This season's disappointment is "hope for next season" - Why Onodera Kento is being embraced in Taiwan's professional baseball league

Kento Onodera, who joined the CPBL from an independent league without playing in the NPB (from the team's Facebook page)

"Mr. Control" became the undisputed ace of the independent league

Kento Onodera graduated from Seiwa Gakuen in Miyagi Prefecture and went on to Seisa Dohto University. He wasn't what you'd call an ace pitcher, but after graduating he joined the professional baseball team TRANSSYS, where he honed his pitching and control. Hoping to make it to the NPB, he joined the independent league, BC Saitama, where he achieved outstanding results and shone as the team's undisputed ace pitcher for two and a half years.

In the Route Inn BC League, he won titles such as most strikeouts, best ERA, best nine, and pitcher MVP.

After the NPB draft, he received an offer from the CPBL Taiko Hawks.

Even top-class pitchers in independent leagues don't get drafted. Onodera knew he needed more speed, so he continued training to increase his pitching speed. He recorded a speed of 150 km/h in 2023, but he wasn't drafted by the NPB.

However, Onodera was noticed by the Taiko Hawks of the CPBL. Many teams in the CPBL have Japanese coaches and staff, and the new Taiko Hawks also have pitching coaches Hisanori Yokota (formerly of Seibu) and Shungo Fukunaga (formerly of Hanshin). Coach Yokota was looking for a pitcher to help him in Japan.

Dominating the Winter League and receiving a surprise annual contract

The new Taiko Hawks will join the second team in 2023 and the first team in 2024, and will compete alone in the Asian Winter League in the winter of 2023. They also held tryouts for foreign pitchers.

Onodera performed well, mainly as a starter, and contributed to the team's victory. In the championship interview, manager Hong Il-jung spoke about Onodera's contract for next season. It is extremely unusual for a foreign player with no experience in NPB or the majors to win a one-year contract.

In the 2023 Asia Winter League, he played a key role in the team's victory with his outstanding pitching control (from the team's Facebook page).

The hardships of being a foreign "helper"

Onodera crossed the ocean with extraordinary determination, but the environment in Taiwan was not kind. Not only was there a language barrier, but the number of foreign player slots was limited. The new Taiko Hawks had one more slot, but even so, only four of their five players could be registered on the first team, making it a narrow gate. The Taiko Hawks had acquired key fielder Steven Moya, who, along with starter Nick Margevitius and closer Leiming Gudian, became an indispensable force. For the remaining slot, Onodera had to compete with Shotaro Kasahara (formerly of the Chunichi Dragons' Yokohama Dragons, who left in June and is now with the Oisix), who also went to Taiwan at the same time as Onodera.

He joined the team as a relief player alongside Shotaro Kasahara (left) from Japan (from the team's Facebook page).

His first appearance was at the Taipei Dome, which had just opened this year. It was a huge crowd of over 25,000. The opposing team, the Chinatrust Brothers, had a large fan base, so it was an overwhelmingly hostile situation. The cheers were like thundering, and the Taiwanese support was lively. It was hard to keep calm on such a big stage, something he had never experienced before.

In addition, Taiwanese batters were strong against fastballs and easily deflected them. The umpire's zone also seemed much narrower than in the independent leagues. In the end, he gave up 5 runs in 4.1 innings. He allowed 8 hits and was the losing pitcher.

The pitcher I aspire to be is Yoshimi Kazuki, who also served as a temporary coach

After the game, I spoke with Coach Yokota. He told me, "The reason you couldn't go to NPB is because you lack control," and he mentioned Kazuki Yoshimi (former Chunichi Dragons pitcher), who is also a temporary coach for the Taiko Hawks, as the pitcher I should aim to be. That's when I started trying again.

His weapon is his exceptional pitching control, which is almost unbroken (from the team's Facebook page).

"That match was a turning point."

I started watching Yoshimi's videos more often. Even though his pitching speed had dropped, he was still able to strike out batters efficiently and pitch long innings. In addition to strengthening his physical condition to adapt to the Taiwanese heat and the mound, he also tweaked his pitching, changing his position at the plate and the way his slider curved.

"I also changed the way I pitch in the bullpen. I now tell them the type of pitch I'm going to throw and the course of the ball I'm going to throw in nine parts, and I try to throw it there."

After that, he continued to pitch well, allowing only two runs in the sixth inning and one in the seventh. However, he was unable to secure a win. It was in May that Onodera finally achieved victory. He pitched brilliantly against the Ajinomoto Dragons on May 11th, pitching seven scoreless innings, and against the Uni-President Lions on the 18th, pitching six scoreless innings. He was also named MVP twice, and felt that his efforts were paying off.

