In his MLB debut, Tatsuya Imai pitched 2.2 innings and allowed 4 runs, admitting he relied on brute force due to fear of being hit.

Japanese pitcher Tatsuya Imai, whom the Houston Astros signed for $54 million over three years in the offseason, made his major league debut today, starting 2.2 innings and allowing 4 runs. The Astros ultimately beat the Los Angeles Angels 9-7, earning a second consecutive win.

Imai stated he originally intended to savor the game, but the contrasting atmospheres in Japan and the U.S. made him feel unusually tense. However, he believed the issue wasn't nervousness but a breakdown in his pitching mechanics, overusing brute force—"that was the worst part."

"Even against pitches near 100 mph, MLB hitters can easily counter them; I was somewhat afraid of being hit," Imai said. "It's more about feeling pressured by the opponent's ability. Though not anxious, that sense of fear led me to pitch with excessive force today."

Asked what he would adjust before his next appearance, Imai joked, "It's hard to say—probably just eat well and sleep well." He added, "Today I felt both practice and effort were insufficient; I'll demand more from myself going forward."

In the opening inning, Imai walked two of the first three batters but managed to escape trouble. The second inning saw a clean three-up-three-down with two strikeouts. However, after teammates scored 4 runs in the bottom of the second, he faltered again in the third: following one out, four consecutive batters reached base via two walks and two hits, allowing 4 more runs before exiting with two outs and a runner on first.

In this game, Tatsuya Imai started 2.2 innings, threw 74 pitches (36 strikes), recorded 4 strikeouts and 4 walks, allowed 3 hits, and gave up 4 runs. His four-seam fastball accounted for 37 pitches, averaging 95.6 mph; the slider, which drew attention from U.S. media during spring training, was thrown 27 times, inducing 12 swings with 5 misses—a 42% miss rate.

"If flaws are to be found, earlier is better than discovering them late in the season during playoff contention," Imai remarked. "I truly feel practice was lacking and adaptation still insufficient."