Third-year pitcher-outfielder Shohei Otani has been handed his first Opening Day pitching assignment, Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters manager Hideki Kuriyama said Friday.
A 20-year-old right-hander, Otani was one of the most impressive pitchers in the Pacific League last season, when he went 11-4 with a 2.61 ERA and 179 strikeouts in 155 1/3 innings.
"I felt both joy and the sense that I wanted to be diligent in fulfilling my responsibility," said Otani, whose fastball was timed at 162 kph in a league game last season, the fastest ever recorded by a Japanese pitcher.
A left-handed hitter, Otani belted 10 home runs in just 234 plate appearances, primarily as the Fighters designated hitter. He scored 32 runs and drove in 31.
"I want him to show off his quality, form and get results," Kuriyama said at the Fighters' spring training facility.
Opening Day is set for March 27 at Sapporo Dome against the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles. Otani started in right field in each of his first two Opening Days as a pro.