Kaima Taira

2.1. Birthplace and Early Years

Kaima Taira was born in Ishigaki City, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. He began his baseball journey as a catcher in elementary school, playing for Makira Sunwave. In junior high, he joined Yaeyama Ponies, the only hardball team on Ishigaki Island, and transitioned to a pitcher in his second year. During his third year, he participated in the national Pony League tournament. Following Taira's graduation, the Yaeyama Ponies temporarily suspended operations due to a shortage of players, though they resumed activities in 2021.
q=Ishigaki City, Okinawa|position=right

2.2. High School Career

Taira attended Okinawa Prefectural Yaeyama Commercial High School. During his time there, the school's baseball program faced significant challenges, including the retirement of manager Yoshimori Ishimine and a decline in popularity compared to other high schools on Ishigaki Island. The team's struggles were evident when, in the spring of 2017, Taira's junior year, the baseball club had only seven members, forcing them to form a joint team with Miyako Technical High School to compete.

Despite these difficulties, Taira persevered. Early in his first year, he considered quitting due to the demanding training but was persuaded to stay by his then-manager, Ishimine. He played as both an outfielder and a pitcher from his first year. In his final year, the team was eliminated in the first round of the summer prefectural tournament, losing 0-1 to Shuri High School, with Taira's own wild pitch being the decisive run. He never reached the Koshien Stadium for the national tournament during his three years, and his team failed to win a single game in the autumn, spring, or summer tournaments during his senior year.

Despite the team's struggles, Taira's individual performance saw remarkable improvement. Upon entering high school, his fastest pitch was 78 mph ^{(126 km/h)}. Through dedicated strength training, particularly focusing on his hip joints and lower body from his second year, he increased his fastball velocity to a maximum of 96 mph ^{(154 km/h)} by the time he graduated. As a batter, Taira stated he hit "definitely more than 20" home runs during his high school career, though the exact number is unconfirmed. This was partly attributed to the limited number of opposing teams on Ishigaki Island (only Yaeyama High School and Yaeyama Norin High School), which made it easier to study opposing pitchers.

3.1. Draft and Signing

On October 26, 2017, Kaima Taira was selected by the Saitama Seibu Lions as their fourth-round pick in the 2017 Nippon Professional Baseball draft. He officially signed a provisional contract with the team on November 16, 2017, and was assigned the jersey number 61. Hisashi Takayama served as the scout responsible for his recruitment.

3.2. Debut and Early Relief Career

Taira spent his initial professional season in 2018 with the Seibu Lions' farm team, pitching in 10 games in the Eastern League and recording a 5.40 ERA without any wins or losses. He did not make a first-team appearance that year. His salary was an estimated 6.00 M JPY.

In 2019, Taira was promoted to the first team on July 8 and made his professional debut on July 19 against the Orix Buffaloes at MetLife Dome (now Belluna Dome). Entering in the ninth inning with his team trailing by three runs, he pitched one scoreless inning. The Lions rallied in the bottom of the ninth with a three-run home run to tie the game, eventually winning in the eleventh inning. Taira received a hero interview after the game. He recorded his first professional hold on August 23 against the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles and his first save on August 28 against the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in a game that was called due to darkness. On August 30, he earned his first professional win against the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. By the end of the season, Taira had established himself as a key member of the Lions' setup corps, contributing to their league championship with 26 appearances, a 2-1 record, 6 holds, 1 save, and a 3.38 ERA. He also appeared in three games during the Pacific League Climax Series against the SoftBank Hawks. Following the season, his salary was doubled to an estimated 12.00 M JPY.

In 2020, Taira expressed a desire to transition to a starting role, believing it would allow him to train daily and increase muscle mass. However, his initial attempt at starting during spring training, a three-inning, five-run outing against the SoftBank Hawks on February 27, led manager Hatsuhiko Tsuji to immediately reassign him to a relief role. Despite this, Taira used the extended off-season due to the COVID-19 pandemic to further increase his muscle mass. He started the season in the first team and on June 23, he recorded a fastball of 98 mph ^{(158 km/h)}, matching his personal best. He maintained strong performances, including a streak of 20 consecutive scoreless appearances in the latter half of the season. He became the primary setup man for the eighth inning, appearing in a league-high 54 games. He finished the season with a 1-0 record, 33 holds, 1 save, and a stellar 1.87 ERA. His salary increased to an estimated 42.00 M JPY after the season.

