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Hanshin Tigers pitcher Haruto Takahashi (30) was awarded the “Taiju Seimei Monthly MVP” for March and April on the 13th, marking his first such honor in his ninth professional season. “I am truly honored and delighted to be selected,” he said with a smile. In the Central League’s hitter category, infielder Teruaki Sato (27) also received the award, giving the Tigers a double win.
Takahashi secured a spot in the opening rotation for the first time and started four games in March and April, posting a 3-0 record with three complete-game shutouts and a 0.27 ERA. His three shutouts before May marked a first for a left-handed pitcher in the team’s history. He highlighted his second game of the season on March 28 against the Yomiuri Giants at the Tokyo Dome, where he tossed a three-hit shutout. “Since it was my first game of the season, I was able to overcome an unusual kind of tension and produce a great result, which was really good,” he nodded.
In all his starts, he worked with catcher Torai Fushimi (36). “Fushimi-san maximizes what I have, and he has been trying to understand me since spring camp. I think throwing aggressively into his glove leads to getting ahead in counts, creating good rhythm, and keeping pitch counts low,” Takahashi expressed his gratitude.
Overcoming multiple surgeries, the left-hander has become a dominant force in the Central League. “I’ve been injured for a long time, and I’ve experimented with many things over eight years. I think I’m now able to make the right choices. But it’s only been a month since the season started, so there are many unknowns ahead. I want to learn from senior pitchers and continue to take care of my body,” he said. Despite recording three shutouts by April, Takahashi remains unsatisfied. “I want to make it so that I, and others who watch me pitch, can feel that I’m growing. And above all, I want to avoid injury throughout the year and keep pitching,” he emphasized.
