Daisuke Moriura

2.1. Early Life and Education

Moriura was born in Shingu, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. He started playing baseball in his first year of elementary school, joining the Shingu Power Wave team while attending Shingu City Tancho Elementary School. During his middle school years, he played for the soft baseball club at Shingu City Midorigaoka Junior High School.

2.2. Amateur Career

Moriura attended Tenri High School, where he participated in major national tournaments. In his second year, he competed in both the 87th National High School Baseball Invitational Tournament and the 97th National High School Baseball Championship. After graduating from high school, he enrolled in Tenri University. In the spring of his first year at university, Moriura achieved an impressive record of 3 wins and no losses with an earned run average (ERA) of 0.92. During the 66th All-Japan University Baseball Championship, he delivered a standout performance in the second round against Osaka Commercial University, striking out 16 batters.

Throughout his university career, Moriura compiled a total of 21 wins and 10 losses. His collegiate achievements included receiving the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award twice, the Fighting Spirit Award twice, the Best Pitcher award once, a Special Award, and being named to the Best Nine team once. Notably, Yoshiki Ishihara, who would later become his professional teammate, was a year his senior at Tenri University.

In the 2020 NPB Draft, Moriura was selected in the second round by the Hiroshima Toyo Carp. He officially joined the team on December 3, signing a contract with a signing bonus of 60.00 M JPY and an estimated annual salary of 11.00 M JPY. His jersey number was assigned as 13. His scouting was primarily handled by Tomoya Sayashi.

3.1. 2021 Season

Moriura made his professional debut on March 27, 2021, against the Chunichi Dragons at MAZDA Zoom-Zoom Stadium Hiroshima. Entering in the seventh inning as the second relief pitcher, he faced a challenging situation, allowing three walks and hit-by-pitches to load the bases after securing two outs. However, he managed to escape the jam by inducing a groundout from Yohei Oshima, completing the inning without allowing a run and earning his first professional hold. The following day, on March 28, he recorded his first professional strikeout, fanning Akira Neo in the seventh inning of another game against the Dragons at the same stadium. His first professional win came on May 28 against the Chiba Lotte Marines at ZOZO Marine Stadium, where he pitched 1.1 innings of scoreless relief after entering in the fifth inning. He finished his rookie season with 54 appearances, recording 3 wins, 3 losses, and 17 holds, which set a new club record for most holds by a rookie. His ERA for the season was 3.17. Following his successful debut year, Moriura renewed his contract for an estimated annual salary of 22.00 M JPY, an increase of 11.00 M JPY.

3.2. 2022 Season

Moriura began the 2022 season in the minor league but was promoted to the first team on April 22. From April 28, in a game against the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, until June 10, against the Saitama Seibu Lions, he achieved a remarkable streak of 14 consecutive scoreless appearances. In June alone, he pitched in 11 games, securing 9 holds and posting an impressive 1.74 ERA. Later in the season, from September 13, against the Hanshin Tigers, until the final game of the season on October 2, against the Chunichi Dragons, Moriura recorded a league-tying streak of 10 consecutive game appearances. For the second consecutive year, he led the team in appearances, pitching in 51 games and finishing with 3 wins, 6 losses, and a team-high 24 holds. His ERA for the season was 3.30. On December 1, he signed a new contract for an estimated annual salary of 40.00 M JPY, an increase of 18.00 M JPY.

3.3. 2023 Season

The 2023 season saw Moriura start once again in the minor league. He was called up to the first team on May 20. However, after making 13 appearances without recording any holds, he was removed from the active roster on September 4 and did not return to the first team for the remainder of the season. On November 15, Moriura signed a contract extension for an estimated annual salary of 35.00 M JPY, a decrease of 5.00 M JPY.

3.4. 2024 Season

On February 1, 2024, the Hiroshima Toyo Carp announced that Moriura had married a civilian woman on January 28. On June 1, in an interleague game against the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks at mizuho PayPay Dome Fukuoka, Moriura achieved a rare pitching feat. Entering in the seventh inning as the second pitcher, he struck out three consecutive batters-Tatsuru Yanagimachi, Naoki Sato, and Kenta Imamiya-all on three pitches each, recording an immaculate inning. This marked the 19th time this achievement has occurred in NPB history. On June 14, in an extra-inning game against the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles at Rakuten Mobile Park Miyagi, Moriura entered in the tenth inning with the bases loaded. He successfully navigated the jam without allowing a run, earning his first victory in two years. He finished the 2024 season with 53 appearances, recording 2 wins, 0 losses, and 17 holds, with an ERA of 2.51. On November 25, he renewed his contract for an estimated annual salary of 63.00 M JPY, an increase of 28.00 M JPY.

7.1. Pitching Statistics

• Statistics as of the end of the 2024 season.
• Bold indicates league-leading statistics.

7.2. Fielding Statistics

• Statistics as of the end of the 2024 season.