Tadashi Settsu

1.1. High school and social baseball

Settsu played high school baseball for Akita Keihodai University High School (now Meiho High School), making the varsity team in his first year. In 2000, during his third year, he participated in the 72nd National High School Baseball Invitational Tournament. After graduating high school, he joined JR East and played for the JR East Tohoku baseball team, a social baseball club. He began to see more playing time in his third year, earning the Most Valuable Player award in the Tohoku secondary qualifiers for the All-Japan Amateur Baseball Championship. By 2004, he had established himself as the team's ace.

In the 2004 Intercity Baseball Tournament, Settsu earned his first victory at Tokyo Dome in his debut game against Nippon Express, allowing only two runs over 8.2 innings. In 2007, his seventh year in social baseball, he maintained excellent form, recording a 0.89 ERA in four games during the Intercity Tohoku secondary qualifiers.

1.2. International amateur career (prior to pro)

In September 2007, during a training camp for candidates of the 37th IBAF World Cup in Taiwan, JR East Tohoku served as a practice opponent. Settsu pitched three innings without allowing a hit or run, a performance that earned him a sudden selection to the 2007 IBAF World Cup Japan national baseball team despite not being a prior candidate. He started the first game of the preliminary round against South Africa, recording 17 strikeouts, including seven consecutive, over eight innings to earn the win. He also started against Panama in the fourth game, Australia in the quarterfinals, and Netherlands in the third-place playoff, winning all four starts. In total, he pitched 28.2 innings, yielding only one earned run for a 0.31 ERA and collecting 36 strikeouts, leading to his selection as the Outstanding Pitcher (right-handed pitcher category) of the tournament.

In 2008, he led his team to their first Tohoku tournament championship, pitching three complete games (two of which were shutouts) and earning the MVP award. On July 4, 2008, in the 79th Intercity Baseball Tournament's Tohoku second representative decider against TDK, Settsu started a pitching duel that ended in a 2-2 tie after 16 extra innings, leading to a rematch the next day. Settsu again came in as a reliever in the middle of the rematch and pitched until the end. Over two days, he threw 350 pitches across 25 innings. He participated in the Intercity Baseball Tournament seven times, including as a reinforced player.

Settsu was drafted by the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in the fifth round of the 2008 NPB Draft. His uniform number was 50. According to Kazuhide Sakiyama, a scout for SoftBank in the Hokkaido and Tohoku regions, Settsu had been on their draft list since his second year of high school. However, due to frequent consecutive starts in social baseball, he would often "reduce his average fastball speed to conserve energy for the next outing," which made his fastball appear "insufficient" to his superiors, leading to him being overlooked in previous drafts. With SoftBank finishing last in the league in 2008, there was an urgent need for immediate relief pitching, prompting his selection. Upon joining the team, a medical check revealed his shoulder was in worse condition than expected, but it was not a career-ending injury. After focusing on shoulder care, Settsu was consistently able to throw in the upper 87 mph ^{(140 km/h)} range during spring training.

2.1. Rookie and reliever era (2009-2010)

In 2009, Settsu earned a spot on the Opening Day roster due to his strong performance in pre-season games. On May 8, he recorded his first professional win against the Saitama Seibu Lions, pitching 1.1 innings in relief without allowing a run. A winning formula for closing out games was established with Settsu, Brian Falkenborg, and Takahiro Mahara forming a bullpen unit known as "SBM". Settsu was the only rookie selected to the All-Star Game via fan vote in the middle reliever category. He pitched effectively in a high-pressure situation in Game 1 of the All-Star series. On September 15, he broke Yoshiaki Fujioka's Pacific League rookie record for most appearances (62 games) by pitching in his 63rd game. On September 17, he set a new team record with 33 holds. He reached 70 appearances in the final game of the season on October 11, surpassing Tadashi Sugiura (1959) and Shuji Yoshida (2000) for a new team record. While he fell short of Yasuo Hayashi's rookie record of 71 appearances, his 70 appearances were the most in the league that year. He earned the Best Middle Reliever Award and the Rookie of the Year Award with 39 hold points, becoming the first player in NPB history to win both titles simultaneously. That off-season, the team suggested he change his uniform number to 16, previously worn by Takayuki Shinohara, but Settsu declined, stating he wanted to be known as "Settsu of 50." His salary increased to 50.00 M JPY.

