Masaya Nishigaki

2.1. Childhood and School Baseball

Nishigaki began playing baseball in his third year at Asago Municipal Yanase Elementary School. During his time at Asago Municipal Yanase Junior High School, he was a member of the soft baseball club.

2.2. High School Career

After enrolling at Hotoku Gakuen High School, Nishigaki emerged as the team's ace pitcher starting in the fall of his second year. He notably started every game in the autumn's Hyōgo Prefectural Tournament and the Kinki Tournament, leading to his team's participation in the 89th National High School Baseball Invitational Tournament (Senbatsu).

In the first round of the Senbatsu tournament, Nishigaki delivered a strong performance against Tajimi High School, pitching for 7 innings with 8 strikeouts and no runs allowed. In the second round, he faced Kazuki Maruyama of Maebashi Ikuei High School, throwing a 9-inning, 10-strikeout shutout. His stellar pitching continued into the quarterfinals against Fukuoka University Ohori High School, a team featuring players like Ginji Miura, Yuto Koga, and Keisuke Nakata. Nishigaki contributed to his team's advancement to the top four by pitching 7 innings and allowing only 2 runs. However, in the semi-finals against Riseisha High School, which included Hisanori Yasuda, Nishigaki started but was pulled after 2 innings, having allowed 2 runs. His team ultimately lost after giving up a comeback in the ninth inning. In the summer of his third year, Hotoku Gakuen was defeated by Kobe Kokusai University Affiliated High School in the semi-finals of the Hyōgo Prefectural Tournament. His high school teammates included Naoki Sato (one year his senior) and Kaito Kozono (one year his junior).

2.3. College Career

Nishigaki continued his baseball career at Waseda University, making his Tokyo Big6 Baseball League debut in the spring of his first year. He transitioned into a starting role from the autumn of his second year. In the autumn of his fourth year, Nishigaki pitched 44 innings, recorded 50 strikeouts, and achieved an impressive ERA of 1.02, earning him a selection for the Best Nine Award. Across his college career in the league, he appeared in 37 games, accumulating 9 wins and 7 losses, with 167 innings pitched, 157 strikeouts, and a career ERA of 2.32. Notable teammates during his time at Waseda included Kazuya Kojima (three years his senior), Takahisa Hayakawa (one year his senior), and Soma Tokuyama (his 同期_classmate^Japanese).

3.1. Draft and Entry into NPB

On October 11, 2021, Masaya Nishigaki was selected in the sixth round of the 2021 Nippon Professional Baseball draft by the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles. He signed a contract with an estimated signing bonus of 30.00 M JPY and an annual salary of 7.00 M JPY. He was assigned the uniform number 49.

3.2. Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles (2022-present)

In 2022, his rookie year, Nishigaki made the opening day roster for the first team (一軍_ichi-gun^Japanese) and served as a relief pitcher. He appeared in 24 games, recording an ERA of 2.66. On November 3, his contract was renewed for an estimated salary of 9.00 M JPY, an increase of 2.00 M JPY.

In 2023, Nishigaki played in 24 games for the minor league team (二軍_ni-gun^Japanese), achieving 2 wins, 2 losses, and an ERA of 3.00. However, his appearances with the first team (一軍_ichi-gun^Japanese) were limited to just one game. On November 5, his contract was renewed with an estimated salary of 8.20 M JPY, a decrease of 800.00 K JPY.

On April 10, 2024, Nishigaki earned his first professional win against the Orix Buffaloes. He later recorded his first save on April 21, 2024, in a game against the Saitama Seibu Lions at Belluna Dome.

4.1. Career Statistics

This section presents Masaya Nishigaki's yearly pitching and fielding performance since his professional debut.

4.2. Milestones

Masaya Nishigaki has achieved several significant career milestones since his professional debut.

4.3. Uniform Numbers

• 49 (2022-present)