Rei Takahashi
{{short description|Japanese baseball player (born 1995)}}
{{Infobox NPB player
| name = Rei Takahashi
| image = 高橋礼投球練習@府中市民球場.jpg
| image_size = 310px
| caption = Takahashi with the Yomiuri Giants
| position = Pitcher
| team = Yomiuri Giants
| number = 28
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1995|11|2}}
| birth_place = Matsudo, Chiba, Japan
| bats = Right
| throws = Right
| debutleague = NPB
| debutdate = April 22
| debutyear = 2018
| debutteam = Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
| statyear = 2024 season
| statleague = NPB
| stat1label = Win–loss record
| stat1value = 19–14
| stat2label = ERA
| stat2value = 3.89
| stat3label = Strikeouts
| stat3value = 157
| teams =
- Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks ({{npby|2018}}–{{npby|2023}})
- Yomiuri Giants ({{npby|2024}}–present)
| awards =
- NPB All-Star ({{npby|2019}})
- 3× Japan Series Champion (2018–2020)
- 2019 Pacific League Rookie of the Year
- Pacific League Speed Up Award (2019)
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalSport | Men's baseball}}
{{Medal|Country|{{bb|JPN}}}}
{{MedalCompetition | WBSC Premier12}}
{{MedalGold| 2019 Tokyo | Team }}
}}
{{Nihongo|Rei Takahashi|高橋 礼|Takahashi Rei|born November 2, 1995 in Matsudo, Chiba Prefecture}} is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the Yomiuri Giants of the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He has previously played in NPB for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.
Professional career
=Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks=
On October 26, 2017, Takahashi was drafted by the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks in the 2017 Nippon Professional Baseball draft.
On April 22, 2018, Takahashi pitched his debut game against the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters as a starting pitcher.{{cite web|url=https://www.nikkansports.com/baseball/news/201804220000558.html|title=Nikkan Sports baseball news (Japanese) ソフトバンク２位高橋礼「緊張」初先発は４回３失点|language=ja-JP|work=Nikkan Sports|date=April 22, 2018|access-date=November 30, 2019}} In 2018 season, he finished the regular season with a 12 Games pitched, a 0–1 Win–loss record, a 3.00 ERA, a 15 strikeouts in 30 innings. And he pitched against the Hiroshima Toyo Carp as a relief pitcher in the 2018 Japan Series.
On March 31, 2019, Takahashi won the game for the first time in the Pacific League.{{cite web|url=https://www.nishinippon.co.jp/nsp/item/n/498720/|title=Nishinippon Shimbun baseball news (Japanese) ソフトバンク2年目高橋礼、柳田に念じたらプロ初白星|language=ja-JP|work=Nishinippon Shimbun|date=March 31, 2019|access-date=November 30, 2019}} Through 2019, he was 12-6 with two saves and a 3.34 ERA in 62 games (3 starts).{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=takaha000rei |title=Rei Takahashi Japanese Leagues Statistics & History |publisher=Baseball-Reference.com |access-date=2019-11-17}} On October 20, he pitched against the Yomiuri Giants as a starting pitcher, and won the game for the first time in the Japan Series. And he was honored with the 2019 Japan Series Excellent Player Award.{{cite web|url=http://npb.jp/nippons/2019/award.html|title=Nippon Professional Baseball (Japanese) SMBC日本シリーズ2019 表彰選手 優秀選手賞|language=ja-JP|work=NPB.jp|access-date=November 30, 2019}} On November 26, Takahashi was honored with the 2019 Pacific League Rookie of the Year Award and 2019 Pacific League Speed Up Award in NPB AWARDS 2019.{{cite web|url=https://www.nikkansports.com/baseball/news/201911260000769.html|title=Nikkan Sports baseball news (Japanese) 新人王ソフトバンク高橋礼が自信持った日本Ｓ巨人戦|language=ja-JP|work=Nikkan Sports|date=November 27, 2019|access-date=November 30, 2019}}{{cite web|url=https://www.nikkansports.com/baseball/news/201911270000245.html|title=Nikkan Sports baseball news (Japanese) 高橋礼スピードアップ賞「テンポの良さはつながる」|language=ja-JP|work=Nikkan Sports|date=November 27, 2019|access-date=November 30, 2019}}
In 2020 season, Takahashi hurt his left thigh during spring training.{{cite web|url=https://www.nishinippon.co.jp/nsp/item/n/592780/|title=Nishinippon Sports baseball news (Japanese) ソフトバンク高橋礼、復帰へまずは「ランニング」から|language=ja-JP|work=Nishinippon Shimbun|date=March 17, 2020|accessdate=March 15, 2021}} As a result, he pitched as a relief pitcher in the 2020 season and finished the regular season with a 52 Games pitched, a 4–2 Win–loss record, a 2.65 ERA, a 23 Holds, a 29 strikeouts in 51 innings. In the 2020 Japan Series against the Yomiuri Giants, He pitched in Game 2 and Game 4 as a relief pitcher, with no hits no runs in both games and a Hold in Game 4 to contribute to the team's fourth consecutive Japan Series champion.{{cite web|url=https://npb.jp/bis/scores/nipponseries/boxscore2020_2.html|title=Nippon Professional Baseball (Japanese) 2020年度SMBC日本シリーズ 試合結果 (第2戦)|language=ja-JP|work=NPB.jp|date=November 22, 2020|accessdate=March 15, 2021}}{{cite web|url=https://npb.jp/bis/scores/nipponseries/boxscore2020_4.html|title=Nippon Professional Baseball (Japanese) 2020年度SMBC日本シリーズ 試合結果 (第4戦)|language=ja-JP|work=NPB.jp|date=November 25, 2020|accessdate=March 15, 2021}}
In 2021, takahashi finished the regular season with 11 Games pitched, a 1–1 Win–loss record, a 5.82 ERA, a 14 strikeouts in 34 innings.
