NPB ace Tatsuya Imai is ready to test himself against the biggest names in the game. The 27-year-old right-handed pitcher from the Seibu Lions will enter the MLB posting process on November 19, and he is doing so with a clear message for superstars Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. He is not coming to admire them, but to compete with them.

“I am not in a position to be impressed,” Imai said when asked about Yamamoto’s incredible season in MLB. “We are both aiming to be the best in the world. I want to do my best too,” he told TV Asahi News.

Tatsuya Imai’s decision to test himself in MLB comes after a dominant 2025 season in Nippon Professional Baseball. With the Seibu Lions, he went 10-5 with an incredible 1.92 ERA, striking out 178 batters in 163 2/3 innings.

“Would Like To Strike

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