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The Los Angeles Dodgers’ big bets on Japanese pitchers paid off earlier this month.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto earned World Series MVP honors, Roki Sasaki recorded critical outs and Shohei Ohtani started in Game 7.
Tatsuya Imai is the latest Japanese ace and free agent who has his sights set on Major League Baseball. But the right-hander hopes his path to the majors does not go through Los Angeles.
Imai is in the middle of a 45-day release window, giving him the opportunity to accept a contract with any Major League team of his choice.
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Tatsuya Imai of the Saitama Seibu Lions pitches against the Orix Buffaloes at the Belluna Dome on April 25, 2025, in Tokorozawa, Saitama, Japan. (Nippon Sports/Getty Images)
“I’d rather knock them down,” Imai told Japan’s TV Asahi’s “Hodo Station,” according to MLB.com, with a hint of laughter.
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“Of course, I would love to play together [Shohei] Ohtani, [Yoshinobu] Yamamoto and [Roki] Sasaki,” Imai added, “but winning against a team like that and becoming world champion would be the most valuable thing in my life.”
Imai recently pitched for the Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball. The 27-year-old became available to MLB teams on November 19. He experienced some ups and downs in his first few seasons in the NPB, but eventually adapted and became one of the most reliable starting pitchers in the league.
Tatsuya Imai (48) of Samurai Japan reacts after pitching in the top of the seventh inning during a game against Netherlands at the Kyocera Dome Osaka on March 5, 2025, in Osaka, Japan. (Gene Wang/Getty Images)
Last season, Imai pitched in a combined no-hitter and was named to the third All-Star Game of his career. He has a career 3.15 ERA in 159 games with the Lions.
Imai also noted that he hopes to sign with a team whose roster does not include Japanese players.
Pitcher Tatsuya Imai of Japan pitches the first inning during the Asian Professional Baseball Championship final between South Korea and Japan at Tokyo Dome on November 19, 2023, in Tokyo, Japan. (Gene Wang/Getty Images)
“They would just tell you anything if you asked them, right?” Imai said in reference to the idea of teaming up with a fellow Japanese player in the U.S. “I don’t really want that; I kind of want to experience that survival vibe, and facing cultural differences and figuring them out on my own is part of the fun.”
The Dodgers have effectively cornered the market on top international players in recent years, but Imai’s latest comments throw cold water on the idea of Los Angeles adding a fourth native Japanese pitcher to its rotation in 2026.
