Takahiro Norimoto
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| Takahiro Norimoto | |||||||||||||||
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 Norimoto in college (2012) | |||||||||||||||
| Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles – No. 14 | |||||||||||||||
| Pitcher | |||||||||||||||
| Born: December 17, 1990 Taga, Japan | |||||||||||||||
Bats: Left Throws: Right | |||||||||||||||
| NPB debut | |||||||||||||||
| March 29, 2013, for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles | |||||||||||||||
| NPB statistics (through 2023 season) | |||||||||||||||
| Win–loss | 114-91 | ||||||||||||||
| Earned run average | 3.11 | ||||||||||||||
| Strikeouts | 1,717 | ||||||||||||||
| Teams | |||||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
NPB
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Medals
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Takahiro Norimoto (則本 昂大, Norimoto Takahiro, born December 17, 1990) is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
Professional career
[edit]In 2013, Norimoto's rookie season, he pitched to a 15-8 win–loss record and a 3.34 earned run average. Norimoto won the Pacific League Rookie of the Year Award.[1][2]
In 2015, Norimoto led the Pacific League in strikeouts for the second straight season, with 215. His 194.2 innings also led the league. He finished third in ERA with a 2.91 mark. Despite these achievements, Norimoto finished the season with a 10–11 record, his first losing campaign in his three years.
In 2024, Norimoto was named Rakuten's primary closer following Yuki Matsui's departure to Major League Baseball (MLB). On April 2, 2024, Norimoto earned his first career save.[3]
Samurai Japan
[edit]After the 2014 NPB season, Norimoto was named to the Samurai Japan national team that took on the MLB All-Stars in an exhibition series in Japan. In Game 3 of that series at the Tokyo Dome on November 15, Norimoto pitched 5 perfect innings and struck out 6 with just 60 pitches and earned the win in what would turn out to be a combined no-hitter by Samurai Japan.[4] The MLB lineup featured six All-Stars but collected just four base runners, losing 4–0.
Playing style
[edit]Norimoto is a 5 ft 10 in, 180 lb right-handed pitcher. With a three-quarters delivery he throws a fastball, a forkball, and a solid slider.[5] He recorded a career-high 98 mph when he worked in relief.[6]
He won five times strikeout titles, and posting a K/9 of 9.4 in his NPB career.[7][8]
References
[edit]- ^ Coskrey, Jason (October 27, 2013). "Rookie Norimoto gives Eagles hope for promising future". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on December 17, 2013. Retrieved December 16, 2013.
- ^ "Ogawa, Norimoto win Rookie of the Year awards". The Japan Times. November 25, 2013. Archived from the original on December 17, 2013. Retrieved December 16, 2013.
- ^ "Rakuten Norimoto's first professional save, Matsui, who transferred to Padres, turned into a guardian deity from this season, 3 people". news.yahoo.co.jp. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
- ^ Nowak, Joey. "Takahiro Norimoto leads Japan's combined no-hitter vs. MLB". MLB.com. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
- ^ "Norimoto, three relievers toss combined no-hitter against MLB All-Stars". The Japan Times. November 15, 2014. Retrieved January 18, 2015.
- ^ "侍則本３者三振「小林さんとコミュニケーション」". Nikkan Sports. March 19, 2017. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
- ^ "Takahiro Norimoto Japanese Leagues Statistics & History".
- ^ "江夏以来の偉業だった楽天則本10勝、マー君にも肩 - プロ野球 : 日刊スポーツ".
External links
[edit]- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference (Minors)
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