[Nippon-Ham] Hokkaido native Taisho Tamai decides not to exercise his free agent rights and stays with the team: “There are a lot of people in Hokkaido who support me.” | Pacific League League.com

[Nippon-Ham] Hokkaido native Taisho Tamai decides not to exercise his free agent rights and stays with the team, saying, “There are a lot of people in Hokkaido who support me.”

Sports Hochi

2025.11.7(金) 15:36

Nippon-Ham Fighters pitcher Taisho Tamai announced on the 7th that he would remain with the team and not exercise his domestic free agent rights.

Tamai has pitched in more than 40 games, primarily as reliever, for six consecutive years since 2018. In 2024, he did not pitch in the first team due to back pain, but this season he pitched in 40 games, recording 3 wins, 2 losses, 1 save, 17 hold, and ERA of 2.25, supporting the team in the championship race from bullpen.

When asked what made him decide to stay, the Hokkaido-born right-handed pitcher revealed, “I’m pretty much staying. I didn’t think I had any choice in the first place, so that’s true, and there are a lot of people in Hokkaido who support me, so I had a strong desire to stay from the beginning.”

Looking ahead to next season, he was enthusiastic, saying, “I’ve been pretty particular about playing 50 games up until now, so I’d like to aim for that.”

Related News

・ [Nippon-Ham] Takuya Nakashima, in his 17th year, will not exercise his free agent rights and will remain with the Fighters. “I intend to play for The Fighters next year as well.”
・ [Nippon-Ham] 40-year-old left-handed Nao Miyanishi, who has made 900 appearances, announces he will remain with the team. “I’m conflicted about when to retire. I want to go out with a smile.”
・ [Nippon-Ham] Kazunari Ishii declares that he will exercise his free agent rights, saying, “It’s my right. I want to hear what other teams think.”
・ [DeNA] A contract with Shintaro Fujinami for next season is imminent. A large offer has been made to Kuwahara, who is considering exercising his free agency.
・ Nippon-Ham Fighters’ Kazunari Ishii will exercise his free agent rights on the 7th. He is a large infielder who has batted in all batting order from 1st to 9th this season, and has ample experience playing second base, shortstop, and third base.