Yuya Sakamoto

Yuya Sakamoto (坂本 裕哉)

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 5' 10", Weight 187 lbs.

• School Ritsumeikan University
• High School Fukuoka University Ohori High School

• Born July 28, 1997 in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Yuya Sakamoto has pitched in Nippon Pro Baseball.

Sakamoto was 16-8 with a 1.99 ERA and a MVP award in his college career, and he was drafted by the Yokohama BayStars in the 2nd round of the 2019 NPB draft; the scout was Tateki Abe. He was 4-1 with a 5.67 ERA in 2020, and he went 4-6 with a 5.25 ERA in 2021. Sakamoto struggled again in 2022, and he had a 0-5 record with a 6.19 ERA. His ERA was 5.76 in 13 games in 2023, and he was turned into a full-time reliever in 2024. Sakamoto had a solid 2.20 ERA with 13 holds in 48 appearances in 2024, and he appeared in the 2024 Nippon Series. Sakamoto pitched a shutout inning in each of Game 1 and 4, then he completed 2 shutout innings with 2 strikeouts (against Hotaka Yamakawa and Ryoya Kurihara) to get the win over Kohei Arihara. The BayStars beat the Hawks in 6 games, and Sakamoto won his first title.

Sakamoto's repertoire features a fastball that peaks at 93.8 mph, a cutter, curveball, changeup and a slider.

Sources

• Wiki Japan
• 2024 Nippon Series