographical Information[edit]

Tomoya Yagi is a former Pacific League Rookie of the Year.

Yagi struck out 49 in the 2005 All-Japan University Baseball Championship Series, and he set the tournament record. He was drafted by the Nippon Ham Fighters in the first round of the 2005 NPB draft, and he went 12-8 with a 2.48 ERA and .220 opponent average in 2006. He won Rookie of the Year honors and made the Pacific League All-Star team. He relieved Hideaki Wakui in the 6th round of the 2006 NPB All-Star Game 2, but he allowed a game-tying solo shot to Andy Sheets. Tomoya was third in the PL in ERA behind Kazumi Saitoh and Daisuke Matsuzaka, ahead of fellow Nippon Ham youngster Yu Darvish among others. Yagi's first start was on March 31 - he went on to a win. Just two weeks later, he turned in a dazzling outing, throwing a 10-inning no-hitter against the Softbank Hawks. Micheal Nakamura and Hisashi Takeda each followed with a no-hit inning for the first combined no-hitter in Nippon Pro Baseball in 65 years. It was also the longest no-hitter in NPB history. For the season, he tied Darvish and Hideaki Wakui for fifth in the PL in wins, was 8th in innings (170 2/3), tied for 9th in losses (with Tom Davey), tied Tsuyoshi Wada for third in shutouts (3), tied for 7th in complete games (5) and was 6th in walks (51).

The Yokohama native's excellent rookie campaign continued into the playoffs. In the decisive game five of the 2006 Pacific League Climax Series, the southpaw dueled Saitoh evenly for eight shutout innings before the Fighters scored in the ninth to advance to the 2006 Japan Series. In game two of the 2006 Japan Series, Yagi allowed solo homers to Hirokazu Ibata and Kosuke Fukudome but those were the only runs in six innings as he got the win. It was his lone appearance of the Series as Nippon Ham took its first PL title ever. Yagi was 4-6 with a 4.54 ERA in 2007 as he battled shoulder pain and he did not pitch in the 2007 Japan Series. His left shoulder got even worse in 2008 when he made two starts and was 1-1 with a 6.75 ERA.

Tomoya bounced back in 2009 with a 9-3, 2.88 campaign. Had he qualified, he would have been sixth in the PL in ERA. He was a solid #2 starter behind Darvish as Nippon Ham returned to the Japan Series. Yagi completed 5 innings with only a run in the 2009 Nippon Series Game 4, and he got the win over Hisanori Takahashi. The Fighters lost to the Yomiuri Giants in 6 games. He slumped to 1-4 with a 6.92 ERA in 2010, and he only pitched 3 games in 2011. Yagi bounced back with a 6-3 record with a 3.13 ERA in 2012, then the Fighters traded him with superstar Yoshio Itoi to the Orix Buffaloes for Keiji Obiki, Shogo Akada and Hiroshi Kisanuki.

Yagi struggled with his new team, and he had a 8.18 ERA in 3 starts in 2013. He only pitched 3 games in 2014, and he was released. The Chunichi Dragons picked him up, and he was 4-6 with a 3.92 ERA in 2015. He only pitched 4 more games for the top team, and he announced his retirement in 2017. After his NPB career ended, he was a Dragons scout, signing Rintaro Tsujimoto, Kenshin Makino, Kaito Muramatsu, Shinya Matsuyama, Ren Kondo and Kota Ishibashi.

Overall, Yagi was 39-34 with a 3.69 ERA, struck out 361 and pitched 600 2/3 innings in 12 seasons in NPB. His repertoire included a fastball (peak 89 mph), screwball, slider and curveball.

Sources[edit]

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