What We Learned From Tatsuya Imai’s First Astros Press Conference

The Houston Astros held a press conference with newly signed starting pitcher, Tatsuya Imai

Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

"What's up H-Town? I'm ready to chase a world championship. Let's go, Houston."

Looking at your google translate app with little to no experience speaking English and for that being the first thing to say to the media and fans is a definitive statement to a team excited to get to know you. Especially for newly signed Japanese pitcher Tatsuya Imai.

The Houston Astros held a press conference on Monday, January 5th to highlight their new addition to the pitching rotation.

To many people's surprise, Imai signed with the Astros on New Year's Day for three years, $54 million , which includes opt-outs each year, and bonus money if he stays the full three years and pitches at least 180 innings.

Nobody expected the Astros to participate in the Imai sweepstakes, given their shallow history of Japanese players on their team.

But he's here now. After spending a memorable time watching his first Houston Texans game on Sunday, this is how his first time with the media went down on Monday.

Honorable Mentions of the Astros Imai conference

Meet Tatsuya Imai pic.twitter.com/VDmymUdTYt

— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) January 5, 2026

The 27-year old dawned his new Astros uniform with No. 45, the same numbers that All-Stars Gerrit Cole and Zack Wheeler currently wear.

Brian McTaggart of MLB.com says he wore No. 45 to honor them, as he previously was No. 48 while playing for the Saitama Seibu Lions of the NPB. Cole was a solid contributor in the Astros "Golden Era," with his 2019 season being arguably the best season of his MLB career and in 2024, Cole won his first Cy Young Award.

Both Cole and Wheeler have similar pitch types, specifically a high 90s fastball, something that Imai shares as well.

Speaking of hard-throwing fastballs, Imai mentioned Josh Hader, Astros closer, who welcomed him by sending an Instagram follow and DM saying he's here if Imai needs anything.

"His message was very fast, 100 mph it felt like. And I definitely want to reply with a 100 mph reply," Imai joked.

How The Astros Competed In The Japanese Market

Imai is the first rookie pitcher the Astros signed outright from Japan. During the press conference, Astros owner Jim Crane mentioned how seamless it was to start branching out to sign players out of Japan:

"The Dodgers kind of led the way there and I've got an international company, so it was pretty easy to set up there and give those guys a place work. ... We'll be moving pretty fast in Asia."

The Astros owner also cited that their partnership with Daikin Industries played a major role in tapping into the Japanese market.

Astros owner Jim Crane: "Unbelievable for us here in Houston. I think he'll get big support here. One of the things that made his possible was our great partners in the front row (representatives from Daikin)."

— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) January 5, 2026

Crane's remarks both set a precedent and a tone on possible Astros player acquisitions, with having more engagements and competition to sign future players in Japan. Per what Ari Alexander mentioned online about scouts in Asia, Crane confirmed this theory and said the Astros now have scouts in Taiwan, Tokyo and Seoul. Imai is likely just the start.

Astros general manager Dana Brown said, "We had goals set out to sign starting pitching this offseason and goals to get into the baseball market in Japan. It was exciting because we had the support of Jim Crane, who's backing us all the time."

With the Astros joining the Japanese market full-time, expect more of an exponential influx of Japanese player signings from other teams.

Imai Will Not Participate In WBC

The much-anticipated World Baseball Classic that takes place in March won't see Imai on the mound this year. During the press conference, the newly crowned Astro said that he does not intend on playing for Team Japan. Rather, he prefers to get acclimated with his new teammates, according to Bob Nightengale.

He just signed with the Astros an an MLB rookie. At this point in his anticipated MLB career, it's more important to focus on his new team, get to know his new teammates, and get adjusted to the very likely heavier workload.

Astros manager Joe Espada mentioned that Imai says the word "champion" a lot, which likely indicates a stronger desire to bring a World Series ring to Houston rather than a championship for his home country in the WBC.

Overall, this much-anticipated press conference was a success. The Astros small dent in their Japanese player history grows larger. Imai seems to be excited about joining his new team with a primary focus on helping the Astros return to their winning ways.

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