Yuhei Takanashi

Yuhei Takanashi (高梨 雄平)

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 5' 9", Weight 178 lbs.

• School Waseda University
• High School Kawagoe Higashi High School

• Born July 13, 1992 in Kawagoe, Saitama, Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Yuhei Takanashi has pitched in Nippon Pro Baseball.

Takanashi completed the 3rd perfect game in the Tokyo Big6 Baseball League, and he went to the industrial league team JX-ENEOS after he graduated from college. The Rakuten Golden Eagles drafted him in the ninth round of the 2016 NPB draft, and he soon became an important part of their bullpen. He recorded a 1.03 ERA in 46 relief outings, and notched 14 holds. In the 2017 PLCS, he pitched 6 of Rakuten's 7 games, and he didn't allow any runs in his 4 1/3 innings. He was still a reliable reliever in 2018, when he pitched a career-high 70 games (as a LOOGY, it totaled only 46 IP) with 16 holds and a 2.44 ERA. He broke the team record for most games pitched in a season, and ranked 2nd in the Pacific League in appearances (2 behind Ren Kajiya). He also represented Japan in the 2018 Nichi-Bei Series as they beat the MLB All-Stars.

The Saitama native recorded a 2.30 ERA in 48 games in 2019, and collected 14 holds. The Golden Eagles had too many relievers, so they decided to trade Takanashi to the Yomiuri Giants for starter prospect Hosei Takata. Takanashi soon proved that trading him out was a mistake. He earned 21 holds in 44 appearances with a solid 1.93 ERA in 2020, and ranked 6th in holds (9 behind Noboru Shimizu). In the 2020 Nippon Series, he pitched a shutout inning in Game 2, and he relieved Angel Sanchez in the 7th inning in Game 3. He plunked Ukyo Shuto, then Akira Nakamura hit a RBI single. Takanashi struck out Yuki Yanagita then Kan Ohtake replaced him. The Giants were swept by the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks. He also won a vote in the 2020 CL MVP Voting.

The Waseda alumni slumped to a 3.69 ERA in 55 games in 2021, but still collected 20 holds. He ranked 8th in holds (30 behind Shimizu) and 14th in appearances (17 behind Shimizu). Takanashi was selected into the 2021 NPB All-Star Game, and he relieved Ryoji Kuribayashi in the 8th inning of Game 2. He retired Nien-Ting Wu to end the inning. Takanashi bounced back and notched a career-high 25 holds in 59 games with a 2.14 ERA; he ranked 7th in holds (18 behind Atsuki Yuasa) and 3rd in appearances (12 behind Hiromu Ise). He struggled again in 2023 as his ERA rose to 4.19, but he still notched 23 holds and ranked 7th in holds (16 behind Sotaro Shimauchi).

Takanashi's repertoire features a fastball that peaks at 91.3 mph, a changeup and a slider.