In 2010, despite concerns about fatigue from the previous year, Settsu maintained his crucial role as a member of SBM from the start of the season. In mid-May, Keisuke Gatto joined the bullpen, forming the "SBM48" unit. By the latter half of the season, Tatsuhiko Morifuku and Takehito Kanazawa, who transferred from the Orix Buffaloes, also showed stable pitching, contributing to the Hawks' bullpen being the only one in the league with an ERA in the 2.00s (2.84 ERA). Settsu, as a leading figure, made 71 appearances, becoming the first pitcher since Kazuhisa Inao to achieve 70 or more appearances in two consecutive seasons. In the off-season, he was offered a contract worth 100.00 M JPY but declined, stating, "It takes three years to become a full-fledged player," and signed for 95.00 M JPY.

2.2. Transition to starter and ace period (2011-2013)

In 2011, following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami on March 11, Settsu, who had been with JR East Tohoku for eight years, sent relief funds and later visited the affected area. Due to concerns about cumulative fatigue from two consecutive seasons of 70+ appearances, and the team's lack of a reliable right-handed starting pitcher, Settsu transitioned to a starting role at his own volition. He entered the season having allowed only one run in 31 innings across pre-season and practice games. Although he struggled in his first professional start on April 16 against Seibu, he earned his first win as a starter in his second start on April 24 against the Chiba Lotte Marines at Fujisakidai Prefectural Baseball Stadium, pitching eight innings and giving up three runs on 103 pitches. He continued to show stability, achieving his first complete game and shutout in interleague play. He finished the season with 14 wins, contributing to the Hawks' league championship. In the 2011 Pacific League Climax Series, he started Game 2 of the Second Stage and earned the win. Although he was prepared to pitch in relief if the series extended to Game 6, the Hawks won in three games, so he did not appear in relief. In the 2011 Japan Series against the Chunichi Dragons, he started Game 3 on November 15, pitching seven innings and allowing one run to earn the win. He also appeared in relief in Game 5 and Game 7, contributing to the team's Japan Series championship. His salary doubled to 190.00 M JPY.

In 2012, Settsu was named the Opening Day starter by manager Koji Akiyama shortly after the start of spring training, maintaining excellent form throughout. Despite experiencing back stiffness 10 days before Opening Day, he recovered and pitched in the opener, earning the win. He then excelled as the ace of the SoftBank Hawks. On August 1, he pitched a shutout in his hometown of Akita against the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles at Akita Komachi Stadium. He went on an eight-game winning streak from August 1 to September 30. Settsu led both leagues with 17 wins, securing the Most Wins title, the Best Winning Percentage title, and the prestigious Eiji Sawamura Award. With three complete games, he had the fewest complete games among all Sawamura Award recipients. Notably, he became the first pitcher in NPB history to win both the Best Middle Reliever Award and the Sawamura Award. On December 4, he was named a candidate for the 3rd World Baseball Classic (WBC) roster. His contract renewal resulted in a 100.00 M JPY increase, bringing his salary to 290.00 M JPY, the highest salary for a pitcher in their fifth professional year at the time.

In 2013, Settsu was officially selected for the 28-man roster of the 3rd WBC Japan national team on February 20. He served as the Opening Day starter for the second consecutive year, pitching six innings and allowing one run for the win. While his performance dipped slightly during interleague play, he maintained stable pitching thereafter, achieving a complete-game shutout against the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters on July 27, marking his third consecutive season with double-digit wins. As other starters struggled in the summer, he continued to pitch strongly, recording his 15th win for the second consecutive year against Orix on September 6. However, he struggled in subsequent games, and his win total did not increase. He finished the season with a career-worst 3.05 ERA and a career-low 162.1 innings pitched since becoming a starter, but still tied for second in the league in wins. He reached a salary of 400.00 M JPY in his sixth professional year, the fastest in baseball history. He married a non-celebrity woman in the off-season.

2.3. Later career and challenges (2014-2018)

In 2014, Settsu again served as the Opening Day starter, pitching into the seventh inning and allowing four runs (three earned). He became the first pitcher in team history to win the Opening Day game for three consecutive years. However, his pitching remained inconsistent throughout the year. In May, he was removed from the roster due to right shoulder muscle fatigue. Although he achieved his fourth consecutive season with double-digit wins, his ERA, walks allowed, and strikeouts were all career-worst, and he did not reach the 規定投球回. He particularly struggled with giving up many runs late in the season. In the 2014 Pacific League Climax Series, he started Game 3 of the Final Stage but was knocked out after allowing seven runs, including three home runs, in two innings. In the 2014 Japan Series, however, he pitched well in Game 5, the decisive game, with six shutout innings. In the off-season, he re-signed with the Hawks for his existing salary of 400.00 M JPY.

