Tatsuya Imai burned through 110 pitches for his second straight quality start, rediscovering the feel he had while pitching in Japan.

Japanese right-hander Tatsuya Imai of the Houston Astros showed his toughness again. Covering 6 innings in his start today, he threw a whopping 110 pitches, giving up only 3 hits and 2 earned runs with 5 strikeouts and 2 walks. Despite ending up with his third loss of the season, this outing followed his previous combined no-hit appearance, making it back-to-back quality starts.

After the game, Imai told a group of local reporters that he was pleased with his performance. He revealed that since switching to a fixed pitching stance, he can throw at full speed without worrying about the ball bouncing early or slipping out of control. He expressed relief, saying he finally regained the excellent feel he had when pitching in Nippon Professional Baseball—the biggest takeaway from this game.

When asked about seeming to get stronger during the third time through the lineup, Imai confidently replied that his touch actually grew hotter as the innings piled up in this game. He emphasized that during his time with the Seibu Lions, the coaching staff always knew he was a very durable pitcher. "I have great confidence in my stamina and endurance. Even after throwing over 100 pitches, my velocity doesn't drop at all." This game's performance allowed him to fully establish his self-belief in Major League Baseball.

Regarding the specific mechanical adjustment, Imai pointed to "weight transfer" as the biggest key. He admitted that his weight shift during the start and release had been unstable in the past, but in this game he successfully centered his weight firmly on his left heel before completing a smooth throwing motion. This pitching rhythm—"this is the feeling"—allowed him to deliver almost every pitch just as he intended, making this overall outing the best he has experienced since coming to the United States.