In 2022, he pitched only 4 Games, a 0–0 Win–loss record, a 13.50 ERA, a 2 strikeouts in 3.1 innings.
In 2023, Takahashi played as a starting pitcher but only pitched in 5 games.
=Yomiuri Giants=
On November 6, 2023, Takahashi and Keisuke Izumi were traded to the Yomiuri Giants exchange for Adam Brett Walker.{{cite web|url=https://www.giants.jp/news/21785/|title=Yomiuri Giants press release 2023.11.6 福岡ソフトバンクホークスとのトレード合意について|language=ja-JP|website=Yomiuri Giants Official site|date=November 6, 2023|accessdate=December 4, 2023}}
International career
Takahashi represented the Japan national baseball team in the 2015 Summer Universiade, 2018 MLB Japan All-Star Series, 2019 exhibition games against Mexico, and 2019 WBSC Premier12 tournament.
On October 18, 2018, he was selected at the 2018 MLB Japan All-Star Series.{{cite web|url=https://www.nikkansports.com/baseball/news/201810180000516.html|title=Nikkan Sports baseball news (Japanese) ＤｅＮＡ東が侍辞退、ソフトバンク高橋礼を追加招集|language=ja-JP|work=Nikkan Sports|date=October 18, 2018|access-date=October 4, 2019}}
On October 1, 2019, he was selected at the 2019 WBSC Premier12.{{cite web | url=http://www.japan-baseball.jp/jp/news/press/20191001_4.html | title=「ENEOS 侍ジャパンシリーズ2019」出場選手決定について | work=野球日本代表 侍ジャパン オフィシャルサイト | language=ja | date=October 1, 2019 | access-date=October 12, 2019 }} He led the tournament in groundouts induced, with 21.{{Cite web|url=https://premier12.wbsc.org/en/2019/stats/leaders|title = II Premier12 2019 - the official site - WBSC}}
Pitching style
Takahashi is a tall pitcher and he has a style of delivery that transitions from starting at windup position with his baseball glove raised above the head to finishing submarine with a low release point.
He throws a fastball of over 140 km/h (87 mph) (tops out at 146 km/h, 90.7 mph) unusual for submarine pitchers.{{cite web|url=https://www.nikkansports.com/baseball/news/201907010000699.html|title=Nikkan Sports baseball news (Japanese) ソフトバンク高橋礼、球宴で速球派サブマリン称号を|language=ja-JP|work=Nikkan Sports|date=July 1, 2019|access-date=October 4, 2019}}
And he throws a curveball, a sinker and a slider.
{{cite web|url=https://www.nikkansports.com/baseball/news/201903310000747.html|title=Nikkan Sports baseball news (Japanese) ソフトバンク高橋礼が変化球磨き１勝 目標山田さん|language=ja-JP|work=Nikkan Sports|date=March 31, 2019|access-date=October 4, 2019}}
His pitching style is called Reiwa no Submarine (令和のサブマリン).{{cite web|url=https://www.sponichi.co.jp/baseball/news/2019/04/01/kiji/20190401s00001173200000c.html|title=Sports Nippon baseball news (Japanese) ソフトB 高橋礼ガッツポーズ「令和のサブマリン」になる|language=ja-JP|work=Sports Nippon|date=April 1, 2019|access-date=November 30, 2019}}
- Reiwa is the current era of Japan.
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{commons category|Rei Takahashi}}
{{Baseballstats|brm=takaha000rei}}
- [http://npb.jp/bis/eng/players/01005136.html Career statistics - NPB.jp]
{{Yomiuri Giants roster navbox}}
{{Japan roster 2019 WBSC Premier12}}
{{Pacific League ROYs}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Takahashi, Rei}}
Category:Baseball people from Chiba Prefecture
Category:Sportspeople from Matsudo
Category:Yomiuri Giants players
Category:Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks players
Category:Japanese baseball players
Category:Nippon Professional Baseball pitchers
Category:2019 WBSC Premier12 players
Category:Nippon Professional Baseball Rookie of the Year Award winners