Seiji Tahara

1. Overview

Seiji Tahara (田原誠次_{Tahara Seiji}^Japanese), born on September 2, 1989, in Nobeoka, Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan, is a former Japanese professional baseball pitcher. Throughout his professional career, he primarily played for the Yomiuri Giants in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) as a right-handed pitcher and left-handed batter. He made his professional debut in 2012 and was a key bullpen arm for the Giants for several seasons before becoming a free agent in 2020 and subsequently retiring from the sport. After retirement, Tahara transitioned into a coaching career.

2. Early life and amateur career

Seiji Tahara's baseball journey began at a young age, progressing through various levels of amateur baseball before his professional career.

2.1. Childhood and school baseball

Tahara started playing softball in his third year of elementary school, attending Nobeoka Okadomi Elementary School. During his time at Nobeoka Okadomi Junior High School, he was a member of the soft baseball club.

2.2. High school baseball

Tahara attended Shinshō Ursula Academy High School, where he initially joined the baseball team as an infielder. However, he was not assigned a uniform number in his first year. In the fall of his second year, he transitioned to a pitcher position under the advice of his coach. While serving as a batting practice pitcher, he struggled with control, which led him to switch to a sidearm pitching delivery. In the summer of his third year, his team was defeated in the second round of the Miyazaki Prefectural High School Baseball Tournament, and he did not have the experience of playing in the Koshien Tournament.

2.3. Industrial league baseball career

After graduating from high school, Tahara joined the industrial league baseball team Mitsubishi Motors Kurashiki Oceans, which was then known as "Kurashiki Oceans." He made his official game debut in his first year, 2008, and became a main pitcher from his second year in 2009. In 2011, his fourth year, he participated in the 82nd Intercity Baseball Tournament as a reinforcement player for Hakua Victories. In their first game against Tokyo Gas Baseball Club, he entered as the second pitcher from the middle of the fourth inning, holding them scoreless until the seventh inning. However, his team suffered a walk-off loss in the ninth inning, making him the losing pitcher. Despite not being widely recognized at the time, Yomiuri Giants scout manager Yamashita Tetsuji observed this game and highly evaluated Tahara's potential, recommending his selection in the professional baseball draft even though he had only seen him play once in a live game.

2.4. Professional draft

On October 27, 2011, Seiji Tahara was selected by the Yomiuri Giants in the seventh round of the 2011 Nippon Professional Baseball draft. He officially joined the team following the draft.

3. Professional career

Seiji Tahara's professional career largely revolved around his tenure with the Yomiuri Giants, where he developed into a reliable bullpen arm.

3.1. Early Yomiuri Giants (2012-2014)

In 2012, his rookie year, Tahara learned to throw a sinker during the spring training camp. He was called up to the first team for the second time that season on June 10, and made his professional debut the next day, June 11, against the Chiba Lotte Marines, pitching in the fourth inning as the second reliever and holding them scoreless. On July 1, he made his first professional start against the Chunichi Dragons, pitching two scoreless innings before being pinch-hit for. On August 9, he earned his first professional win against the Hanshin Tigers. The following day, he achieved a rare feat for a Giants rookie by recording victories on two consecutive days, a milestone not seen since Kunio Jonouchi 50 years prior. That year, he was primarily used as a relief pitcher, appearing in a total of 32 games, including his single start. Following the season, he was selected along with Masao Kasahara to be dispatched to the Puerto Rico Winter League.

However, his momentum was hampered in 2013 when he suffered from low back pain, limiting him to just seven appearances. In 2014, in the latter half of the season, as key relievers like Kentaro Nishimura, Tetsuya Yamaguchi, and Scott Mathieson were not performing as effectively as in 2013, Tahara stepped up as a right-handed middle reliever. He appeared in 20 games but was removed from the active roster on August 22 due to left knee pain.

3.2. Core bullpen years (2015-2018)

In 2015, Tahara secured his first win in three years with a strong relief appearance against the Chunichi Dragons on August 30, and subsequently solidified his place in the first team. He became a crucial pitcher in the setup sequence during the intense pennant race. Despite only appearing in 18 games, he recorded an impressive ERA of 1.00. That season, his slow curve became a significant weapon in his arsenal.

The 2016 season saw Tahara remain with the first team for the entire year, pitching extensively alongside Mathieson. He made a career-high 64 appearances, demonstrating his reliability. In 2017, he pitched in 27 games, maintaining an ERA of 2.89. In 2018, due to team circumstances, he moved between the first and second teams, but still managed to appear in 29 games, keeping his ERA in the 2-point range for the second consecutive year.

3.3. Later career and free agency (2019-2020)

In 2019, Tahara started the season in the second team but was promoted to the first team on April 16. On April 27, during a game against the Yokohama DeNA BayStars, he achieved his 200th career appearance. However, his performance declined, with an ERA of 4.32 over 25 appearances, and he was unable to remain with the first team for the entire season. In the offseason, it was announced that his uniform number would revert to 63, the number he wore during his rookie year.

