Kona Takahashi ended his win drought Tuesday, and a day later reflected on his progress toward MLB and his disastrous 2024 season.
For the first time in over a season and a half, the 190-centimeter Seibu Lions right-hander earned a win with six shutout innings at home against the Rakuten Eagles. In 2022, Takahashi went 12-8 with a 2.20 ERA, working more aggressively than ever, attacking the zone with an unusually solid mix and then finishing hitters off with a splitter that had joined those of Japan’s big boys.
That autumn, he told the Lions he wanted out, to play in MLB, and as is customary, he expected to be allowed to go after another good season in 2023, but was turned down. Since then, everything had gone downhill. Takahashi was hurt in camp the following spring and had a few good games but was more often unwatchable.
“It was a tough season,” he told jballallen.com Wednesday, referring to his 2024 abscess, in which he fell into the pattern of players whose results plummeted in what was expected to be their last hurrah before heading to MLB.
“Hmm, how should I say this? I wouldn’t say there’s a connection exactly, but that kind of pattern is pretty common,” he said. “Last year, I learned a lot, so I think that allowed me to raise my game another level again.”
“That experience, I think, was the biggest thing (I learned). It expanded the boundaries of my baseball career. It became my armor. So, I’m glad I went through that experience, some of which I think only I can understand.”
After the win, Takahashi said, “I was on the verge of tears the whole time. It wouldn’t have been strange if I had at some point.”
Coming out of high school, Takahashi had been on the slender side, but following Kikuchi’s lead he began building himself up, and reached a career-high 112 kilograms.
“I was training with Yusei all the time, and during that time, I learned everything—how to train, how to practice. My mindset changed. Bit by bit,” Takahashi said.
“No matter the situation, what’s most important is getting the best out of my own performance. I always keep that in mind and aim higher and higher.”
Thinking 2024 was going to be in the last season in Japan, Takahashi said he went all in for one big finale, but it turned into a disaster.
“Last year, things just didn’t sync up at all. It was a real struggle,” he said. “There were various factors—mentality, mindset, technique, all of it. By a huge margin it was the toughest season in life in baseball.”
“I’ve had good games before (yesterday) but I felt relieved.”
Takahashi reverted to standard Japanese mode when asked his goals.
“I want to win a championship,” he said. “Personally, I really want to become a champion. I want to contribute to the team—just do my job. Trying to move forward, there is no substitute for practice.”
“Trial and error,” he added in English. “Try something, fail, try again. Just repeat that.
When reminded that Japanese players who practice 16 hours a day and still fail will often say the same as he did, that they need to practice more, Takahashi said, “Well, I am Japanese, what do you expect?”