3.3. Notable Relief Pitcher Achievements

3.4. Transition to Starting Pitcher

In 2022, Taira began the spring training in the B-team, and his preparation was further delayed by a COVID-19 infection in late January. He made his return to live action in a spring educational league game on March 13 and was registered to the first team on March 29, making his season debut that same day. He primarily served as the eighth-inning setup man.

Following the 2022 season, Taira strongly advocated for a transition to a starting pitcher role, a move he had desired since 2020. He expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of opportunities to start, stating he felt it was "unfair" that he couldn't even attempt the role. While the team initially proposed a starting role from the 2024 season, Taira insisted on 2023, arguing that pitching more innings as a starter would contribute more to the team than pitching 60 innings as a reliever. After a second round of negotiations on December 4, 2022, the Lions agreed to his request for a starting role in 2023. He signed a contract for an estimated 170.00 M JPY, an increase of 70.00 M JPY.

In 2023, Taira had an impressive spring training, pitching 17 innings scoreless, securing a spot in the opening rotation. He made his long-awaited first professional start on April 2 against the Orix Buffaloes, pitching 7 innings, allowing 5 hits and 1 run, with 9 strikeouts, though he did not earn the win. On April 11, he secured his first win as a starter against the Chiba Lotte Marines, pitching 6 innings, allowing 1 hit and 2 runs, despite issuing 4 walks and giving up a two-run home run in the first inning. He showed resilience by holding the Marines hitless after the second inning. He continued to pitch effectively, earning another win on April 18 against the SoftBank Hawks with 6 innings and 1 run allowed, despite 4 walks. However, due to fatigue, he was temporarily removed from the roster on April 19.

Returning on May 3 after a 14-day rest, Taira pitched 7 innings, allowing 1 run, and earned his third win. He made 6 consecutive starts of 7 innings or more from June 4. By the All-Star break, he had made 13 starts, holding opponents to 2 or fewer earned runs in every outing, accumulating 12 Quality Starts (including 8 High Quality Starts) and a 2.22 ERA. He finished the 2023 season with 11 wins and 7 losses in 23 starts, posting a 2.40 ERA and reaching the innings pitched qualification. His 11 wins ranked tied for second in the league, 153 strikeouts ranked third, and 2.40 ERA ranked fourth. Notably, his monthly ERA never exceeded 3.00. He also received the Speed Up Award for pitchers, with the league's shortest average time between pitches when no runners were on base, at 9.8 seconds. His salary increased to an estimated 250.00 M JPY for the 2024 season.

In 2024, Taira again began the season in the starting rotation, recording 1 win, 2 losses, and a 1.42 ERA in 5 starts. However, he was removed from the roster on May 9 due to right forearm tightness. He returned to action in a third-team game on July 22 and, following a proposal from the coaching staff, transitioned back to a relief role, rejoining the first team on August 8. He finished the 2024 season with 22 appearances (5 starts), a 3-2 record, 9 holds, and a 1.66 ERA.

3.5. Most Valuable Reliever Award

In 2022, Kaima Taira was recognized for his exceptional performance as a relief pitcher, winning the Pacific League Most Valuable Reliever award. He appeared in a league-tying 61 games, recording a league-leading 34 holds, along with 1 win, 3 losses, 9 saves, and a 1.56 ERA. His 35 hold points secured him the title.

3.6. International Competition

On June 16, 2021, Kaima Taira was selected to represent the Japanese national baseball team at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Initially expected to serve as a setup pitcher, he appeared in two games during the opening round. In the second game against Mexico at Yokohama Stadium, he allowed a two-run home run to Joey Meneses, marking his first home run allowed in 2021. Following this, Hiromi Itoh and Suguru Iwazaki took over the setup roles, and Taira did not pitch in any subsequent knockout stage games. Despite his limited appearances (1.1 innings, 1 hit, 1 home run, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts, 2 earned runs), the Japanese team went on to win the gold medal. This made Taira the second person from Okinawa Prefecture to win an Olympic gold medal, following Ryo Kiyuna in karate. A commemorative gold post (the 64th of its kind) was installed in Ishigaki City, Okinawa, on February 4, 2022, to celebrate his Olympic achievement.