In 2015, Settsu made his fourth consecutive Opening Day start, pitching eight innings and allowing two unearned runs. Despite a strong performance, he suffered a loss due to a lack of run support. His first half of the season was unstable, similar to the previous year, with seven games allowing four or more runs in his first 12 starts. His home runs allowed significantly increased, reaching a career-worst 12 by June 12. After a June 12 interleague game against the Hiroshima Toyo Carp, where he gave up five runs in six innings and took the loss, he was demoted to the minor league team for the first time in his professional career due to poor performance. After about a month of adjustment in the minor league, he returned to the first team on July 21. He regained his stability, steadily accumulating wins, and reached his 10th win on September 10 against Nippon-Ham, achieving five consecutive seasons with double-digit wins. While he didn't add more wins, his ERA and other statistics improved from the previous year. He acquired domestic free agency rights during the season but announced in the off-season that he would not exercise them, signing a multi-year contract to remain with the Hawks.

In 2016, despite a weaker performance in spring training compared to other rotation pitchers, he was chosen for his fifth consecutive Opening Day start due to his historical good compatibility with Opening Day games. However, he was hit hard, allowing six runs (five earned) in three innings. In the April 1 game against Nippon-Ham, he gave up a three-run home run to Sho Nakata in the first inning but still pitched seven innings, allowing three runs. In his third start on April 7 against Lotte, he was knocked out after giving up seven runs in less than five innings. The team ultimately allowed 17 runs in that game, an ignominious record since the Daiei era in 2002. After this game, with an ERA of 9.42 ERA and a WHIP of 1.98 WHIP, he was demoted to the minor league.

In 2017, Settsu pitched four shutout innings in a spring training game against Nippon-Ham, but then allowed six hits and five runs in five innings against the Yomiuri Giants in another exhibition game, causing him to be excluded from the Opening Day rotation. His first appearance of the season came on April 15 against Orix, where he pitched four innings and gave up three runs. On May 6 against Lotte, he recorded his first complete game in two years despite taking the loss, throwing 121 pitches. However, his condition did not improve, and he was sent down for readjustment on May 25. On September 24, he returned to the first team after four months, pitching six shutout innings against Rakuten, though he did not earn a win. On October 1 against Orix, he appeared in relief for the first time in seven years, pitching three perfect innings without allowing any hits or runs, earning a hold. In the 2017 Japan Series against the Yokohama DeNA BayStars, he pitched in relief in Game 4 but gave up three runs in one inning. Although the team won the Japan Series, he was removed from the roster for Games 5 and 6.

In 2018, the final year of his three-year contract, Settsu earned his first win in 618 days on May 22 against Seibu, allowing no runs on three hits despite walking five batters in five innings. However, in his next start against Yakult, he was knocked out in the third inning after 13 days of rest. On June 13, he earned his second win against the Yomiuri Giants, allowing two runs on three hits through five-plus innings. However, he did not record any more wins in the first team thereafter, finishing the season with two wins, four losses, and a 5.16 ERA. On November 4, the team announced that he would not be offered a contract for the next year. He attempted to find a new team and pitched diligently in the Miyazaki Phoenix League, but received no offers. On December 29, he decided to retire. He later stated that his shoulder condition was a factor in his decision to retire.

On January 8, 2019, Settsu held a press conference at Fukuoka Dome (now Fukuoka PayPay Dome) to formally announce his retirement. His career statistics included 282 appearances, 79 wins, 49 losses, 1 save, and 73 holds, with a career 2.98 ERA. He was placed on the voluntary retirement list on November 26, 2019. On March 2, 2019, an official retirement ceremony was held before an exhibition game against the Hanshin Tigers, where he addressed fans and threw a ceremonial first pitch, with Yusuke Takaya as his catcher.

6.1. Titles

• Most Wins: 1 time (2012)
• Best Winning Percentage: 1 time (2012)
• Best Middle Reliever Award: 2 times (2009, 2010) - Tied for the longest consecutive wins record. He is also tied with Hitoki Iwase for consecutive wins from rookie season.

6.2. Awards

• Eiji Sawamura Award: 1 time (2012) - Settsu is currently the only pitcher to have won both the Sawamura Award and the Best Middle Reliever Award.
• Rookie of the Year Award (2009) - The first to win both Rookie of the Year and Best Middle Reliever simultaneously (later Yoshinobu Mizukami also achieved this).
• Golden Rookie Award (2009)
• Japan Pro Sports Award Best Rookie (2009)
• Best Pitcher (2012)
• Yanase Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks MVP Award (2009)

6.3. Records

11.1. Professional league statistics

• Bold values indicate league lead for that year.

• '-' indicates outside the top 10 (or not meeting qualified pitcher requirements for ERA).
• Bold indicates a qualified pitcher season.

11.2. International tournament statistics