The 2020 season marked a challenging period for Tahara. He made 35 appearances in the second team, recording a win-loss record of 1-1 with a high ERA of 7.06. This was the first season in his professional career where he did not make any first-team appearances. On November 2, he was officially notified of his release from the team. Although he expressed a desire to continue playing and participated in the 12-team joint tryout held on December 7, he did not secure a contract with any NPB team. On March 9, 2021, it was reported that he had decided to retire from professional baseball.

4. Post-retirement activities

Following his retirement from professional baseball, Seiji Tahara embarked on a new career path, initially working in a factory and later transitioning into coaching.

4.1. Coaching career

After retiring, Tahara took a position working in a factory in Kyushu. Simultaneously, he began to receive offers for coaching positions and expressed his consideration of a coaching career. In May 2022, he officially became a coach for the Oki Data Computer Education Academy Baseball Club, an industrial league baseball team based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture.

5. Player profile and personal life

Seiji Tahara was known for his distinct pitching style and, like many public figures, has shared glimpses into his personal life.

5.1. Pitching style

Tahara was a crafty pitcher who primarily utilized a sidearm delivery. His repertoire included a fastball, slider, curveball, changeup, and sinker. He notably acquired the sinker during his first spring training camp as a professional. His main strength was his ability to use variations in speed and induce weak contact from batters. From the 2015 season onwards, his slow curve became a significant weapon, contributing to his effectiveness.

Year	Team	G	GS	W	L	SV	Hld	WPCT	BF	IP	H	HR	BB	HBP	SO	WP	BK	R	ER	ERA	WHIP
2012	Giants	32	1	2	0	0	7	1.000	130	30.1	30	3	8	0	4	1	1	11	11	3.26	1.26
2013	Giants	7	0	0	0	0	0	----	39	9.0	9	0	4	0	1	0	0	6	6	6.00	1.44
2014	Giants	20	0	0	0	1	3	.000	71	18.2	11	4	3	0	3	0	0	7	6	2.89	0.75
2015	Giants	18	0	1	0	0	4	1.000	75	18.0	11	1	9	0	2	0	0	2	2	1.00	1.11
2016	Giants	64	0	4	3	0	14	.571	233	54.2	56	3	22	1	3	0	0	22	21	3.46	1.43
2017	Giants	27	0	1	1	0	1	.500	123	28.0	28	4	11	3	2	0	0	9	9	2.89	1.39
2018	Giants	29	0	2	0	0	1	1.000	125	31.2	27	4	8	1	0	0	0	9	9	2.56	1.11
2019	Giants	25	0	2	2	0	5	.500	70	16.2	14	1	7	1	0	0	0	8	8	4.32	1.31
NPB Total (8 years)		222	1	12	7	0	35	.632	866	207.0	186	20	72	6	15	1	1	74	72	3.13	1.25

Statistics as of the end of the 2020 season.
Bold indicates league leader.

6.2. Annual fielding statistics

Year	Team	Pitcher
Year	Team	Games	Putouts	Assists	Errors	Double Plays	Fielding %
2012	Giants	32	5	9	0	1	1.000
2013	Giants	7	0	3	0	0	1.000
2014	Giants	20	1	3	0	0	1.000
2015	Giants	18	0	4	0	0	1.000
2016	Giants	64	2	12	0	1	1.000
2017	Giants	27	2	6	0	0	1.000
2018	Giants	29	0	3	0	0	1.000
2019	Giants	25	0	3	0	1	1.000
Career Total		222	10	43	0	3	1.000

Statistics as of the end of the 2020 season.

6.3. Career milestones

First Appearance: June 11, 2012, vs. Chiba Lotte Marines (Tokyo Dome), as the second reliever in the 4th inning, pitching 1.2 innings scoreless.
First Strikeout: June 11, 2012, vs. Chiba Lotte Marines (Tokyo Dome), striking out Ikuhio Kiyota swinging in the 4th inning.
First Start: July 1, 2012, vs. Chunichi Dragons (Tokyo Dome), pitching 2 innings scoreless (no decision).
First Hold: July 17, 2012, vs. Hanshin Tigers (Hanshin Koshien Stadium), as the third reliever with one out in the 6th inning, pitching 0.2 innings scoreless.
First Win: August 9, 2012, vs. Hanshin Tigers (Tokyo Dome), as the second reliever in the 8th inning, pitching 1 inning scoreless.

6.4. Uniform numbers

63 (2012, 2020)
37 (2013-2019)

6.5. Entrance music

"Around The World" by Red Hot Chili Peppers (2012 - August 2017)
"Are You Gonna Be My Girl" by Jet (September 2017 - July 2018)
"Machine Gun Funk" by Shokichi (July 2018 - )