4.1. Pitching Style and Repertoire

Kaima Taira, despite his relatively small stature for a pitcher at 68 in ^{(173 cm)}, is known for his dynamic pitching style. He consistently throws from a set position using a quick motion, regardless of whether there are runners on base.

As a relief pitcher until the 2022 season, his fastball velocity reached a maximum of 99 mph ^{(160 km/h)}, with an average of 97 mph ^{(155.4 km/h)} in 2022. Upon transitioning to a starting role in 2023, his average fastball velocity decreased by 1.9 mph ^{(3 km/h)} to 2.5 mph ^{(4 km/h)}. However, he demonstrates a "gear change" when runners are in scoring position, increasing his average velocity by approximately 1.2 mph ^{(2 km/h)}.

Taira is often described as a "fast-ball breaking ball pitcher" due to his combination of high velocity and a diverse, high-quality repertoire of breaking pitches. His primary pitches include a fastball, splitter (which replaced his changeup in 2022 to better utilize a dropping pitch against right-handed batters), slider, cutter, curveball, and two-seam fastball. In 2020, after his fastball had the highest batting average against, he intentionally shifted to a breaking-ball dominant approach in 2021.

He is known for his intentional strategy of throwing high fastballs, a deviation from the traditional baseball "low and away" fastball approach, which he implements based on data analysis. A notable instance of his data-driven decision-making occurred during a game against the SoftBank Hawks on July 13, 2023. With two outs and runners on first and second in the fifth inning, Taira, facing Kensuke Kondoh, intentionally walked him to face Yuki Yanagita, stating, "I thought Mr. Kondoh was the best hitter in the Pacific League. His OPS is actually high, and I didn't feel like I could get him out from a 2-ball count at all."

4.2. Physical Attributes and Data Utilization

Kaima Taira is known for his modern approach to athletic development, heavily relying on data analysis. In 2020, he personally purchased a portable tracking system called "Rapsodo" to analyze his pitches. From 2023, he began independently contracting "Next Base," a service that provides data analysis to top athletes, for pitch distribution analysis and discussions. His motto, "Sensation is the least reliable. Data doesn't lie," reflects his realist, data-centric philosophy.

5.1. Nicknames and Public Persona

Kaima Taira is known by several nicknames, including "Otoko Ume" (男梅_{Otoko Ume}^Japanese, "Plum Man"), which was given to him by Tatsuyuki Uemoto, who was a bullpen catcher for the Lions at the time. Another nickname is "Kaimajin" (海魔神_Kaimajin^Japanese, "Sea Demon God"), coined by Tomoki Takahashi, a coach at the Lions Academy.

In July 2019, Taira famously kept a stag beetle that flew into his new dormitory room as a pet. During the Saitama Seibu Lions' league championship celebration in 2019, as he was still underage, Taira was unable to participate in the traditional beer shower.

Yuki Yanagita of the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, one of NPB's premier hitters, named Taira as the toughest pitcher he faced at the end of the 2020 season. In 2020, Yanagita was 0-for-4 with 2 strikeouts against Taira. Taira had completely shut down the SoftBank Hawks' lineup, pitching 8 2/3 scoreless and hitless innings in 9 appearances against them that season.

To commemorate his gold medal victory with the Japanese national baseball team at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, a special gold post (the 64th of its kind) was installed in front of the Yaeyama Post Office in Ishigaki City, Okinawa, on February 4, 2022, as part of the Gold Post Project.

5.2. Marriage and Family

In December 2022, Kaima Taira married a non-celebrity woman.

5.3. Hobbies

Outside of baseball, Taira enjoys fishing and playing video games. He has also stated that he refused to change his jersey number, 61, when offered, citing the inconvenience of having his laundry returned to the wrong place and a desire to establish the number as his own.

7.1. Yearly Pitching Statistics

• Statistics as of the end of the 2024 season.
• Bold indicates league leader.

7.2. Olympic Pitching Statistics

7.3. Yearly Fielding Statistics

• Statistics as of the end of the 2024 season.
• Bold indicates league leader.

8.1. Major Titles

• Pacific League Most Valuable Reliever: 1 time (2022)

8.2. Other Awards and Recognitions

• Rookie of the Year: 1 time (2020)
• Speed Up Award: 1 time (Pitcher Division: 2023)
• NPB All-Star: 3 times (2021, 2022, 2023)