Why Onodera Kento was accepted by Taiwanese fans

"Hello everyone. I'm Onodera Kento. I'm Japanese!"

When faced with a microphone, Onodera proactively uses Chinese, even with an interpreter present. He writes down useful expressions in a notebook, and his vocabulary gradually expands.

"I can't speak English at all, so I have no choice but to speak Chinese."

Onodera smiles wryly, but his fans can see that he is trying to communicate.

Onodera's usual pitching style is nothing short of poker-faced. He rarely walks batters and remains unfazed even in tight situations, which led the team's official website to describe him as "Cool Face Ken-chan." On the other hand, the contrast between his usual personality and his sometimes comical side is one of the reasons why he is so well-received by fans.

Onodera on the stage. His dance is a well-known and often imitated dance (from the team's Facebook page)

In the CPBL, cheerleaders and heroes often dance together after the hero interview. Usually, players follow the cheerleaders' dance, but Onodera did something different.

"I hadn't heard anything. They suddenly started playing the song. But I thought it wouldn't be fun if I just danced normally."

He danced a comical dance that looked like a Bon Odori dance with a straight face. Because the Taiko Hawks are focusing on social media, such videos were quickly posted and quickly spread among fans. Along with praise for his results, he also became popular as a "funny" player.

Onodera also received over 18,000 votes in the All-Star fan vote. Later, he had the opportunity to perform in front of a crowd of 20,000 at the Taipei Dome. He chose a Japanese anime song and the 1998 hit "Love Me, Let Me Run." He sang the well-known song in Chinese in Taiwan and received a standing ovation. The video has been viewed many times.

At the Taipei Dome hosted by the Taiwan Steel Hawks, they performed a song in Chinese that they had practiced hard for (from the team's Facebook page).

The day when the season was declared hopeless but "hope for next season" was born

His overall record in 2024 was 2 wins and 4 losses in 9 games pitched, with an ERA of 2.31 and 25 strikeouts. He has qualified for the sixth consecutive game.

"Looking back on this season, my honest thoughts are... I feel happy to be able to pitch."

His final appearance was on June 9th against Chinatrust Brothers. After giving up three runs in the fifth inning, he was demoted to the second team due to the foreign player quota. After training without throwing, he was scheduled to pitch in a second team game, but developed elbow pain. He was diagnosed with a "partial tear of the medial collateral ligament in his right elbow."

The torn elbow ligament means he is out for the season, but the Hawks have announced that they are considering Onodera as a valuable player for next season.

"That's what the GM told me. Manager Hong Il-jung also told me about an elbow injury he had suffered during his playing days, and told me to get better and come back. I'm really grateful to the team."

The new Taiko Hawks team is very supportive of Japanese players

Even within Taiwan, the Taiwan Steel Hawks are particularly friendly towards Japanese players. The team's first general manager, Liu Dongyang, studied at a graduate school in Japan. He is known as a Japanese baseball expert and is actively recruiting Japanese players.

Although they are currently in last place this season, the new team needs a popular player, as they acquired Wang Po-Jung in a 3-for-1 trade. Onodera, who can be counted on as an excellent starting pitcher and has a character beloved by fans, is a player who matches the entertainment value of Taiwanese baseball and the needs of the team.

As he looks ahead to next season, he savors the joy of pitching.

On August 9th, he was removed from the controlled roster to allow the registration of a new foreign player, but Onodera has continued his rehabilitation without leaving the team. He underwent PRP (conservative treatment) and is now able to play catch. If all goes well, the plan is for him to enter the bullpen around September and pitch in a real game around October.

Onodera's personal towel released by the team. "Onodera is on fire" is a phrase he always uses (from the team's Facebook page).

On August 14th, the team held an event for Onodera after a game. The event was a final farewell to the fans for the season and a call for fans to "support Onodera for next year." This was also an unusual way to treat a foreign pitcher who had left the team midway through the season.

On their official social media accounts, they posted hashtags like "#FantasticDance" and "#FantasticCharm." Many fans came to interact with them and offer encouragement for the upcoming season.

Onodera has also become accustomed to the environment in Taiwan and is now able to communicate through baseball. He even acts as a simple interpreter for Kazumasa Yoshida (formerly of Orix Oisix Niigata), who recently joined the team, and says he feels he has made progress.

Onodera continues to prepare for next season, completing a considerable amount of rehabilitation every day and savoring the joy of being able to pitch.

Right now, all I'm thinking about is returning to the mound for the first team in Taiwan.

Interview cooperation: Taiko Hawks