As far as debuts go, Shohei Otani's delivered. The celebrated rookie pitched fairly well on Thursday night, and though he finished outside the decision, he left the mound with the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters well within striking distance of the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. The game ended in a 3-3 tie.
The 18-year-old threw 86 pitches, allowing a pair of runs on six hits while striking out two and walking three.
Otani didn't blow anyone away, but he was good enough, and for now, that's enough.