“Shut down Korea scoreless over seven innings at the AG” — Japan’s amateur left-hander, Higuuchi Shin, is drafted in the 3rd round by Rakuten! He will enter professional baseball.

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Higuuchi Shin (24), a top-tier Japanese left-handed pitcher who completely stifled the South Korean national team’s lineup at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held last September, will finally step onto the professional stage.

According to multiple Japanese media outlets, including Sports Hochi, Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles acquired negotiation rights by drafting Higuuchi Shin, a left-handed pitcher from the prestigious amateur baseball team Oji, in the 3rd round of the 2026 Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) Rookie Draft meeting held on the afternoon of the 22nd.

He is a pitcher who left a strong impression on domestic baseball fans. Higuuchi, who was selected for the Japanese amateur representative team at the Asian Games held last September, started in the first Super Round matchup against South Korea and dominated the Korean lineup with a perfect scoreless performance over seven innings, allowing only four hits. He emerged victorious in the starting pitcher duel against Kwak Bin.

Following this, Higuuchi demonstrated heroic spirit by pitching again in the final on September 27 after resting for just one day. Although it was widely predicted that he would serve merely as an “opener” responsible only for the first inning before being removed, he firmly held the mound through the second and third innings, delivering a strong performance with three innings pitched and one run allowed. While his velocity and control were somewhat diminished compared to his previous game against South Korea due to the physical burden of consecutive pitching, he is evaluated as having made a decisive contribution to Japan’s silver medal acquisition by demonstrating seasoned situational handling ability.

According to Japanese media, Higuuchi, born in 2002, is a left-handed fireballer who throws powerful fastballs up to 151 km/h from a sturdy build of 178 cm and 84 kg. He also possesses the ability to wield a diverse array of breaking pitches, including a sharp curveball, slider, two-seam fastball, and changeup.

During his time at Aichi Institute of Technology University, Higuuchi stood out by recording an ERA of 0.52 in the fourth-year fall league, ranking first in the league. His momentum continued after joining the amateur baseball team Oji in 2025. From his first year as a member, he secured a spot as one of the starting pillars, pitching in four games of the City Tournament Baseball Championship to lead the team to its first championship in 21 years, and won the Best ERA Award at the annual amateur commendation ceremony. He continued his tight pitching in the 2026 tournament, his second year, with a record of three strikeouts in 16⅓ innings and an ERA of 1.65.

Higuuchi, who has proven both his situational handling ability and outstanding skills on the university, amateur, and international stages, ultimately received a high-round draft pick from Rakuten and will don a professional uniform. He is expected to provide significant strength as an immediate-impact left-handed starting pitcher resource for the Rakuten mound.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original