Tatsuya Imai rebounds strongly to secure his first MLB career win, Astros shut out Athletics

Houston Astros Japanese pitcher Tatsuya Imai is gradually learning how to survive in the major leagues. Today, with 5.2 scoreless innings helping his team crush the Athletics 11-0, he earned his first MLB win, and after the game he learned another lesson: teammates will drag you into the shower room and drench you thoroughly with beer and other beverages.

"It's like a champagne battle," he said.

Imai's outstanding performance in his second career start deserved celebration by the Astros. The Japanese pitcher threw 5.2 innings on 94 pitches, striking out nine batters, allowing only three hits and three walks. He teamed up with Kai-Wei Teng (2.1 innings) and Steven Okert (1 inning) to complete a five-hit shutout at Sutter Health Park.

"I wanted to finish six innings, so not achieving that is regrettable, a bit bittersweet," Imai said. "I want to continue learning from mistakes in each outing, improve in the next start, and progress throughout the season."

Imai bounced back strongly from his MLB debut on Monday against the Los Angeles Angels at home, where he pitched only 2.2 innings allowing four runs with four walks. This time he said he sacrificed some velocity for better control.

According to baseball data websites, his slider average velocity was 1.3 mph slower than his debut, and his four-seam fastball was 1.6 mph slower. Among his 94 pitches, 58 were strikes, generating 18 swings-and-misses out of 40 swings, with the slider alone contributing 10 swings-and-misses; its horizontal movement toward his pitching arm side baffled Athletics batters.

"That slider has gyro spin, it runs backward, not a true slider, so its trajectory is somewhat different, I think batters weren't accustomed to it," Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said. "Obviously, this was the first time facing him. His fastball ranged from 91 mph to 95, 96 mph. Facing a pitcher for the first time can sometimes be challenging. Today he was more willing to throw into the strike zone than in his debut, which made him effective."

Imai relied mainly on his slider (43 pitches) and four-seam fastball (42 pitches), occasionally mixing in a few forkballs and curveballs. Some of his forkballs and changeups were misclassified as sliders; Imai's pitches even confused the computer.

"He can throw his slider into the strike zone, and it has varied movement," Athletics second baseman Jeff McNeil said. "Some run left, some run right. It looks interesting. You rarely see pitches like that. Even watching his last game's footage, I didn't see much of that movement. Today he threw more of it, and it worked well against us."

Astros pitching coach Josh Miller said that during the later part of Imai's game against the Angels, his pitching motion started drifting toward the right-handed batter's area, so Saturday's focus was keeping his body aligned and driving toward the plate.

"He wants to put in the work, fix issues, and throw strikes," Miller said. "You want performance, but he didn't get down, didn't get frustrated. He does his thing. He works hard, diligent in pitching and gym training, prepared well for today's game, and it went smoothly."

Astros first baseman Christian Walker said that Imai's relaxed and easy demeanor on the mound made teammates feel secure defensively behind him. They can get accustomed to this style.

"That's how he plays," he said. "Effortless, relaxed, yet the ball has power. Low release point, unique slider, its spin and movement, all very deceptive. It was fun playing defense behind him today. I look forward to seeing more performances like this in the future."