[Player History] The man who overcame the turbulent waters of professional baseball and continued to challenge until the very end - Akira Niho (Chiba Lotte Marines) - The trajectory of his success / Players who retired from professional baseball in 2024

The path to dreams forged through steady effort

Born in Yukuhashi City, Fukuoka Prefecture, Asahi Niho began playing baseball as a pitcher in the second grade of elementary school. In junior high school, he played for Yukuhashi Senior, where he participated in the Kyushu Tournament in his third year and contributed to the team's victory. At Kyushu International University High School, he made the bench in the summer of his first year and supported the team as the ace pitcher in the fall of the same year. He worked on exercises to improve the flexibility of his hip joints, and his fastball speed, which was 127 km/h when he entered high school, increased to 145 km/h, attracting attention from professional teams.

In the 2008 draft, Niho was selected in the second round of the developmental draft by the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, marking his entry into the professional world. However, he spent his first three years in the minor leagues. In July 2012, he earned a spot on the main roster after appearing in six games in the Western League, achieving a record of 3 wins and 0 losses with an ERA of 2.35, earning him the Monthly MVP award (May 2012). He made his professional debut on September 23 against Rakuten. That year, he appeared in three games, pitching six innings with no decision, allowing only one run, and an ERA of 1.44. In the Western League, he achieved an excellent record of 11 wins and 0 losses with an ERA of 1.44, winning the most wins and the highest winning percentage (100%).

From relief pitcher to starter, and then a transfer.

From 2013 to 2014, he went back and forth between the first and second teams, but in 2015, he had a strong start to the season and earned his first opening day spot on the first team. On May 3rd, he pitched in the middle of the 8th inning with his team trailing, setting up a go-ahead triple by Yuki Yoshimura and recording his first professional win. He appeared in 44 games as a reliever, with a record of 6 wins and 1 loss and an ERA of 3.25. Due to the effects of Tommy John surgery in April 2016, he spent the following year without pitching, but he made his return in a third-team game in May 2017. After that, he appeared in 16 games as a reliever for the second team, pitching 18 innings with an ERA of 2.00, but he did not get an opportunity to pitch in the first team and finished the season adjusting for a full return in the following years.

In 2018, he made his first appearance in the first team in three years on April 10 against Nippon Ham, and appeared in 35 games as a reliever. He supported the middle relief pitching staff with a record of 1 win and 0 losses and an ERA of 5.34. In 2019, although he only appeared in 8 games, he was also used as a substitute starter, and recorded his first win as a starter on July 5 against Orix. In 2020, which was delayed until June due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, he was used as a starter, taking the mound as a starter in all the games he appeared in, pitching 56 2/3 innings, with a record of 4 wins and 5 losses and an ERA of 4.92. However, the following year he only appeared in 2 games in the first team, and in July 2021 he was traded to the Hanshin Tigers in a trade involving Masahiro Nakatani.

After a desperate attempt at a comeback, he ended his playing career.

In 2021, after transferring to the Hanshin Tigers, he made his first start on the mound against Hiroshima on August 14th, pitching a tenacious game through the sixth inning, allowing only three runs, and earned his first win since the transfer. However, this was his only win. After the transfer, he appeared in four games, finishing the season with a record of one win and one loss and an ERA of 5.28. However, in 2022 and 2023, despite recording the most saves title in the Western League, he had no opportunities to pitch in the first team and was released from the team.

Niho joined Chiba Lotte on a development contract in November 2023, and earned a spot on the main roster the following March. However, he only appeared in 8 games and finished with an ERA of 12.19, resulting in him being released again. Following this, he announced his intention to retire on his Instagram account, bringing his 16-year playing career to an end.

profile

name:Akira Niho
Birthplace:Fukuoka Prefecture
date of birth:May 18, 1990
Height/Weight:182cm/74kg
Pitching/batting:Right-handed thrower/Right-handed batter
position:pitcher
Draft year:Two athletes were trained in 2008.

Overall record

16 years of active service: 121 games, 13 wins, 12 losses, 4.73 ERA

*The information in this article is current as of the time of publication (December 2024).