Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles RH pitcher Takahiro Norimoto, 25, recently asked his team, after signing an extension this month, that he wants to be posted after the 2019 regular season for an opportunity to play in the Major leagues, at the age of 28, according to the report… which his team will soon agree, eventually, and will join star player Shohei Otani (Twitter link) as one of the best pitcher/player in the market to be posted in the 2019 off-season coming from NPB (Nippon Professional Baseball).
Ever since Masahiro Tanaka left the Eagles for the Major leagues, Takahiro Norimoto has been the ace of the pitching staff, posting four double digit wins in these past 4 years (compiling a record of 50-40), an earned run average of 3.03 in 113 games played (762.2 innings pitched). He finished his 2016 regular season campaign with an 11-11 record, along with an earned run average of 2.91, while starting 28 games (2 complete games, 195 innings pitched) in the year.
Like with Otani, Takahiro Norimoto is no stranger in International games, as he was the starting pitcher for Team Japan in year 2014, Game 3, against the MLB all-stars featuring Jose Altuve, Ben Zobrist, Robinson Cano, and some well known others. Tossing a combined no-hitter (4 pitchers overall) leading their Japanese team to victory by a score of 4-0… he also participated in the Premier 12 event last year in 2015.
Takahiro Norimoto sports a fastball that ranges around 147-153 kph, a slider, changeup, splitter/forkball (his best pitch), and a curveball.
As a Rakuten Eagle fan myself, it will certainly be tough seeing him go… but still, it’s his dream, nothing much more to be done but enjoy the time when he’s still in a Rakuten uniform, and wish him the best of luck when his time to leave for overseas comes.
Fan Interference 
I didn’t given the Golden Eagles their full due when I wrote about them as “Fukushima’s team” a few weeks ago, since they play in Sendai and were within the wider contamination zone from the reactor meltdowns. It was before I began this intensive familiarization process with the Japanese leagues. I know I posted the logo, so here’s Miyagi Kobo Stadium (which used to be called – don’t sneeze this orf, please – Kleenex Stadium. Really).
The logo is boring so I won’t repeat it. Instead, here is one of their cheerleaders, who are not boring:
You will note the two Golden Eagles mascots – male and female – working their ways around to the front of her in a manner reminiscent of Hoagy Carmichael’s old tune “Huggin’ and Chalkin’.” Now there’s a couple of lucky little hand puppets.
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Here are the real Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles cheerleaders by the way. 🙂
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My kids – well, my former kids – are well beyond the Pokemon stage but I never did ask them (or anyone else) why the eyelids of those anime characters never have epicanthal folds. So I’ll ask: why are these young ladies, like most of their animated Japanese brethren, all so Caucasian looking?
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Probably just something to please the audience, I think… to make them look cute, or “kawaii” in their terms. Still, it really just depends on the creator though.
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